Plainsong

by Deborah Grabien

A mysterious plague, which seems the precursor of even more astounding events, wipes out most all adults, leaving only the young and the animals alive, who develop an uncanny ability to communicate with each other

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

231 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1990

About the author

Deborah Grabien is a world traveller, retired medieval historian, and lifelong rocker chick. Her short fiction, reviews, and essays can be seen in many diverse venues.

Reviews

[Vicki Gausden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this book as an early teen, randomly selecting it from a bookstore right before my Dad herded me towards the exit (in his defence, we'd been there a very long time). In my insomniac years I read it repeatedly and it earned its place on my pile of bedside books, ones that I would return to in the dead of night when sleep wasn't forthcoming. It still sits there now, although the insomnia is long gone and I haven't opened the pages for a good few years. I loved this book then and I retain affection for it now. At the time it provided an element of mysticism and food for thought that the world sadly seemed to lack. Plus I love a realistic talking animal or two, always have and always will!

[Vilde Ulriksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange, whimsical and truly unique story featuring a gallery of lovely characters.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set in a post plague England somewhere along the current time. Most of humanity has died out, leaving only a few adults and mostly children. Some animals have regained intelligence and can communicate telepathically. There is a conflict between the old world religious order and what is coming with the new turn of the wheel. Some of the animals are reincarnations of previous guardians who have seen this change before and are gathering together for a birth and the rebirth of the world unless the old order can put a stop to it. In some ways the book is reminiscent of CS Lewis, and in others it is quite unique. The religious references may bother some, from both ends of the spectrum, but I did not find them to be overwhelming to the story. It wasn't what I expected from reading her Haunted Ballad series, but was still an intriguing book.

[Patricia V. Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this inspired me to write the very best novel I could, while striving to be as fearless a writer as the author of PLAINSONG. Not only is the story beautifully written, but the layout and graphic art do it great justice, something that publishers spend money on achieving too rarely these days, unfortunately. Every writer who thinks, "Can I write this? Is it allowed?" needs to read this book, every reader who longs for a deep and lovingly crafted story should pick it up.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i bet this Plainsong is better than the one everybody seems to be reading... this one has talking crows and is sweetly post-apocalyptic. i read it a long time ago and adored it. now i refuse to read mr. johnny-come-lately Kent Haruf's so-called plainsong...

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written post-apocalyptic fantasy has a very interesting view of Jesus, the Wandering Jew, who the Magi might be, and what comes after Christianity. There are also talking animals. Not for the orthodox, but the open-minded should enjoy it.

[Lulu Joanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is just one of those books which has stuck with me over the years.

[Lmholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5 stars came about from a different route. I had read and loved every moment of each of Grabien's Haunted Ballad series and was looking forward to reading Plainsong. Then as I started this book I really didn't care for it at all. I groaned and moaned to my family that I didn't know if I could stick it out. Then I cared. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I was engaged by the scenery visualizations and each and every character. The species of character became irrelevant to my interest in their roles in the tale. So well done with turning me around and taking me from rolling my eyes and intolerant to interested and well satisfied!