The Bird of the River

Lord Ermenwyr #3

by Kage Baker

In this new story set in the world of The Anvil of the World and The House of the Stag , two teenagers join the crew of a huge river barge after their addict mother is drowned. The girl and her half-breed younger brother try to make the barge their new home. As the great boat proceeds up the long river, we see a panorama of cities and cultures, and begin to perceive patterns in the pirate attacks that happen so frequently in the river cities. Eliss, the girl, becomes a sharp-eyed spotter of obstacles in the river for the barge, and more than that, one who perceives deeply.

A young boy her age, Krelan, trained as a professional assassin, has come aboard, seeking the head of a dead nobleman, so that there might be a proper burial. But the head proves as elusive as the real explanation behind the looting of cities, so he needs Eliss’s help. And then there is the massive Captain of the barge, who can perform supernatural tricks, but prefers to stay in his cabin and drink.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2010

About the author

Born June 10, 1952, in Hollywood, California, and grew up there and in Pismo Beach, present home. Spent 12 years in assorted navy blue uniforms obtaining a good parochial school education and numerous emotional scars. Rapier wit developed as defense mechanism to deflect rage of larger and more powerful children who took offense at abrasive, condescending and arrogant personality in a sickly eight-year-old. Family: 2 parents, 6 siblings, 4 nieces, 2 nephews. Husbands: 0. Children: 0.

Prior occupations: graphic artist and mural painter, several lower clerical positions which could in no way be construed as a career, and (over a period of years for the Living History Centre) playwright, bit player, director, teacher of Elizabethan English for the stage, stage manager and educational program assistant coordinator. Presently reengaged in the above-listed capacities for the LHC's triumphant reincarnation, AS YOU LIKE IT PRODUCTIONS.

20 years of total immersion research in Elizabethan as well as other historical periods has paid off handsomely in a working knowledge of period speech and details.

In spare time (ha) reads: any old sea stories by Marryat, the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brien, the Hornblower books, ANYTHING by Robert Louis Stevenson, Raymond Chandler, Thorne Smith, Herman Melville (except Pierre, or the Ambiguities, which stinks) Somerset Maugham, George MacDonald Frasier.

Now happily settled in beautiful Pismo Beach, Clam Capital of the World, in charming seaside flat which is unfortunately not haunted by ghost of dashing sea captain. Avid gardener, birdwatcher, spinster aunt and Jethro Tull fan.


http://www.sfwa.org/2010/01/rip-kage-...

Reviews

[Phoenixfalls · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a melancholy book, both because of its subject matter and because it is likely the last Kage Baker book I will ever see published, given her death last January. The speculative fiction field is lessened by her loss, and this book is a reminder of exactly why.

I suspect I will be in the minority in holding this opinion. It's a slight book, both in length and in that it is one in which not a whole lot happens. The heavy-duty world-building went on in the previous two novels, and this one is essentially nothing more than a gentle coming-of-age travelogue and romance. It has a likeable young protagonist, some light adventure, some not-very-dark secrets, and a happy ending. All of that is usually enough for a young adult audience, which is why I think it will work best when aimed at that reading level.

But that's just the gloss, the stuff the publisher sees (based on the jacket description which, as always with Baker's novels, spoils some things better left unspoiled and gets other things completely wrong). At its core this novel is just as subversive as the two that came before in this gloriously zany fantasy world -- unlike 95% of fantasy written today, it is a novel about the commonplace events that make up the lives of the vast majority of people inhabiting any world, real or imagined. It very gently paints a portrait of the lower classes, the working (and non-working) poor, whose lives are counted so negligibly by the characters portrayed in most fantasy novels. It's about the everyday tragedies of a hard life, and the way small lives get swallowed up by large ones, and the difference that creates in perception.

There is a beautiful passage between Eliss and Krelan where they talk about the way they see the universe. Krelan, living amongst the nobility his entire life, waxes on about how ordered the world is, the strict hierarchies keeping everyone in balance, in their place. And Eliss, whose idea of luxury is eating at a Red House (an establishment Krelan thinks terribly declasse) breaks in to say "But there isn't any balance. That's just made up. A Diamondcut can end up dead in the river mud, and a demon can fall in love with a goddess. Things just happen. Sometimes they're even good things."

That viewpoint is exactly the viewpoint so often missing from fantasy worlds. This loosely related trilogy, no matter its outer trappings, has always been about the value in seeking happiness, in forming families, in striving to be true to individuals rather than principles, and in enjoying life today, because it is a fragile thing. And that message, when delivered in such a gently beguiling way, is one I hope resonates with everyone who reads it.

[Wealhtheow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful story of a young woman traveling along a river. Eliss is smart, observant, and hard-working, and if she were any less competent she and her brother would probably be dead in a ditch somewhere. Instead, her tenacious dedication to survival means that her brother can explore the meaning of his mixed heritage and Eliss can slowly come to understand her own character and that of her lost mother.

This is set in the same fantasy world as The House of the Stag and Anvil of the World. Like those, issues of oppression and discrimination based on sex, race and class are ever-present but always lightly handled. Magic is threaded throughout, but never overwhelming--it's just a part of the characters' lives, not the solution to all their problems and certainly never a deus ex machina. The world building is top-notch here--the world is consistent and coherent, but never boring.

And some of that excellence is due to where Baker chose to focus her gaze. Instead of powerful people making decisions that bend the world, she chose to write about the lives of a ship's crew, who have little money and less power. This subversion of the usual fantasy storyline makes the dialog, personalities and character growth shine all the more because they're so unexpected. A song is written about Eliss's mother, and Eliss is at first furious, because it turns her mother's dingy life of poor choices into an epic tragedy. She's slightly reconciled to it when one of her mother's fellow divers mentions how grateful she is that finally, they have a song about a diver, no matter how truthful it is. Eventually, Eliss begins to come to terms with the idea that her mother was a silly woman who let her children down--but she was also a woman who'd suffered terrible personal tragedy.

I mentioned the dialog earlier, and I want to emphasize that it fantastic. It always feels natural and organic to the character, and it is dashed through with sparks of wit. By the end of this book, I felt like I knew each of the characters, that I'd shared bunk-space with them, that I'd eaten dinner beside them. I wish the book hadn't ended, because I miss them.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was originally titled "And Summer Is Coming Soon," after the game that the protagonist Eliss and her brother Alder have played to make themselves feel better. (Their childhood might be best described as unsettled.) The game goes like this:

"We have a place to sleep."
"We have a place to sleep and a warm blanket."
"We have a place to sleep, and a warm blanket, and dinner tonight."
"We have a place to sleep, and a warm blanket, and dinner tonight, and breakfast tomorrow."
"And who knows what, when summer comes?"
"And who knows what, when summer comes? And summer is coming soon."

This is a sweet story of children who must learn to grow and make their own way in the world after their mother passes away. It lacks the intensity of the same-setting Anvil of the World, but it is interesting and pleasant to read. While in some ways it's a light story, in a way it's also a gift, as it is quite likely the last Kage Baker book we will ever see. (Baker passed away in January, due to aggressive uterine cancer.)

"'Summer' just means something nice, right?" said Alder suddenly. "Because it's already summer, and it's just hot."

"That's right. 'Summer' means ... it means better times are coming."

This seemed more true to Baker when she is in her best form and voice as storyteller and entertainer than some of her other recent books have been. I suspect that she knew the end was coming, if not near, when she wrote this one. I hope that now she's found her summer, and I thank her for all the stories.

(I'm not sure why this has hit me so hard. Possibly because Kage Baker is the only author I can think of who I became aware of and a fan of around the time they were beginning to have novels published who has passed away. Or maybe because Baker was only a year and a half older than my mother. There have been authors like Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton who passed away, but they began writing before I was born, and were sufficiently advanced in age that it was not unexpected. And there's also John M. "Mike" Ford, whose passing made me feel a sense of melancholy but didn't make me cry.)

Update: re-read Memorial Day weekend 2012. This book asks an interesting question: is is better to be in love with a bad boy, or an ordinary one (without a wince-inducing love triangle).

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

First-rate fantasy coming-of-age novel, one of her better books. I somehow missed reading it until 2017, probably because I didn't much care for House of the Stag, the preceding book. Bird is second only to Anvil among Baker's fantasies. It was published a few months after her untimely death. It's a fine memorial to a great writer. Not to be missed.

2021 reread: very enjoyable up to the climax, which is, hrm, disconcerting. And the book is a bit more ramshackle than I recalled. Perhaps she would have given it a final polish had she lived longer. Still well worth reading.

