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The Gift (Pellinor Trilogy)
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Product Description
Product Description
Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful gift, a gift that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfolds. Now she and her teacher, Cadvan, must survive a punishing and uncertain journey through a time and place where the dark forces they battle with stem from the deepest recesses of other-worldly terror.
About the Author
Alison Croggon is an award-winning poet whose work has been published extensively in anthologies and magazines internationally. She has written widely for theatre, and her plays and opera libretti have been produced all around her native Australia. She is also an editor and a critic. The Gift is her first fantasy novel. Alison lives in Melbourne with her husband Daniel Keene, the playwright, and their three children.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
221 of 239 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am the author of this book. I hasten to say that I respect anyone's right to dislike my work; that is not, and should not be, any of my business. But the previous review has, to say the least, nettled me, and I would like to defend my work from the charges of plagiarism which I think are being most unjustly levelled here.
I make no secret of the influence of Tolkien - of whom I too have been a longtime fan - in The Gift (readers who persist with The Riddle and The Crow will have a hard time finding such homages; I pays my dues in the first book). But I would like to point out some subtle differences between influence or allusion and outright plagiarism. Jessica points out some similarities between The Lord of the Rings and The Gift, all of which are deliberate - there is even a poem written in Tolkien's invented measure, ann-thennath, which in my book is credited to "the Bard Tulkan", which she fails to mention. But there are very significant differences in how I use the material, and these differences Jessica chooses to ignore entirely. The Elidhu, for example, are very different creatures from Tolkien's Elves, being not the exemplars and originators of civilisation, but deeply ambiguous and unhuman aspects of the natural world: the difference between Ardina's fate and Galadriel's is that Ardina wishes to join her lover in death, but is an Elemental and therefore is not only bound to the natural world but is irredeemably part of it; whereas Galadriel belongs in the Uttermost West, beyond this world, and is banished from her home. The Ice Witch, Arkan, is also an Elemental; I admit to pinching a story from Hans Christian Anderson and adapting it to my own purposes, but he has nothing to do with Narnia or the White Witch. The ideology of my book is several worlds away from Tolkien; the Bards of Edil-Amarandh bear absolutely no resemblance to anything in The Lord of the Rings. And need I point out the total absence of dwarves, hobbits, Ents, magic rings, dragons, orcs or hereditary swords? Or the place that women have in this particular society?
This review ignores the sources from which Tolkien himself drew his stories: he did not simply make them up out of nowhere but used very ancient tales and - as I have with Tolkien's (and many other writings I love) - adapted them for his own purposes. Perhaps Jessica ought to read the epic Norse tales of the Edda, or Beowulf (which features dragons, hoards and a people suspiciously like the Rohirrim without horses) or Milton's Paradise Lost, from which the beginning of the Silmarillion is unashamedly taken; and then perhaps she might be as upset with Tolkien as she is with me.
Perhaps it is petty of me to reply: as I said, I do not expect to please everyone, and believe that people have the right to react as they wish to anything they read. But I do not like being accused of plagiarism, because I think it is not only unfair to the book, but misunderstands something crucial about writing itself.
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Gift is in my opinion one of the finest fantasy novels I've read (and I've read quite a few!) The way Alison Croggon describes the world of Pellinor and its characters is unique, entertaining and enthralling. The action, adventure and passion of the main plot and its many subplots pulls you in and keeps you reading right until the very last page and keeps you gasping for more. It gives you the impression of a personal relationship with each character and whether good or evil you love to read more of them. This book and the two sequels that have been released so far are truly great works of literature and I wait with bated breath for the final instalment of the fantasy filled world of Pellinor.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wanted to like this book based on Alison Croggon's own review alone. Anyone brave enough (or fool enough!) to defend their book on and Amazon review deserves support, and I gave her a thumbs up on the review. Sadly though I was not captivated by this book. That may well be a reflection on me, and my tastes though, so your mileage may vary. I will try to be balanced in this review.
On the plus sides, this book is a wonderfully imagined and detailed fantasy. Alison is up front about her Tolkien influence, and she has written a book very much in the vein of Tolkien, complete with detailed notes and back story that are allowed to deliberately intrude on the story and blur the line between fantasy and reality. This alos reminded me of what C S Lewis does in his cosmic trilogy.
The story, too, is good. It is perhaps not original - all the elements in this story can be found in countless others, but that is no reason to dislike the book. The way the story is constructed is much more important than whether the elements of the story are derived from elsewhere (which is true of nearly all stories, of course).
But in stry construction, there does lie a problem I think. This book was not gripping. There is action and plenty of it, but it dod not grip me from the first moment and a lot of it felt like it was just wandering!
