Praise for The Blue Sword * This is a zesty, romantic heroic fantasy with an appealingly stalwart heroine, a finely realized mythical kingdom, and a grounding in reality that enhances the tale's verve as a fantasy. -Booklist, starred review * McKinley has reworked many familiar mythological motifs into a tale that is completely fresh; her spare and eloquent prose is sheer delight. -School Library Journal, starred review A new language, a new landscape, and a new people-all unforgettable! -The Horn Book McKinley knows her geography of fantasy, the nuances of the language, the atmosphere of magic . . . . -The Washington Post Any book that, at one point or another, reminded me of The Sheikh, Gunga Din, Islandia, and The Lord of the Rings can't be anything but a true original. -Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction