The Hero and the Crown [Hardcover]

Robin McKinley (Author), David M. Johnston (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1984

Robin McKinley's mesmerizing history of Damar is the stuff that legends are made of. The Hero and the Crown is a dazzling "prequel" to The Blue Sword.

Aerin is the only child of the king of Damar, and should be his rightful heir. But she is also the daughter of a witchwoman of the North, who died when she was born, and the Damarians cannot trust her.

But Aerin's destiny is greater than her father's people know, for it leads her to battle with Maur, the Black Dragon, and into the wilder Damarian Hills, where she meets the wizard Luthe. It is he who at last tells her the truth about her mother, and he also gives over to her hand the Blue Sword, Gonturan. But such gifts as these bear a great price, a price Aerin only begins to realize when she faces the evil mage, Agsded, who has seized the Hero's Crown, greatest treasure and secret strength of Damar.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robin McKinley's other books include the Newbery Award-winning The Hero and the Crown; Newbery Honor Book The Blue Sword; Sunshine; Spindle's End; Rose Daughter; Deerskin; The Outlaws of Sherwood; and the short story collections The Door in the Hedge; A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories; and, with her husband, the author Peter Dickinson, Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits. She lives in England with her husband, three whippets, and over five hundred rosebushes.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688025935
• ISBN-13: 978-0688025939
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (279 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robin McKinley has won various awards and citations for her writing, including the Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown and a Newbery Honor for The Blue Sword. Her other books include Sunshine; the New York Times bestseller Spindle's End; two novel-length retellings of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Beauty and Rose Daughter; and a retelling of the Robin Hood legend, The Outlaws of Sherwood. She lives with her husband, the English writer Peter Dickinson.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for any fantasy fan, December 25, 2000

By 

Whitney S. Christiansen "Promotional Project ... (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hero and the Crown (Paperback)

This is, I believe, Robin McKinley's magnum opus. This book is often hard to locate, buried in the young adult section where it only half-belongs. Yes, this tale is about a teenage heroine, but the subject matter, her trials and emotions, are not limited to that audience. (Note to booksellers-By the way, most avid young adult sci-fi and fantasy fans have been reading from the adult section for years-you might do better to rethink the placement of these types of books.) Anyway, this novel tels the story of Aerin, arguably one of the most well-written and believable heroines out there. Her feelings of ineptitude and clumsiness are universal, yet her unknown powers don't develop miraculously, deus ex machina style, but are fought for and gained as a result of this fight. The narrative twists and turns in surprising ways, and the tale doesn't always turn out the way we originally think it will, and yet the turns never feel out of place. This is a novel from a whole other world, and yet it feels real. The characters are true-to-life and honestly drawn by this masterful author. This book would definitely draw someone into the fantasy genre.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars McKinley is a hero, April 17, 2004

By 

C. DeMario "crystalg75" (Drexel Hill,PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hero and the Crown (Paperback)

Have you ever read a book as a child that still managed to resonate as an adult? "Hero and the Crown" was one such book for me. I can still remember reading it as an 11 year old, and presenting a shoe box diorama of the showdown between Aerin and the Dragon in my reading class. While the strong feminist principles were not quite understood as an 11 year old, they are today. Even re-reading it now, you cheer for Aerin as she begins to understand her place in the world, and how what others say really doesn't matter. She longs to be more than the sum of her parts, and proves to be more than capable not only to herself, but to her father and the Damarians.

Great example of Robin McKinley's writing, that transcends age and sex, and is a worthy adventure/fantasy for everyone.

85 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fantasy for All Ages and Genders, May 14, 2001

By 

Michael P. Clawson (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Hero and the Crown (Paperback)

For years this book sat on the shelf of my high school's library staring at me while I obstinantly refused to read it. It's not that I didn't like fantasy; it's just that I had had a few bad encounters in the past with "feminist" fantasy (e.g. Marion Zimmer Bradley), and I wasn't interested in reading another grrl power, male-bashing fantasy novel. I must have just assumed it was like that since it had a female heroine.

Finally, years later (I'm 22 now) I returned to it with a more open mind and a positive review from my wife. I thought it was one of the most captivating fantasy novels I've read. I couldn't put it down. If you've ever felt like the outcast among your peers or like you just don't fit in you'll be able to identify with the main character. If you're introverted and prefer the company of books to people (and many of the people who will bother to read this book are like this) then you will find a soul mate in Aerin. It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl, this book will appeal to anyone who likes a good story and knows what it's like to have to "prove" yourself in order to gain acceptance.