Now I have heard the same criticism of Tolkien from people who never completed those books, so this is likely personal taste to a large extent. If you never finished Tolkien, you perhaps will not want to attempt this book. If you loved Tolkien, then you could find plenty to interest you in this book.
But then there is the problem of inevitable Tolkien comparisons. Now this book is a very different story from Lord of the Rings, whatever some reviewers have said. It is its own story in its own right. Nevertheless as I was reading it, the homage to Tolkien in terms of style and other elements in this book did keep me comparing the two, which is unfortunate, because any comparison with Tolkien was going to have this book coming second best.
I also suspect that the author has read Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising books, based on the name Cadvan, the warestones and a few other things. Again, that the author has enjoyed books I enjoy is not a reason to dislike this book.
Personally I was not gripped by it, and thus the derivative elements grated a little. I also did not feel the characters were as rich as they could be, and the story could, in my opinion, have been shortened to its benefit. I would like to give it 3.5 stars, because it is not bad but not a book I will offer to share with others. I have rounded that up to four stars for this review because I recognise that others may enjoy it.
On the plus sides, this book is a wonderfully imagined and detailed fantasy. Alison is up front about her Tolkien influence, and she has written a book very much in the vein of Tolkien, complete with detailed notes and back story that are allowed to deliberately intrude on the story and blur the line between fantasy and reality. This alos reminded me of what C S Lewis does in his cosmic trilogy.
The story, too, is good. It is perhaps not original - all the elements in this story can be found in countless others, but that is no reason to dislike the book. The way the story is constructed is much more important than whether the elements of the story are derived from elsewhere (which is true of nearly all stories, of course).
But in stry construction, there does lie a problem I think. This book was not gripping. There is action and plenty of it, but it dod not grip me from the first moment and a lot of it felt like it was just wandering!
Now I have heard the same criticism of Tolkien from people who never completed those books, so this is likely personal taste to a large extent. If you never finished Tolkien, you perhaps will not want to attempt this book. If you loved Tolkien, then you could find plenty to interest you in this book.
But then there is the problem of inevitable Tolkien comparisons. Now this book is a very different story from Lord of the Rings, whatever some reviewers have said. It is its own story in its own right. Nevertheless as I was reading it, the homage to Tolkien in terms of style and other elements in this book did keep me comparing the two, which is unfortunate, because any comparison with Tolkien was going to have this book coming second best.
I also suspect that the author has read Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising books, based on the name Cadvan, the warestones and a few other things. Again, that the author has enjoyed books I enjoy is not a reason to dislike this book.
Personally I was not gripped by it, and thus the derivative elements grated a little. I also did not feel the characters were as rich as they could be, and the story could, in my opinion, have been shortened to its benefit. I would like to give it 3.5 stars, because it is not bad but not a book I will offer to share with others. I have rounded that up to four stars for this review because I recognise that others may enjoy it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
I loooooove all 4 books!
Such a great story! Absolutely LOOOOVED it! I love the way it refers to a Saga and the charakters are so easy to empathise with :) It's got every thing you need in a good book:... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Fine
Absolutely fantastic.
I have just finished the whole series & enjoyed each book. I found myself completely absorbed into the fantasy world that Alison Croggon created. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Charlotte
None
truly one of the greatest fantasy series of all time! a must read whether your new to fantasy or an old hand
Published 2 months ago by alex clark
A Strong Finish!
Well my wife has been in love with this series for a year or two and has been demanding I read them too for almost as long! Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. A. I. Harrison
The Naming
Good quality discs unabridged and good sound quality
The discs are only in paper packets inside but this does make the box smaller and easy to store on your shelf
The discs are only in paper packets inside but this does make the box smaller and easy to store on your shelf
Published 10 months ago by Kevin M
Like a drug
I am 18 years old and I have loved this series since I was 13.
This series has had me enthralled since the very first page of "The Gift". Read more
This series has had me enthralled since the very first page of "The Gift". Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ica light
Books of Pellinor
These are by far the best books I have ever read. I am a huge fan of Lord of The Rings however this story is incredible and I know others that share my same enthusiasm. Read more
Published 16 months ago by ClaireOkye
A Joy to Read
I remember reading this book when I was thirteen, and adored it. Now I am nearly twenty and this first book of Pellinor still sticks in my mind, with the strong female protagonist... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ms. J. M. Brundle
Amazing
What it say!!!!! it is the best book ever ,i have read it about 6 times. the plot is great the characters are so easy to love and i just got hooked and i wish she had done more... Read more
Published 18 months ago
To my surprise, I loved it!
I, like the previous reviewer, had read Croggon's response to an earlier criticism of the book. Likewise, I found myself wanting to like the book for the simple reason that... Read more
Published 21 months ago by EL
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