I was spurred to read it thanks to Phoenixfall's fine review, which is the one you should read:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falena who had died on the river had had a face that seemed to have broken and been mended, a sad foolish face. She looked nothing like this practical and cautious girl, whose clear eyes focused sharply. But Falena had been this person once, hadn’t she? She looked like me, Eliss realized, feeling a slow shock. Mama was like me.

Fifteen year old Eliss is a natural at reading the surface of the river. From the masts of the bird she calls look-out to pay-days of pirate crime scenes, sunken treasure, the bread and butter “snags”; children of the sun get their wood from fallen trees called snags. The barge’s superiors anxiously press their Yendri passenger to please, please let his people know it was already fallen before they took an especially good one. Eliss’ ten-year-old Yendri half-brother Alder doesn’t get any detective super powers from a lifetime of the nomad’s people background proving the worst racist stereotypes true. They didn’t know until they were living on the Bird of the River that the Yendri were feared in awe as much as the disgusted fear they were used to. I wish it had come up, however, how any Yendri woman felt that they had to be forever cloistered amongst their own because the men of the sun couldn’t handle their urges around their loose breasts. Well, there comes a point in this book when there aren’t any men (off the barge, anyway) that don’t attempt to proposition and/or rape Eliss so it can’t only be that bullshit we heard as preteens how we should dress because every boy we knew turned into an animal and it was all our fault. I wasn’t buying the gee, look at these people who aren’t going “Get away greenie!” wonderment in each new town they make port when there are never any women. Eliss mourns what could have been when she meets another woman who had a baby with a Yendri that wasn’t chased out every home they ever knew. It bugs the shit out of me that it is with this only other mixed race kid that he’s hanging out with at the end of the book. Of course he chooses the person that looks the most like him after he spends the first part of the book stonily pouting and calling his sister crazy because she’s not part of HIS world. Everything he hates is HER world. The arms that used to hold him close are no different to him than ones that would throw stones. Alder accuses Eliss of being just like their moves from bad guy to bad guy broken mama when she talks to ONE guy. His growing up appears off-screen so the healthy relationship they have in the epilogue doesn’t mean much to me. He gets his sister’s permission to live with the Yendri he idolizes because the Yendri he idolizes brings him back to get it (I don’t know if life with them is fine and dandy ‘cause I don’t ever see it. The closest Yendri character we get speaks in religious do-goodery but what does the man look like without it?). It was heartbreaking when he keeps an old doll because it was the only thing he had from their mama. With tears in her eyes Eliss mourns that she gave it to him. I loved best about this book the glimpses of what their Yellow addicted mother Falena looked like with clear eyes. A musician on the ‘Bird’ writes a wildly popular ballad inspired by their mother. She becomes a romantic figure who loses a bit of her soul every time she makes a dive. I loved that when a resentful Eliss realizes what the other divers took from it. Eliss was disappointed too many times, promised too often she would give up drugs and bad men, get a steady job this time. But did Eliss ever think about what her shockingly thin mother was going through trying to raise a half-Yendri baby when no one would hire her because of him? Eliss blames herself when her mother dies during a dive and it is true that she wasn’t up to the job. I thought it was great the no one is right or wrong family dynamic. ‘Bird’ lets Falena get to be more than just the woman that let her kids down. Eliss isn’t only the saintly heroine that took on the job that was too big for her small shoulders. It was too big for both of them. It’s rare to find family stories that do that without just having some character walk on and tell you that’s what they meant. It hurt Alder to always have to cover up his skin but they never had a place to sleep if he didn’t. They didn’t make the world. I can picture Falena finding it easier to let Eliss take over, spy with her bitter eye Eliss starting to think of Alder as more hers than her mother’s each time she is the one to find them a place to sleep that night. And it hurts when Alder isn’t hers, and she lets herself admit it is a relief he isn’t. I loved the subtle call-backs to the Falena days. The boyfriend that got her mother into drugs is also when Eliss starts to use her natural gifts of detection. She knows the river like the back of her hand because she grew up looking to avoid the back of his, other men. The talent is hers on the river but she depended on it because she had to. I really loved it how she depends on it because she likes to as the happiest ending she can get when her mama is still dead. I liked a lot that she applies this to the book’s mystery who killed the headless corpse that takes Falena down with them in the river. I wish that instead of having the newcomer on the ship (a refreshing someone to talk to as equals young man) push Eliss into using them by explaining to HIM what it is she sees, it could have worked as something for the reader to share with Eliss. Mysteries aren’t very satisfying to me when delivered on a platter. I also wished that the last part of the book wasn’t suddenly so much Hey, Eliss! YOU’RE SOOOOOOO PRETTY. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD. It was much sweeter when Krelan and Eliss bond over detective work than throwing that in there. Krelan didn’t need her to be drop dead gorgeous or to validate (it is said more than a couple of times) why a shrimp like him could get such a beauty. When books do this I feel like they think the reader won’t give a shit about what they are reading unless they constantly mention that the female character is beautiful beyond their imagination. Please.

