The Naming (Pellinor, #1)

by Alison Croggon

The Books of Pellinor are a high fantasy series that is a more accessible version of Tolkein's Lord of the Rings with the same richness of imagery and world building but with straightforward names and a less complicated history. That said it could also be that The Books of Pellinor are less intimidating because they're not as famous or as widely read as Tolkein.

The Books of Pellinor are set in the land of Edil-Amarandh - a land which has been on the precipe of danger for years - ever since Sharma, the Nameless One stole the Treesong from the Elementals (Elidhu) and broke the song. Cadvan of Lirigon is working against the dark but there's only so much he can do - until while on a mission he runs into Maerad - a slave girl who can see through his invisibility. Soon they're travelling together and finding that all is not right in the land. Then Maerad leads Cadvan to a boy named Hem and nothing is the same. Maerad and Hem have an instant connection and it's not long before Cadvan realises nothing happens without a reason and that only by working together can the light prevail.

Maerad was terrific. I loved her zest for life and learning and her desire to improve her circumstances - for all she could occasionally be childish and pessimistic. Cadvan was a bit more of an enigma - he was all over the place. Like Maerad, I found myself loving and hating him depending on how vague he was and then how kind he could be. I did like how periods were normalised in this. Nowadays it's not so much an issue but when it was first published it was still more of a topic to be embarrassed about, for all it was still discussed.

The fantasy elements are terrific and will feel familiar and comfortable for fantasy lovers. There's not anything particularly new (when is there?) but it's done well. The quest unfolds satisfactorily with a good balance of action and lore and character development. I enjoyed the inclusion of the Bard verses throughout the text and at the start of each segment. My favourite was the Canticles of Pel of Norloch. The world building is well developed and fascinating but thankfully not quite as overwhelming as Lord of the Rings. The appendices streamline knowledge that appears throughout the text rather than just adding a billion more backstories and histories. Well, and add some cheeky humour. I enjoyed the idea of matter and energy as music. A science that depended on laboratory experimentation, for example, simply didn’t exist, although it is known that the Schools of the Suderain included extremely advanced mathematicians and that the Bards of Baladh formulated and used physical laws in their astronomical observations. They were aware of atoms and subatomic particles, and theorized matter and energy as musical vibratory forces, anticipating quantum physics and string theory, and the Bard Thorkon of Turbansk proposed something that looks very like the theory of relativity.

Croggon, Alison. The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series 1) (pp. 487-488). Candlewick Press. Kindle Edition.

Although there is some romance in later books, the relationship between Cadvan and Maerad is one of friendship and respect and only has a few fleeting hints of anything like love in this first book. Maerad has had a hard life and Cadvan is understanding and steadfast in his support as she learns to adjust to freedom. For all he could be harsh he was also kind.

The side characters were interesting and I liked Silvia and Nelac and I'm pretty fond of Saliman - but my favourite character was Hem. Hem was hilarious. I can't wait to see more of him.

This won't be for everyone, The Naming alone, is almost 500 pages - but for those that like strong fantasy books with a quest and chosen ones and epic lore - this is for you. 5 stars.