Alanna The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness 1)

What is it about the idea of fantasy education that fascinates me so much? I don't know. All I know is that there are innumerable reasons why I think educators can learn from the fictional schools created in fantasy novels. One thing I have learned overall is that we coddle our students way too much. Students appreciate a business-like manner in the classroom. They enjoy a challenge. From Ms. Tamora Pierce I have learned that theoretical education is best done in the mornings and physical activity in the afternoon. Another lesson that echoes what can be learned in Rowling's series is that a theoretical education, not balanced by practical application is evil. I will explain, but not in this post. I'll save this one for why I enjoyed this first installment in the Song of the Lioness series.

Alanna, one of twins born to a nobleman who loves his books more than his children, decides to switch places with her brother Thom. Thom has always wanted to be a sorcerer and Alanna has always wanted to be a knight. Forging their father's signature, Alanna becomes Alan and heads to palace for page training, and Thom heads to the convent to be trained in magic. Alanna experiences great success in her ardous training as a page. She makes friends with the Prince (Jonathan) and one of her better teachers (Myles). She defeats her childhood nemesis Ralon, heals Jonathan from the sweating sickness that has been sapping all the healers of their strength, and eventually helps Jonathan to defeat the Ysandir of the Black City. Along the way, Alanna makes a much more adult enemy in the form of Duke Roger who wants to replace Jonathan as heir to the thrown of Tortall.

Alanna is a very strong character, but much of her strength lies in her youth and naivte. Her belief that she can do things seems to be enough to get them done. Often confused as to why she succeeds at tasks she sets for herself, Alanna is not proud or overly confident. She just does things without thinking about the possibility of failure. She has to be told that she is likable and doesn't need to try so hard to be like everyone else. By the end of the first novel, however, she seems to have grown in to her abilities to some extent, as she admits to Jonathan that she would make the best squire for him. One of the best features of the series is Alanna's fear of her own magic. She has the Gift, as they call it in the book, and instead of using it to her advantage at every opportunity, she shuns it and has to be forced to use it by extenuating circumstances. What Alanna achieves in this novel, she achieves with her own strength and the sweat of her brow.

Jonathan, Raoul, Gary, and Myles are fun background characters full of honor and a willingness to jump in on the side of the righteous and the weak. Myles is my favorite though because he is a teacher who manages to make History come alive for his students. He is also modest, though he drinks too much for the respectable knight. Duke Roger is an understandable villain with realistic motives, but he has yet to seem really evil. Alanna hates him inexplicably, but she follows her gut and steers clear of him as often as she can. I hope that we will find him to be more evil and less sympathetic in future books.

I look forward to finishing the Song of the Lioness quartet and returning them to Christy before I leave for Greensboro next month.