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so very sad that there will be no more books set in this world. Story aside, this is just one of those fantasy worlds that you want to fall into and live in for a while… maybe not permanently, as this story and the preceding two novels, Anvil of the World and House of the Stag, show, it’s not a perfect world. It’s gritty, and plagued by many of the same social ills as our own: racism, drug abuse, casual cruelty, the oppression of the poor by the rich… but there’s also a beauty and life to these that’s just pure enjoyment.

More so than the previous two books, this book is definitely YA – but also, less humor-oriented. A young woman, Eliss, is left orphaned and the sole caretaker of her younger, half-Yendri brother, Alder. The children have been victims of their mother’s poor choices for long before her death, and it’s a struggle for both of them to find and come to terms with their identity – and the facts that identity might not be the same for them both, and that their paths may lead in different directions.

I usually have a very low tolerance for books that bring up too many ‘issues’ – but while Bird of the River is quite chock-full of issues and definitely has strong (and positive) messages, they flow so naturally and believably out of the scenarios created here that I had not even a miniscule objection. The story is powerful and effective without being preachy.

Baker also draws a picture of daily life on a working riverboat which, although far from glamorous, is utterly believable (ok, except maybe for the mysterious magical parts). And, there’s also a murder mystery/adventure, and a bit of romance. Good fun on top, and a lot more to think about if you care to spend the time… I think if I had read this when I was 12 or 13, it would’ve been one of my all-time favorites. As it is, I really, really liked it. (And Penta, the cartographer, is amazing.)

I’d recommend this for all 13-yr-olds, all Kage Baker fans, and anyone who liked Robin Hobb’s Liveship books. (They’re not that similar, but something about the feel and the characterization, as well as the shipboard setting, reminded me of them…)

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

”The Bird of the River drifted along bearing its little world through the breathless heat, as the musicians played and cicadas on the bank droned in counterpoint, and there were days when the country beyond the riverbanks seemed as distant and unreal as a landscape painted on a screen.”

This is a beautiful and sweet YA book, and it made me very nostalgic. Kage Baker paces her books in a meandering way that won’t be for everyone but that I really admire - it makes her worlds feel detailed, episodic, and beautifully lived-in. While there is a fun over-arching plot, it’s really a book about quiet moments.

It’s also fairly refreshing when so much fantasy prides itself on grittiness. Baker’s world can be dangerous and sad but people are generally kind to each other, moments of beauty are appreciated, and people who put in the work often find themselves becoming better people. It makes it feel more real than a grim misery parade of solemn brutality.

Nothing revolutionary, but really lovely and well done. Baker is a masterclass in balancing the sweet and goofy with the wondrous or the sad.

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m tempted to say something generic about this YA book, like ‘a nice little story.’ And it is exactly that, pretty generic too, although it reads well.
The story follows a poor teenage girl, Eliss, a lookout on a river maintenance barge. The barge slowly lumbers up the river, checking for and removing snags (fallen trees and wrecked ships) to keep the river navigable for other ships.
From day to day, Eliss learns her craft, meets people, and basically discovers her niche in life. The novel is a pure ‘coming of age’ tale. A bit of adventure and occasional light-weight hazards the author tosses in her protagonist’s way don’t hurt the story, but the dues ex machina, which saves Eliss and her friend in the end, does.
The most interesting part of this novel is the world that unfolds on both shores of the river. It has everything in it: poverty and racism, prejudice and vendetta, pirates and demons, although it’s all pretty sketchy. But like the river shores, this world slides past the barge without touching it, and the barge is a microcosm in itself, pretty idyllic too. The characters are flat, and every member of the crew is a friend of everyone else, which I find almost as fantastic as magic. In my experience, any group of people brought together by a job usually has complicated dynamics of amicability and hostility going on. Those are absent in this story, making it a bit bland but a nice diversion all the same. I enjoyed reading it.
Recommended for teenage readers, mostly.

