1982 fantasy. Kidnapped from the family stronghold, Alethia is going
to be instrumental in saving the world.
This is Wrede's first novel, and even in the 1992-ish revised
text, there are times when it's painfully obvious. Not that the
writing is bad, but sometimes the fantasy tropes are rather close to
the surface, in particular when a large chunk of the book consists of
travelling in a small company through mysterious lands; and when
Alethia turns out to be not only a naturally talented mage but the
best mage ever, coming up with techniques her teachers have never
thought of. After the famous Lost Crown is mentioned, it will clearly
only be a matter of time before she stumbles across it.
But this is Wrede, so what could have been a forgettable fantasy
pageturner comes out as something rather more interesting. Yes, there
are journeys and battles, but there are also elves who may be wise but
who are too stuck in their dismissal of anything human-influenced to
be able to evaluate plans fairly. Yes, there's an entire human nation
of Bad People, but both the "good" human powers and the elves are
riven by court politics—not because of Dark Influence (OMT), but
simple because people gonna people.
It's very minor Wrede, but that still makes for a solidly enjoyable
book overall.