Rating: 
Summary: Reissue of a Classic
Review: It had been years--or should I say decades--since I read this trilogy, so when I found it reissued in a single volume, I had to buy up. My fond memories of the book were not disappointed, and it still reads as freshly now as it did during the late seventies. Then, when fantasy still remained dominated by Tolkien, or in the hands of overly prolific imitators, two authors stood out, both for the freshness of their approach and their skill of writing: Stephen Donaldson and Patricia McKillip. It's fitting, in the author's acknowledgements, to see their names still linked.As the author hints in her introduction, this trilogy lacks the maturity of her later works, such as "The Book of Atrix Wolfe," "Winter Rose," or the recent "Song for the Basilisk." Yet all the elements are evident that have contributed to making Patricia McKillip one of the finest authors writing fantasy fiction today: beautiful, at times lyrical, prose, imaginative and original themes and characters, and a wondrous sense of the magical that infuses both her world and story throughout. Each world she creates is unique and thoughtfully rendered, with elements designed to provoke both thought and wonder, and her characters are some of the most striking found in fantasy fiction--no small accomplishment indeed! While I understand the exuberance behind some earlier reviewers' comments--this work is special and deserving of wide readership--some of the praise here goes overboard. Compared to the second two books, "The Riddle-Master of Hed" is a rough cut, both in conception and in terms of its writing. It lacks the assurance of the later two books, and, despite some marvelous passages, such as the book's opening and the story of Peven, at times rambles and exhibits writing in need of further polish and greater concision. Essential for establishing much of the basis for the rest of the trilogy, and containing many marvelous episodes and characters, it nonetheless displays the lack of focus and more assured writing skills evident in the following two books, and for this reason prevents me from according it full marks. And, this early trilogy is certainly not up to the standard of the author's later and more mature work. That said, I nonetheless consider this a classic of the genre, far more imaginatively written than scores of other work currently lining retailer's shelves. Further, it is written with a style that sets the author apart from almost all other wordsmiths presently practicing the genre, a beauty of voice that makes her tales compelling and unique. And while I am dubious of the many comparisons to Tolkien, there is a sense and tone of wonder echoing throughout this story that I have never found elsewhere except in Tolkien's work. I cannot recommend this book more highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Just couldn't get into it
Review: I can't remember where I first heard about this book, probably while on one of my marathon browsing sessions on borders.com. I was looking for alternative fantasy capable of satisfying a devotee of Tolkien. This trilogy is often compared (positively) with The Lord of the Rings, so I gave it a shot. The trilogy consists of the books (nearing 600 total pages): The Riddle Master of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire and Harpist in the Wind. Let's just say I was a bit disappointed with the whole thing. Why, you ask? McKillip is a great writer, her story is original and adventurous, her characters are well developed and intelligent...I could go on. It seems like a perfect story perfectly told, but there's something missing. So, in an attempt to find this something, I'm going to do what inevitably dooms every fantasy writer: I'm going to compare McKillip to Tolkien. McKillip's style is very distinctive but she goes overboard. Several times while reading McKillip I grew weary of her prose, put down the book and, wondering what was bothering me so much, picked up a copy of LoTR and began to read a random page. What I found was that Tolkien's descriptions were much more straightforward, less mystical, and based more upon fact and detailed observation. Now you might wonder whether that is actually a good thing. But consider the following excerpts (both from Riddle Master): "[The road] wound up dry rocky hills pounded the color of brass by the noon sun, bridged chasms through which silvery veins of water flowing down from the Lungold Lake." "He caught the wizard's mind an instant before he vanished. A last rake of power across his mind shook his hold a little...Light blazed out of the stars once more; the broken walls around them were luminous with power." Each exemplifies a different complaint I have with the way the book is written. The first is a description of a road. In fact, it appears to be a very vivid description. Notice the words "brass" and "silvery veins" used to describe the color of the road and the rivers running beneath it (and now you're wondering 'yes...so what's the big deal?'). Indeed, it's not so bad a sentence on its own, but imagine wading through 600 pages of brass colored roads and silvery veined rivers. McKillip's prose feels more like a metaphor manufacturing plant, spewing out metaphors and similes left and right, than a novel. Faced with a jungle of superfluous imagery, at times I wanted to shout 'Get on with the story already!' Or at least describe something worth imagining: give me details about the landscape, the architecture, the clothing, culture, history, or races. But McKillip spends far too much time in fanciful imagery and inside individuals' minds. And this brings me to the second excerpt (which describes a struggle between the main character and another wizard). The book is chalk full of instances where one character enters the mind of another (an event that makes a Vulcan mind meld look believable) in order to extract information or exert control over the other or something mysterious like that. This is okay if done sparingly but jeeez...doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-dee. The next point I want to address is the sense of history in Riddle Master. It has none! Or at least not much of one. A convincing sense of history is what separates The Lord of the Rings from most other fantasy. It's why the Fellowship is my favorite book: it gives the reader the feeling that this world was real and ancient. It sets up the plot slowly and with a tremendous sense of suspense before the action lets loose. But Riddle Master completely lacks suspense in the first book (or anywhere else). We just sort of trod along and follow Morgon as the journey slowly begins. That's it. There's no build-up of suspense because we aren't given enough historical background or knowledge to know what the heck the main character will potentially face in his future journeys. All we know is that he has a few stars on his forehead and he has some mystical destiny waiting out there in the wide world. Pretty vague, huh? Now I'm not saying that a little mystery isn't a good thing. But the problem here is that the reader is left in the dark about virtually all of the plot elements that make any logical sense (until the end of the last book). The result was that I really didn't care what happened because I couldn't convince myself that this world made any sense within its own framework (you kind of need a framework first!). So you aren't convinced yet? Go and look at the chapter "The Shadow of the Past" in The Fellowship of the Ring. Then come back and tell me what the book would be like without that chapter. Riddle Master embraces many mystical ideas, but a mystical (or mythical) sense of history isn't one of them. The book could also have been shorter, much shorter. I managed (with a Herculean effort) to finish each book relatively quickly. But McKillip could have easily cut the whole thing down to two books instead of three (the second book drug like a sack of potatoes in a heavy g environment). But other than that I've no complaints :). I realize that Riddle Master is McKillip's earliest work and for this reason I will give some of her later work a try. After all, she is a very high quality writer. I'll try to keep an open mind, but I just couldn't get into this story, that's all.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing writing, but not for everyone