[Sarah Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book for the characters, the setting - and how the pace and the language in the book reflect that tropical river setting and make you feel as if you're drifting on a river while reading it - and most of all, for the compassion and sensible attitude towards substance use within it. Yes, Eliss' mother was addicted to a sedative, but it's understood throughout the book that the addiction was a part of her tragedy, not the cause of it. Falena was more than her addiction, despite being almost a minor character. Other parts I loved: the relationship between Eliss and Alder, and the enigmatic captain. This is near the top of my list of "books I want my daughter to read".

[YouKneeK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a short, quick read, but it was entertaining. It’s set in the same world as The Anvil of the World and The House of the Stag, but it has no significant connection with either book and it stands well on its own. Chronologically speaking, it definitely takes place after The House of the Stag, but I couldn’t say with any certainty where it fits in comparison with The Anvil of the World.

The story takes place entirely from the perspective of a teenage girl, Eliss, although it’s written in the third-person perspective. Her mother is a drug addict, her father is dead, and she has a 10-year-old half-brother who is of mixed race. They are barely scraping by, both because her mother is of no use and because they face a lot of prejudice when people see her brother. At the beginning of the book, the mother manages to get a job (mostly thanks to Eliss) on a huge river barge that sails up and down a very long river, stopping at various towns. This barge is the setting for the majority of the book.

There are some mysteries to solve – What’s up with the captain of the barge? What does the boy who joined the barge shortly after Eliss did really want? Where is the head of the dead body that was found? Who killed him? How are the bandits raiding the towns along the river so effectively? However, despite these questions, the story was pretty straight-forward and many of the answers were easy to guess from early on in the story. There was some twists (at least, I assume they were supposed to be twists) that I had guessed were coming from early on.

But even though there wasn’t anything earth shaking here, I still really enjoyed it. I liked and sympathized with the character of Eliss. She’s practical, intelligent, proactive, and determined not to make the same mistakes in life that her mother did. It was interesting to read about life on the barge, and to see all of the different towns that they stopped at on their way up the river. The story kept me reading to find out what would happen next and discover whether any of my predictions were correct.

Eliss’ brother seemed like a potentially interesting character, although he didn’t really do much more than act sullen and angry most of the time. He has some interesting experiences as well, but most of that takes place “off the page” because Eliss isn’t a direct witness. I think, if the author were still alive, he would have made an interesting subject for a fourth book in the series.

The ending wrapped everything up well and was satisfying, with a brief epilogue set four years in the future to help satisfy my curiosity about whether or not events continued on their expected course.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up under the mistaken impression that it was written for an adult audience. For YA, it’s certainly not bad, and it’s a quick and easy read, but not what I’d hoped for.

The Bird of the River is a simple fantasy tale about a teenage girl, Eliss, who loses her mother and gains a job on a riverboat. As the boat travels up the river, Eliss deals with her unhappy mixed-race little brother, a young nobleman on a secret quest, and a mystery surrounding attacks by monster pirates. There’s little magic, so the fantasy label comes mostly from the world Baker has created: different from the norm in the warm climate and a few imaginative elements, but for the most part a typical fantasy world, complete with elf-like people, an assassins’ guild and bad economics. How can you write the phrase "a town of goldsmiths" without realizing the problem with that? Really, a town in the middle of nowhere with one inn but a whole bunch of jewelers?

The plot is quite simple as well, although entertaining enough. Rather than being divided into chapters, it has regular line breaks throughout, such that it's easy to stop and start wherever you want. For YA, the characterization is pretty decent. Cliché fantasy elements abound: for instance, Eliss discovers her extraordinary natural skill (as a lookout) and that she’s beautiful but didn’t know it. Part of me likes that her skill is something atypical for a fantasy novel and prosaic--instead of being or quickly becoming an awesome swordfighter or mage or whatever, she's super-skilled at some unsung, everyday task. But then, being a good ship's lookout seems like it would depend far more on experience than innate talent--and is it really realistic that among experienced sailors, one lookout would be that much better than another anyway? But there are some complexities as well, such as one character's struggle to break away from his upbringing. It is nice that the book focuses on working-class people and deals with classism and racism. But it still feels quite young: YA for the most part, although in some ways it’s less mature than typical YA; the romance, for instance, is middle-grade, with no acknowledgement that Eliss and her love interest might want any sort of physical relationship (even so much as kissing).

