Riddle-Master

Usually when an author is compared to Tolkien, it means that there are lots of swords, sorcery, countries clashing and a dark lord, but that the spirit of the master of fantasy is missing. This is one trilogy that almost lives up to the words -- a majestic, magical adventure that spans all of McKillip's richly invented world. "Riddle-Master of Hed" opens with the discovery of a jeweled crown under Prince Morgan's bed -- a sign that he outriddled a king who had never been defeated before. Along with the crown, he wins the right to marry his pal's sister, Raederle, the second-most beautiful woman in the continent of An. But Morgan is stopped on his way by a shipwreck and news of something dark and sinister creeping into the lands. Strange shapeshifting creatures are entering the lands, the wizards have vanished from the land, and somehow the three stars on Morgan's brow are connected to their presence and how to stop them. He heads off to Erlenstar Mountain, to find the High One -- and finds more than he bargained for... "Heir of Sea And Fire" very slowly resolves the cliffhanger ending of "Riddle-Master," focusing instead on Princess Raederle. The land-rule -- a sort of sixth sense given to kings -- of Hed has passed to Morgan's brother, meaning that apparently Morgan is dead -- but Raederle and her father don't believe it's true. She sets off with a few faithful friends, and encounters the semi-sinister harpist Deth, the shapechangers, armies of the dead rampaging through her father's lands -- and disturbing news about her and her heritage. "Harpist in the Wind" continues from the end of "Heir," with Morgan and Raederle planning what to do next. Strange rebel armies -- of both the living and the dead -- are massing in Ymris, and Morgan is taking the dead armies to Hed in an attempt to protect it. Then he and Raederle set off to find the High One and wring some answers out of him -- only he may not be what they expect. As Morgan grows in power and gains knowledge about all of An, he strips bare the secrets of the High One, the shocking identity of the shapechangers, and begins a new age for the lands... There was never a less cliched author than Patricia McKillip -- the scope, majesty and richness of her invented world rival the best of the genre. Her plot twists and turns inside the lush, dreamlike prose that she's so good at, making a snowstorm as eerie as a magical showdown that can redefine an entire world's magic. Her plot can be seen in two ways, as the growth of a naive young prince into a wise paragon of power, and also about the shifting of a land from one era into another. The Four Portions of An are a detailed, real-seeming fantasy world, and her princes, wizards, ghosts, and harpists are wise, sometimes sinister, mysterious and full of power. Morgan is an excellent hero, who is not arrogant or desirous of the power that he is gaining. As confused by his own destiny as by the events around him, he spends much of the first book

I grabbed a copy of this book to read on a plane to Ireland. The plane landed when I had finished all but one chapter, and I ran to the baggage claim to sit down and finish it. The story was compelling, the writing was exquisite, and McKillip manages the nearly impossible -- in writing about emotions and experiences that are impossible to put into words, she suggests them so well that the reader is able to feel them. It made me choke up in a number of places, even cry in a few, and there are images burned into my mind that I will never forget. A comparison to Tolkien is probably useless -- McKillip and Tolkien share little except an obvious love of myth and language, and stunning vision and originality. However, in reading the other reviews here, where reviewers indicate that they found the book confusing, or "weren't able to get into it," it did occur to me that this is not a book for everyone. The language and images are rarely concrete -- they are fleeting impressions, suggested rather than described. The story and writing overall are dreamlike -- you can understand them instinctually, but if you try to analyze or think about them too much, they fade like a dream does upon waking. For people who like their descriptions concrete, or who prefer events to be clearly explained, or who want explanations that are stated directly rather than implied, it would probably make for very frustrating reading. The best advice I can give to a would-be reader who is not familiar with McKillip's writing style is to not think about it too much while you're reading it -- just experience it. If, after finishing the first book of the trilogy, you're not enthralled, put it down. If you aren't put off by the dreamlike nature of the book, however, you will find it one of the most amazing reading experiences you will ever have.

