Hehe, I don't have a clue how I like Dickinson, as I bought The Ropemaker as well and haven't gotten to it yet. :) I will say, I thought his stories were weaker than McKinley's in the Water collection, but I still enjoyed them.
As for what to read that's long those lines. . . there isn't anything else in her cannon that's like Deerskin. Which is maybe a good thing, because while Deerskin was incredible, it was also incredibly harrowing. . . the first time I read it I cried through the entire novel. (And I'm not usually THAT weepy. . .)
The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword are both earlier works of hers, and kind of pared down, so if you liked the style of them you might enjoy Beauty, her first retelling of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. If you want something a little bigger, give Rose Daughter (her second retelling of Beauty and the Beast) or Spindle's End (her retelling of Sleeping Beauty) a try. . . though I warn you, some people thought both of them could have been written more tightly. I personally loved how much more world-building went into both of those, but some people prefer when all the world-building is implied as it is for the Damar stories.
You could also give Chalice a try; it's her most recent novel, and the first 3/4 of it reminded me very much of The Hero and the Crown; unfortunately, the climax kind of falls apart, so overall I don't think it's one of her strongest.
posted 2 months ago. ( reply )