At any rate, I don’t regret reading this book, and it does have some chuckle-worthy moments as well as some worthwhile deeper ones, but overall it was too young and simple for my tastes. I would recommend it to younger readers, or to adults who like YA, but not to a general adult audience.

[Charlotte English · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reaching the end of this slim novel was a sad experience, not just because the book is as good as one expects from Kage Baker but because it was her last. Who knows what further stories might have been told about this world, had she lived longer?

This is a gentle sort of story, even though it's a murder mystery. When their mother dies in a diving accident, Eliss (apparently about 15) and her half-Yendri brother must find a way to make a life for themselves. Eliss finds her home among the crew of the Bird of the River, a maintenance boat that wends its slow way up the continent. Eliss is clever and sharp-eyed; she joins forces with the apparently aristocratic young Krelan, whose task it is to avenge the mysterious death of a drowned nobleman.

Alongside these events are some smaller mysteries, such as the true identity of the peculiar captain of the Bird - a man who never sets foot on land and requires huge quantities of alcohol at regular intervals. We are also led to wonder about the true heritage of Eliss and her brother, neither of whom have ever met their respective fathers. Some of these mysteries are solved; some are left open-ended, with truths hinted at but not fully revealed.

The charm of this tale is in the details. The characters are highly interesting and beautifully drawn, as always. Life on the Bird is varied; though often tranquil, it's never dull. We meet an array of colourful folk, from Yendri healers to cartographers to bandits and pirates. The only disappointing feature of this novel is its length: it is quite short, and ended far too soon.

[Juushika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small family joins the crew of a large river barge. This was far and away my favorite of the Ermenwyr books--no small thing, as I enjoyed the entire series. The Bird of the River is a smaller, softer book. It benefits from but doesn't add to the worldbuilding that occurred in other novels (although it can be read as a standalone); instead, it explores the local effects of clashing and developing societies. The tone is less humorous and more bittersweet, to great effect. There's a plot, but it's only as important as the daily bustle aboard the Bird; what matters most is the growth of the superbly rendered protagonist as she builds a life of her own. This is a domestic, intimate, lovely book, and I admire the restraint of its scale. I recommend this entire series, but if you read just one, read this one.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight--and a sadness to know that there won't be any more. This bildungsroman isn't as funny as ANVIL OF THE WORLD, but it has its moments and is better written and constructed...and worth the rating just for Eliss, the main character, and tough talking little Wolkin (oh, he's a treat!). Younger teens would love it too, methinks.

Favorite passage: "Under Krolerett Civic Ordinance Number 302, Subsection 5, you have the legal right to claim trophies including but not limited to the assailant's weapon, clothing, footgear, ears, head, organs of generation, fingers and or hand, or hands. Do you wish to petition for any or all of the above?"

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all Kage Baker books, especially The Company series. This is in a different "world"- in the same series as Houses of the Stag- strictly fantasy, with teen protagonists, so it is gentler than some of her other books. A young girl and her mixed heritage little brother join their drug addicted mother on a huge river boat- the Bird of the River- and adventures ensue.

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are no big world-shaking events in this book; just ordinary people trying to survive. And that's nice.

This is a light fantasy novel about a pair of neglected children trying to find their place in the world. I loved Eliss's and Alder's relationship - how Eliss tries to take care of Alder, and their little reminder to each other where they count their blessings.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know that Baker had written books that were not in the series of The Company novels, and was interested to see this at the library. Blurbed by Ursula K LeGuin, it’s a lovely story of a girl going onto a ship up river and having adventures. Turns out it’s the third book set in this world, so I have a couple others to look forward to. It’s not super long, but it’s pretty solid.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the same world as The Anvil of the World and The House of the Stag, two children and their mother join the crew of a huge river barge. When their mother drowns in a diving accident, Eliss and Alder must figure out how to fit in among the crew and make a new life for themselves.

The Bird of the River doesn't have the cataclysmic, world-impacting events of the first two books, but I really liked it all the same. There's a plot thread having to do with Krelan, an aristocrat on a quest, and with the bandit attacks on cities up and down the river, but essentially, this is a coming-of-age story, all about the characters' journeys. I loved the look at the lower levels of the society Baker's created, and I particularly loved the characterization: Eliss, trying to overcome her mother's history; Alder, looking for his own people and father; and Krelan, learning about life for the non-aristocrats. And I was sad the whole time I read it, thinking how much Baker will be missed.

