Read for the Mythopoeic Award and Once Upon a Time II reading challenges.
The Sorceress and the Cygnet is a beautifully written, very dense book. The story is told from two points of view: Corleu, a Wayfolk man forced into finding legends made flesh to rescue those he loves, and Meguet, the guardian of the ancient ruling family of the land.
I have to admit that the story is actually hard to follow at times, but the language is so lovely it’s not a hardship to continue on. The characters are fascinating, and the “villains” of the story are fascinatingly conceived and rendered. I’m having trouble thinking of more to say. I definitely get the feeling this a read numerous times to really understand it kind of book.
There is a second book set in this world (Cygnet and Firebird), but both of these books are actually out of print individually, and are now only available as a combined edition called Cygnet. From the looks of the reviews on Amazon, the fans of these books are extremely devoted. I do think it’s probably a love it or hate it kind of series.