It had been a while since I had read The Riddle Master of Hed when I came across this edition. I bought it since I didn't own any of the books, and I thought it would make a nice addition to my library. The book arrived, and it sat for a bit on the shelf. Then one day I picked it up and began to read...From the first chapter of the first book it sucked me into the world of Morgon, land-ruler of Hed. I couldn't stop reading. I couldn't stop turning pages. When I finished Riddle-Master of Hed I HAD to start immediately on Heir of Sea and Fire. I was then drawn into the world of Raederle and her search for Morgon. When I finished that book I HAD to start on Harpist in the Wind. Like the previous two, I couldn't stop reading.... Four days after starting The Riddle Master of Hed, I finished the last paragraph of Harpist in the Wind. Finally I could rest. I had been reading the collection every spare minute, sneaking breaks to read more while at work, avoiding people so I could read without interruption, and reading long into the night. I was exhausted, and throughly satisfied.Morgon, land-ruler of Hed has a destiny to fulfil. A destiny and an inheritance that he knows nothing about. All he has to work from are clues. Three stars on his forehead, a harp, a sword, and several riddles with no solutions. Raederle is in a similar situation. She is the daughter of a land-ruler, heir of a mysterious people with no name, and in possession of powers she is afraid to use. Both Morgon and Raederle are involved, in ways they don't understand, and often do not want to be, in the ending of an age.This book presents one of the great trilogies of modern fantasy in its complete form. The complete story arc is here, in one volume, for your time-draining, work-interrupting pleasure. You might want to take a vacation prior to opening it, the book is that hard to put down.

On a recent trip to Boston, I live in the wild west, I was trudging through a bookstore looking for something to read and a copy of this book (the only one on the shelf---slightly dog-eared and full-priced!) called out to me. I picked it up and saw that on the back cover a reviewer compared this trilogy and the author to Tolkein. I had to buy it and make the decision myself. From page one, I was unable to put the RIDDLE-MASTER down for three complete back to back readings! Patricia McKillip deftly weaves a believable tale of Morgan and his friends and their journey from innocence to nearly immortal power. McKillip has a command of language that rivals any fine author and she has the ability to spin a story that is intriguing as well as compelling. Her heroes, Morgan and Raerjle, are characters that follow the hero formula that is as old as the epic and are as human as we all are. This complete trilogy is satisfying because it is all collected in one volume and there is no wait for each of the sequels (seemingly, the original books are out of print and I had never heard of this author). Considering that these tales were written some 25 years ago, there are delightfully fresh and as I stated above, compelling. Oh, by the way, Tolkein has nothing to fear---he is still the master but I would have no problem placing this volume on a shelf along side the copies of his work!

For centuries the ghost of King Peven has haunted his decaying castle, playing a deadly riddle-game with visitors: his crown against their lives. He has always won. Now someone has taken his crown, ignorant of the fact that with it goes the hand of Raederle, the second most beautiful women in the known world. The crown has been won by Morgon, Prince of tiny, agricultural Hed, and it's under his bed while he, his brother and sister, and Snogg Nutt the pigherder try to decide what to do with it. Suddenly riddles are gathering like storm clouds over a world scoured centuries ago by the War of the Earthmasters, powerful magical beings who once ruled, then suddenly fled the world. Where did they go? Who were they? Who are the powerful and hostile men from under the sea, and why have they suddenly come after Morgon? Most important of all, why does Morgon have three stars birthmarked on his forehead? Luckily, he's one of the Riddle-Masters and has a chance of finding the answer. Meanwhile Raederle, no shrinking violet, calls upon the powers that she is heir to through her father the King of An, as the ancient dead of An begin to rise and pursue their ancient wars, and strikes a desperate bargain with the dead to safeguard Morgon. Who is the harper named Deth? Where did the wizards go? Why doesn't the High One, source of authority and land-rule, act in some way? And who will fix the leak in poor Snogg Nutt's roof? Even if you turned into a tree and thought about it all winter you'd never figure it out. Secrets as deep as the root of a mountain, as wild as a pack of wolves, as chaotic as the pounding sea: solve them or the world plunges into horror.