[Jim Mcclanahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third and last of Baker's trio of fantasy tales. It follows The House of the Stag which is a transcendant fantasy tale with epic characters and a marvelous story. By comparison, this novel is akin to a chamber piece as composed by a musician known for sweeping symphonies. I found the characters compelling, albeit confined to their roles as passengers/crew of the river boat whose name is the title of the book. Almost a "whodunit", the feisty female lead, Eliss, helps to run villains to ground and support the sometimes ill-considered actions of the male passenger, Krelan. The captain of the vessel is mysterious and certainly entangled with more powerful beings that remain in the background, for the most part. A satisfying read.

[Pop Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

A character driven fantasy, wonderfully done. Eliss begins as a struggling girl, responsible for her drug-addict mother and mixed-race brother, and defined by them. Her mother dies, and with time Eliss is able to let go – even coming to understand that the pretty lies that have blossomed into a popular song express a truth about her mother deeper than the truth that she was a drug addict. She learns to let go of her brother so that he can grow up where he is comfortable, accepted, and finally himself. In the end Eliss is a woman with her own identity & her own extraordinary and unique skills. The world and particularly the barge Bird of the River are vivid and well-drawn. If only Baker was still around to bring us more.

[Jenny Koch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, quick read featuring a sea journey, vendettas, culture clashes, and a sweet romance. I love the author's sense of slighty ironic, intelligent humor:

"Mr. Pitspike is exceptionally cross today," said Krelan. "Mr. Pitspike threw a pot of soap grease at my head and told me that if he had to look at my asinine attempt at a mustache for one more minute today he was going to suffer a collapse and spray blood from his ears. Therefore I have the afternoon off."

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very lovely, quiet book.

[MB (What she read) · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd read 7/21/11: Loved again!

1st read 7/28/10: Loved!

[Aphelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is listed as the third book in a series, I would consider it a standalone. Also, I have most often seen this referred to as a YA book, and although it is a coming-of-age story I would not categorize it as such as there is no major shift in tone from the rest of the series which is not classified as YA. If anything, it is more serious and lacks the bawdy humour of The Anvil of the World.

I did have issues with the second series book, The House of the Stag, and had read so many lackluster and mixed reviews of this book that I put off reading it for a long time, which was shame because it is a wonderful story. Sadly, it is also the last book Baker wrote.

Eliss has had a difficult life. Her mother Falena, once a skilled diver, is ill from drug addiction and she takes care of her and her younger brother, who is half-Yendri (a peaceful forest people who are unfairly stigmatized). When Eliss - driven by desperation - manages to get her mother a job on the largest river barge, The Bird of the River, it seems that their luck is finally looking up. Unfortunately, Falena dies on her first job clearing a snag (fallen tree) in the river, tangled up with a headless body.

There are mysteries within mysteries here. A young man, Krelan, posing as a down-at-heel aristocrat escaping a blood vendetta, has an unusual interest in the dead man. As Eliss learns she has a talent for spotting snags in the river and becomes a valued member of the eccentric crew, she is drawn to Krelan - who works as a spitboy in the galley - and becomes involved in his search for the dead man's killer.

It is fascinating to see all the different cities and towns the barge puts into along it's long journey upriver, and although it was interesting to see more of the Yendri from the previous two books we don't learn anything new about them. The story is about Eliss, about her finding her own identity as a person separate from her caretaker roles, about her seeing the world and trying to find her place in it while being determined not to repeat her mother's many mistakes.

It is delightful and deeply affecting and a story I will treasure. Recommended to fans of Sharon Shinn.

