Fire by Kristin Cashore is Another Thrill
The Prequel to Graceling Takes the Reader On a Romantic Journey
Oct 29, 2009
The story takes place some thirty years before Graceling, and once again the main character is a beautiful young woman finding her way in the world.
Fire, the young human/monster crossbreed, lives in the Dells, a land on the other side of the mountains from the location of the Gracelings. This land is harsh but beautiful, much like it's inhabitants. The focus of the story are the monsters--animals, plants, and even people, who have developed colorful beauty and an appetite for other monster flesh if they can get it.
Among the human monsters there was often terrible cruelty as they were able to take advantage of their stunning beauty to manipulate others. They were killed when fights broke out among those who wanted the human monsters for themselves.
The Grey Area of Good and Bad in Fire
One area in which Cashore excels is in that of flawless subtext. Explored throughout the novel is the tension that exists between doing what you were brought up to do, versus doing what you know in your heart to be right.
The main character in this novel was raised to take full advantage of beauty and power. Her clear desire to be different from her cruel father leads her down a path of low self esteem and takes her on a journey to learn just who she is.
There are distinct sub cultures throughout where the definition of monster is handled differently. One culture may feel that the monster culture is abhorrent and something to be feared, whereas another might feel that they are different but not in a negative way. It is an interesting parallel to modern day society.
The Complexity of Love in Fire
There is a truly beautiful weaving of love and romance throughout this entire novel. Prince Brigan is a perfect hero to match an indomitable heroine. Both characters are flawed in the typically archetypal way--both have enough self confidence to do what is right, but not enough to believe in their own self worth. They are drawn to one another's damaged sides.
The love of friends as well as the love of family also comes into play. Fire loves her closest friend, but she cannot feel for him the love he feels for her. Consequently, there is much pain and anguish. The love of family takes multiple faces: the face of the twisted in the image of Fire's father, and the face of patience in the love of her step-father. The love of Brigan's family versus the history of their father's destruction. All of it combines to create three dimensional characters the reader truly wants to stay with throughout their journey.
The Author and the Book(s)
A final note: What makes this a prequel to Graceling? The well crafted single character with two different color eyes and a haunting ability to read minds. The third novel, provisionally titled Bitterblue, takes a character from Graceling and returns to the past, a time period between Fire and Graceling. It is yet another testament to Cashore's ability to weave fantastic tales full of depth and meaning.
Kristin Cashore's Graceling has won a plethora of awards, including the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and the SIBA Book Award. She lives in Massachusetts and has an MA in Children’s Literature.
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