It took me a bit to get used to McKinley's casual viewpoint switches throughout the story. She jumps into the head of whichever character she feels like at any moment. It is a stark contrast to the tight third person viewpoint that has come to dominate fantasy these days.
It makes me wonder how this book would be received by an Editor if it were written and submitted today.
Would it be accepted for publication? Would it be rejected with the suggestion of tightening up the viewpoints? And how would readers react to it today? Now, I enjoyed it, but I'm not a kid and I've read many SF/F books from the past that didn't adhere to today's tight third person. So, while it was a bit of a jolt at the beginning I was able to settle into the story. The writing had a nostalgic feel for me. I wonder, however, how it would be received by someone who has only recently come to Fantasy and knows only the very tight third person that is so prevalent?
