The Bards of Bone Plain
core novel 2010 The Bards of Bone Plain
Record
| First published | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.96 (2,751 ratings, collected 2026-09-29) |
| Page count | 336 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780441019571 |
Synopsis
Phelan Cle, a reluctant student at the bardic school above the royal city of Caerau, wants only to graduate, and chooses Bone Plain for his final paper because he expects it to be easy. Argued over by scholars for five hundred years, Bone Plain, with its three trials, three terrors and three treasures, is generally taken for a metaphor, and the bard Nairn, called the Wanderer, the Fool and the Unforgiven, who is said to have failed its trials and disappeared, for a legend. His father Jonah, an archaeologist when not lost in drink, digs among the standing stones near the city with his most devoted pupil, Princess Beatrice, the king's youngest daughter. When they unearth a disc marked with ancient runes, Beatrice begins to see the lost language hidden in plain sight all around her, and Nairn's story, told in alternating chapters, starts to converge with the present.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Bards of Bone Plain
- Series: not part of a registered series (standalone work within its universe)
- Author: Patricia A. McKillip
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2011: nominated; Finalist.
Notes
- Ace Books, December 2010. A separate world from McKillip's other universes in this canon; its setting mixes a medieval bardic school with motorcars and trams.
Sources
- Publishers Weekly
- https://www.thebooksmugglers.com/2010/12/smugglivus-2010-book-review-the-bards-of-bone-plain-by-patricia-mckillip.html
- https://fantasyliterature.com/reviews/the-bards-of-bone-plain/
- sfadb
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