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kage Baker's time travel series is probably better known but I've always liked these fantasy books that she wrote at the end of her life. "The Bird of the River" is set in the same world as "The House of the Stag" and "The Anvil of the World", and has a similarly-structured title, but has little resemblance to them (despite what Goodreads thinks, Lord Ermenwyr makes no appearance here, and neither does his family). Rather than being concerned with the fate of world, it's a tale on a more intimate scale, a story of found family with a mystery to add some spice. Found family stories have become somewhat cliche in fantasy and science fiction of late, but "The Bird of the River", old enough to have been on the leading edge of that wave, shows why: they can be really quite satisfying when done right. Part of doing it right, I would argue, is not spending too much time on that aspect of things: Baker thus cleverly sets the action on the titular ship, which is working its way up a major river and stopping in at all the big ports. And thanks to the mystery that makes up most of the plot -- though the story is driven more by the progress of the ship than anything else -- Eliss, our heroine, has to do some investigation in each of the cities, before it's back to the ship and the found family side of things. It's a nice rhythm and Baker handles it pretty well: you will probably guess the twist of the mystery ahead of time, but the final confrontation is still powerful, and I didn't even mind the deus ex machina. It helps that Eliss and her friend/possible love interest Krelan are both sympathetic, even though Krelan is a trained assassin working for a crime family from Mount Flame City. Plus, Baker has a nice sense of humor: this book is rarely laugh-out-loud funny, as "The Anvil of the World" sometimes was, but it's still amusing at times. "The Anvil of the World" is the best book in this little series, but "The Bird of the River" is a fun read as well, a good comfort food kind of book.

[Christina Hirko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world building is fascinating and as the first book I've read, it does make me curious to go back and read the first books of this world. That said, the actual story and characters cause me a bit of pause... The mystery and plot was fine, if a little listless sometimes, and then there's the characters... I liked most of them, like the minor characters who were colorful, and I liked Eliss, who had priorities and dreams and flaws and troubles...but I could care less about Krelan and I kinda hated Alder. Alder was a little shit, for being ten, and I did not like how his story was concluded--even if the author tried to justify that Eliss was fine with Alder leaving, it didn't sit right with me--his inconsideration, being a kid, and the unfairness for poor Eliss; but I guess that's what the book was trying to say; life is unfair. The book, though, also was trying to say that Eliss is surrounded by people who don't deserve her--like Krelan. He had some wild opinions that should have angered Eliss--he practically said to her face that she's worth dirt in comparison to him, and his privilege went unchecked throughout the whole story; he truly knew he was worth more than anyone on that barge, and it bothered me that the hierarchy of the barge never knocked him down a peg or that his character growth wasn't gradual or present until the last five pages when he doesn't even necessarily turn against his ideals--he gets saved by a deus ex-machina. He's absolved of any mistakes or bad thinking. This book just felt misagonist with the depiction of these two male characters, in comparison to poor, suffering female lead who worked hard and her only reward was "Gods you're beautiful" um, thanks? She deserved better.

[Adam A · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was bittersweet reaching this final installment of the series.

Baker's writing is very character driven. I'd sussed out the overarching plot of this particular story halfway through, but what kept me invested was the world Kage Baker built and the people who inhabit it. I've not read her other stories, but what I know from this trilogy, this certainly must have been her foremost talent in writing.

The House of the Stag was perhaps my favorite, but this one pulled hard at my heartstrings in a not-at-all saccharine way. Baker illuminates her heroine so brilliantly, I began to dread being parted from her as the story drew to a close. I felt like I'd adopted a daughter, in a sense.

Knowing Kage can never return me to this world is going to stick with me a little bit. Superbly written fantasy. Precisely what I look for in this genre. I'm definitely adding this trilogy of stories to my collection. I certainly intend to read it all again before my own days are done.

[Amy Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliss is a young girl faced with the task of caring for her younger brother Alder and her mother Falena, who has moved from man to man and job to job after the death of Eliss's father. Eliss pushes her mother to stay away from substance use and get a job as a diver, which she has trained to do.

After Falena saves the life of a young boy, the captain of the barge Bird of the River hires her, but tragedy strikes during her first dive, leaving Eliss and her brother to cope with life on the river. A mysterious boy begs to join the barge's crew at one of the stops, and Eliss soon forms a friendship with Krelan, whose background and mission seem to relate to a series of pirate raids taking place in the coastal cities.

The worldbuilding is solid, but the plot sometimes moves as slowly as the river barge. It's a nice, gentle read.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2021/0...

The third book in this series is set in the same world as the first two, but focuses on completely new characters. And while it’s not really humorous, it is a gentler fantasy book. It centers on a young girl who, with her mother and little brother, ends up working on a river barge. Adventures, a mystery, and a little bit of romance ensue. Very enjoyable, really liked the characters here a lot. A-.

[Stephanie Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read.

As other reviewers have said, it's a lighter book than Anvil of the World (which is another favourite). I really like the pragmatism of the main character, as well as how it's a story about normal people going about their lives, rather than the more epic stories from the other books in the series. It's a great book to curl up with if you need a story with a satisfying happy ending.