Chalice

As the newly appointed Chalice, Mirasol is the most important member of the Master’s Circle. It is her duty to bind the Circle, the land and its people together with their new Master. But the new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, only drawn back into the human world by the sudden death of his brother. No one knows if it is even possible for him to live amongst his people. Mirasol wants the Master to have his chance, but her only training is as a beekeeper. How can she help settle their demesne during these troubled times and bind it to a Priest of Fire, the touch of whose hand can burn human flesh to the bone?

Robin McKinley weaves a captivating tale that reveals the healing power of duty and honor, love and honey.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Met my high expectations
Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 14) for Reader Views (8/08)

Born and raised as a beekeeper and a woodskeeper, Mirasol is surprised when the rods chose her as the new Chalice. As Chalice she is the second most important member after the Master. The new Master of Willowlands is a Priest of Fire, whose touch can burn a human’s flesh and who hasn’t been in the Willowlands for seven years. His brother’s sudden death brings him back to the human world, but can he and the new Chalice fix all the harm of the previous Master?–especially when most of the other Circle members are afraid of the new Master.

Even when it seems that the Willowlands can be restored, the Overlord declares an outblood Heir. Inadvertently, Mirasol gives her support to the new Heir and only finds out when it’s too late. The Chalice soon learns that the only way an outblood Master can not disrupt the land is if she marries the Heir. Mirasol doesn’t support the Heir much less wish to marry him . . . or bear his child.

Then, when it seems that things can get no worse, a faenorn, a fight to the death, is declared. How can the new Master defeat the new Heir when he cannot even pick up a sword? Mirasol has to help anyway she can; but how can she if helping the Master would only get her in trouble with the Heir?

I have only read one other book by Robin McKinley (“Beauty”) and it had set my expectations high. “Chalice” met every single one of them. Ms. McKinley sets up a new world and new characters beautifully. The bees and the honey are nice touches which wrap up the story beautifully. “Chalice” is highly recommended to fans of fantasy.

5 Stars Mythic dreaming
It’s amazing how she walks us into the middle of the story of Mirasol the Chalice. It is almost like a Chinese ink drawing in that she fills in very few of the details, a little here and little there slowly as the story demands, but nevertheless sweeps us into this grand tale of growth and the redemption of a land flawed by the abuse of the former Master and the attack of a predatory politician. I was immersed almost immediately even though at first I hadn’t a clue. Mirasol is a vibrant figure. A magician with honey and spirit. By not filling all of the details and answering all the questions she allows the presence of mystery and wonder. Like the Bees. . .there is a whole marvelous world to be explored. With any other author I would think to see many other stories in this world, but it being McKinley. This might be it.

Enjoy.

4 Stars Intoxicating
After seven years of misrule, the land of Willowlands is falling apart; the people and the land are suffering daily from the destabilizing of the magic that is supposed to hold their land together. When the Master and the Chalice, the two highest members of Willowlands ruling circle, die suddenly, it is left to a new Master and a new Chalice to fix the damage that has been done and to protect their land.

The new Chalice is Mirasol, and she has no experience with the magic or politics of the position. She struggles to perform her job and save the land she loves. With the help of her bees and the honey that serves as the vessel of her magic, she begins to make tiny steps forward in saving Willowlands, but time is running out, and she fears the little skill she has acquired won’t be enough to shelter her land from the dangers ahead.

Mckinley creates a lush, intoxicating world that captivates from the very first pages of the book. I could hear the steady hum of the bees in the background, taste the sweetness of the honey, and see the characters who move through the land teeming with both life and magic. Mirasol is a wonderful protagonist, and the supporting characters are diverse and realistic. My only complaint with this novel is that the denouement seems more emotional than physical. I generally prefer a fast-paced, edge of your seat, action sequence at the climax of a fantasy novel, but while Mckinley could easily have written her final scene that way, she instead made it more introspective. It still works well, and there are other scenes in the book that will satisfy people looking for fantasy adventure/action sequences.

I definitely recommend this book. It’s a beautiful story and highly enjoyable to read.

4 Stars Lovely story with a fairy tale feel
This is a beautiful story for young girls and not so young girls alike. McKinley’s prose has a lush, dreamy quality to it. Be warned, the pace is slow. Pages are devoted to bees and descriptions so the plot moves slow. A book to be savoured rather than devoured. Both you and your daughter will enjoy.

5 Stars Honey sweet
Robin McKinley debuted with a fleshed-out retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” and later followed it up with ANOTHER retelling.

And after a few books about dragons and vampires, McKinley returns to her old territory — she spins up a vaguely medieval tale of a woodland beauty and a charred “beast” entirely out of her own imagination. McKinley’s sumptuous prose and her depiction of a “living” land add an extra dimension to a straightforward little love story that drips with sweetness.

Some months ago, the decadent Master of Willowlands and his Chalice were killed in a fire. The new Chalice is Mirasol, whose duty is to fill ceremonial cups and help bind the land.

But then the late Master’s little brother arrives from the priests of Fire — charred black and no longer entirely human. Mirasol is determined to do the best job she can for the new Master, when she isn’t tending a woodland cottage covered in bees. Unfortunately the land is still unsettled despite her joint efforts with the Master, especially since his strange behavior frightens his people.

In the course of her duty, Mirasol soon gets to know her new Master — he’s quiet, kind, worried about burning people, and confused by the world he had almost forgotten. But as he struggles to keep his land balanced, the Overlord begins to scheme to put a new Master in Willowlands — one that will do whatever he wishes. With her role as Chalice and her power over bees, Mirasol must find a way to save her beloved Master…

You wouldn’t think that such a slender novel could have such a richly imagined world, where metaphysical bonds link the Master and Chalice to the very land itself. Not only does Robin McKinley conjure such a world in “Chalice,” but she also wrought an intricate web of politics and tradition around the ritual roles. Poor Mirasol, trying to navigate her new role.

And McKinley’s prose is as sweet and thick as Mirasol’s honey (“the great windows were still twilight grey…”), but filled with a slightly bittersweet feeling. And she crams the novel with rural splendour — trees, little cottages, old dusty books — as well as anything having to do with bees and beekeeping. When Mirasol is with her books in the woodright, McKinley’s writing takes on an exquisitely mystical edge (albeit a quieter one than her Chalice duties).

But once the Overlord’s little plan comes into play, McKinley also interweaves a sense of dread and foreboding, which gets worse as the story creeps toward the inevitable clash. If there’s a flaw in the story, it’s that the bees serve a slightly deus-ex-machinesque function for the Master.

However, the heart of this story is the growing love story between two young people who are unsure how to do their jobs, and fear that they are failing. Mirasol and the Master (whose name is only revealed late in the book) are wonderfully realistic characters, and Mirasol’s stumbles and struggles make her seem like a totally realistic country girl suddenly given a great task.

“Chalice” is the sort of story that Robin McKinley has penned before, but the land-mysticism and lush prose make it entirely unique. Definitely a must-read..

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