Summary: Harry is a Homelander, a part of a group that has been colonizing a new land. The Homelanders have a tense relationship with the natives of that land, the Damarians. During a diplomatic mission, the king of the Damarians kidnaps Harry, and as she tries to find a new life among a new people, she also learns she is heir to a legend that can bring the two groups together.

Review: This is a classic in young adult fantasy. I remember in grade six, another class read this book for a project and I was really jealous because I wanted to read it too. Well, now I have, and I think overall it’s a pretty good book. It does interesting things with the rarely explored subject of colonialism in fantasy novels, and how the colonizer and the colonized interact. It admirably avoids racist implications, and is actually a subversion of the trope where the Sheik kidnaps the blonde, blue-eyed woman and makes her his slave.

However, I’m not too fond of stories where people do great things just because it is their destiny to do so, and I’m afraid that was the case with Harry. She wasn’t a weak character, but nothing in her ever made it believable that she would be the one to carry Lady Aerin’s torch and become a great warrior. I mean, yes, she does have a learning curve (not all novels do, unfortunately), but for a girl who has never really fought to suddenly defeat the king in combat? It felt too easy. I wanted to see her struggle more.

The same with her acceptance of Damarian culture. Harry starts the novel as a bit of an outcast from her own culture, which makes it easier for her to become Damarian. But with her quick change, I think we lose what could have been a more poignant exploration of what it is like to go from one culture to another. Harry never really had a moment where she was too alienated or questioned Damarian morals or practices. I am a first-generation immigrant, so I thought her experience was somewhat idealized and unrealistic.

Also, I wish we could have learned more about the Northerners. They were the bad guys that the Homelanders and the Damarians teamed up against, but sometimes it felt like they were just a scapegoat, conveniently evil so that they don’t have to be subject to the same cultural analysis that the Damarians were treated with.

And I never fell in love with either Harry or Corlath, and they were the main characters. They were certainly better than some characters I have read, but they didn’t get me excited to read more.

Conclusion: An even-handed exploration of culture clashes and imperialism, but there were some things that kept it from being fantastic rather than merely good. ( )

Cross-posted at: http://readingisgoodforyou.wordpress....

"This is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.

And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Outlander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King’s Rider, and bearer of the Blue Sword, Gonturan, the sword Lady Aerin carried, the sword only a woman may wield, for it will turn in the hands of a man.

And this is a story of the kelar of the Hillfolk, the magic in the blood, and how it may wake even in Outlander veins."

I'm not sure when I discovered The Blue Sword. It might have been in middle school when I was going through my horse crazy phase, or perhaps it was during my undergrad years when I had to read a Newbery book for an education class. Regardless, this is one of those books that is comforting and familiar, one that I grab again and again to escape from the stress and drama of my everyday life.

If you've ever felt that you didn't quite fit in, had the urge to throw off the lackluster confines of your society and escape into the wilderness, or are not considered quite the ideal specimen of feminine beauty, then chances are you can relate to Harry Crewe, the female protagonist. If that's not quite the case with you, well, there's still a lot to love about her. She's strong and brave, without sacrificing femininity, dignified under duress (i.e. she refrains from the waterworks and hysterics), does the right thing, even though it might cost her dearly, and has a wee bit of stubbornness thrown in for good measure.

And then there's Corlath. How can I do his description justice? He's a subtle and mysterious character,canny, just a bit impulsive, and has quite the temper. He relies heavily on his instincts (so to speak), even when they tell him to whisk away the oversized blonde Outlander girl in the middle of the night. This may make him sound a bit like the stereotypical fantasy genre brute, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Though he is unmistakably this masculine warrior type, there is also this tenderness and gentleness about Corlath that makes him instantly appealing. It's dear the way he interacts with Harry, treating her with respect and according her the highest honors, all the while hoping that she will come to view his beloved country not as a prison, but home.

Though there are plenty of exciting occurences in the plot, this is essentially a coming-of-age story for Harry, how she goes from the girl who doesn't quite belong and isn't for sure why, to discovering her true heritage and her rightful place in the world. Though I could wish for more interaction between Harry and Corlath, since I enjoyed watching the subtle blossoming of their relationship, I do understand that it's not quite the focus of this story (though could you throw us a bone, Ms. McKinley and create a sequel or two instead of a sum-up at the end of the book?).

Though the story itself is great, I did have some qualms with the sentence structure. Girlfriend gave some of my former eighth grade students a run for their money when it came to run-on sentences. I'm sure it was in some way intentional (though I'm not quite sure why it would be), but geeze. And don't get me started with the cover of the copy I originally read. I think one should not be allowed to draw horseback riders if they are not at all familiar with what will and will not work when sitting on a moving horse. I'm certainly glad I was able to snag a copy of the 'adult' cover from Paperback Swap (not to mention I can read it in public without some smart alec laughing at me for reading kiddy fantasy books). ( )

I read this one after reading (and falling in love with!) The Hero and the Crown. I just didn't like this one as much - I didn't find Harry or the other characters to be as likeable as the characters in The Hero and the Crown, and the story really didn't grab me like that one did. I don't think it's bad, but compared with The Hero and the Crown, this one falls rather flat. ( )

Derivative, which isn't necessarily bad, but combined with unlikable characters The Blue Sword just isn't worth the read. ( )

When Harry Crewe's father dies, she leaves her Homeland to travel east, to Istan, the last outpost of the Homelander empire, where her elder brother is stationed. ( )