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: What a book and author to stumble upon!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Riddle Master
Review: I fell so lucky to have the priviledge to read this beautiful story. I have read other McKillip's books and so far, this is the BEST!! The story just tangled my emotion and my mind. Just before I got to the last page, I already wanted to reread it again and again. This is a 10 stars book!! Simply a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Fantasy Trilogies Ever
Review: The Riddle-master trilogy is amazing. What one immediately notices is McKillip's masterful use of language. She flavors this world using beautiful descriptions, intricate detail, and attention to setting. More importantly, and unlike some other epic fantasy series, McKillip's characters are unique and distinguishable from each other. Each is very much an individual. Morgon of Hed, the protagonist, is a believable character. McKillip never looses sight of the characters and their development. While I've seen others complain that much of this world's history is never presented, the narrative, read almost like a stream of consciousness, would be hampered by historical pedantry. In fact, I came away with a very definite sense that the world McKillip describes is real. What really sells this story is the ending. I won't ruin it for anyone, but it is moving. The final scene with Raerdale and Morgon is poetic perfection. In short, the Riddle-master reads very much like an epic poem; it feels as if for a time you have been pulled into another world.
Rating:
Summary: Had to put it down
Review: It just didn't make much sense. None of the characters captured my interest. I found them to be shallow, confused and confusing. I didn't get a real feel for them or their world. I finally gave up a third of the way through the final book in the trilogy. It's not the worst book I've read, but I would not recommend it as good reading.
Rating:
Summary: Small bites will whet a big appetite
Review: I usually read a couple hours before I go to bed, but this trilogy kept the usual reading time down to an hour maximum every evening. Why, you ask, since others espouse McKillip as a master author alongside Tolkien? An earlier reviewer pointed out how the book dragged at points and I agree wholeheartedly. I usually read fairly quickly, but the prose was tedious at times and kept weighing me down. I would, on occasion, have to close the book, reopen after a minute or two, and begin a paragraph or so down from my departure point simply because the meandering descriptions and character musings were making me sleepy. On the other hand, I enjoyed the characters and the plot, and aside from the muddling of both with unnecessary writing, I had to keep coming back to the book every evening. The transformations were very believable and well-written (I bought the tree transformation easily) and I thoroughly enjoyed the angst that some of the characters were going through. The main characters are easily identified with and accepted from beginning to end, even with the murky focus that they receive at times. You'll need time to digest some of McKillip's writing, but it is admittedly worth it in the end. While this isn't something you'll want to curl up with for a long weekend, it's definitely something to enjoy in small portions--bit by bit.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing work of fantasy!
Review: I first found the Riddle-Master series when searching for books that paralleled LeGuin's Earthsea series. Skeptical at the time (as my fever for those books was still fresh, I wasn't sure anything could ever rival them), I put it on my list of wanted books nonetheless, and received it as a present. I avoided it for a few days, still nervous as to whether it would be as good as I was expecting. And as such, when I first began reading it, it wasn't. This soon changed. From being unable to get through only a few pages (and still, the first chapter is undoubtedly the most challenging to get through), I became reluctant, and then unable, to put the thing down. Morgon became such an enthralling and real character to me, the plot became so strange and unpredictable (moderately), that I had to finish. One of my favorite aspects of the characters was the way Morgon and Raederle interacted with one another. They were not a typical pair, nor particularly atypical, and this can be said of their separate characters: they were normal. They were remarkably easy to relate to, and there wasn't a single moment when I sighed and rolled my eyes at a typical action from either of them. Morgon and Raederle have become two of the most treasured characters I've read about in a while. The world is strange and new, and I found myself excited to explore it as Morgon traveled its reaches. The legends and "pre-story" that shapes the plot is a bit fuzzy, but becomes clearer as the story goes on. This is one of those books that I was compelled to read in the shortest amount of time possible, and then was compelled to re-read almost immediately after. As for technical aspects, I recall counting a few typos (no big deal, of course, but amusing to find), little things like that. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I found the language used to be very beautiful; unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I feel connected to the narration; it has its own distinct personality. But maybe that's the writing style talking. ;) Admittedly, the first part of the second book could be taken out easily, as well as a few smaller parts in other sections of the book, but it doesn't detract from the story as a whole. Since reading it a short time ago, it's topped my list of favorite books, albeit a short one. It was definitely worth my time, and has inspired my writing a great deal. I hope to read more by McKillip in the future.
Rating:
Summary: [no title]
Review: This is one I love to come back to every few years, and it never fails to remind me how good this type of fantasy can be. Although lacking the polish and literary control of McKillip's newer work (which is topnotch stuff indeed), it still has the freshness and power of that first post-Tolkien fantasy rush. Highly recommended.
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