Rating: 
Summary: Second-best
Review: 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. Not quite as good as Tolkien, but a close second."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 childhood friend'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 (sort of a sensing-the-land thing 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 Tolkienish author than Patricia McKillip, in the usual sense of the word. But in terms of scope, majesty, and the richness of her invented world and her systems of magic and mystery, she is number two. You will not find these things in other books. You will also find twists and turns that are virtually impossible to predict in advance. Her princes, wizards, ghosts, and harpists are unlike any other book's. Like Tolkien it 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 not as intricately detailed as Middle-Earth, but they seem much more real than most fantasy worlds. 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 resisting his fate; Raederle is an excellent counterpart to Morgan, afraid of her heritage and fiercely determined to follow him wherever he goes. They are not a perfect couple: they bicker and argue occasionally, but they do not allow temporary divisions to sit and fester. Deth is the ultimate ambiguous character, keeping you guessing until the end about what the heck is going on with him. There are no elves, dwarves, fairies, gnomes, or similar fantastical creatures in this book. It came to me with a bit of a shock at the end that aside from the shapechangers, there were only humans in this -- humans who can learn magic, who make mistakes and who have to search for the truth instead of having it handed to them on a plate. The magic is learnable, and isn't flashy or show-offy, but subtle and pervasive. Similarly, the shapechangers' menace isn't overdone -- much of their creepiness results from the question of what the heck they are, and why they are doing what they do. McKillip's writing is starker than in future books like "Song for the Basilisk" and "Book of Atrix Wolfe," especially in the first book. But in scenes involving magic and the gaining of power, it's as lush and expressive as ever. We are also spared from the fantasy syndrome where history, geographical locations, and characters are referred to simply to add a feeling of fantasy to it -- virtually every reference in this trilogy is linked to the plotline. I'm told that this trilogy was originally written for kids, but I think many kids won't be able to keep up with the complexity and the depth of it. If they read and comprehended Tolkien, then they will undoubtedly enjoy this as well. But this is one of those books where the barriers are hazy, and it sort of seeps from one age group to another. This is one of the best epic fantasies ever.
Rating:
Summary: McKillip - A Master herself
Review: Once in a great, great while a book pulls you out of yourself and into another world. Since Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy I have sought another author with that power. McKillip has it. The older I become the more surprised I am at how rare this gift is and the more I treasure it. If you enjoy the world of fantasy, one which will touch all your emotions, you should enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: ....
Review: The first thing that struck me after reading this was that the description on the back didn't even begin to do it justice. The story is spellbinding, but it's Patricia McKillip's writing that makes the Riddlemaster trilogy one of the most beautiful set of books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Peerless Prose and a Great Story
Review: Patricia McKillip writes the best prose in fantasy, better even than Tolkien. Her sentences are like glittering jewels that sparkle and enchant with their beauty. Happily, the story itself is not dimmed by the splendor of the author's words. The story is of Morgan, Prince of Hed, whose life has been marked by Mystery in the form of three stars upon his brow. What these stars mean, both to him and his world, is the main plot of the story and the answer to this mystery is satisfyingly astonishing and impressive. Riddles and magic, ancient kings and timeless wisdom, powers of wind and earth, fire and sea, each portrayed with wonder and elegance are encountered by Morgan on his journey. Most importantly, the reader is never entirely sure how things will turn out until the very end -- in fact, we are rarely sure how things *are* until the very end. It is when you re-read the story that you really appreciate how deft she was weaving the threads of her story into the wonderful tapestry that is the Riddle of the Stars -- The Riddle-master Trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Fantasy Trilogy
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: McKillip is the Master
Review: The Riddle Master trilogy isnt just an engrossing story that transports you to another world and time. It is fantasy adventure at its best, fun, gripping, challenging without being overwhelming to the mind. I've read the trilogy many times when the books were first out and sold separately. Never once did the story lose its appeal. Patricia McKillip brings the characters, the events, the world she writes about alive to all the senses.
Rating:
Summary: Unqualified recommendation
Review: I recently re-read this trilogy (somewhere between the 5th to 10th time over a 20 year period) and was startled by how many of the characters, interactions and events in the book are embedded in my mind and heart--and how much emotional resonance the book still has for me. Like others, I praise McKillip's prose, dialog, characters, and originality. Sturgeon's Law [look it up] is, if anything, an understatement when it comes to fantasy, the vast majority of which is a rehashed mish-mash of JRR Tolkein, Robert Howard, Andre Norton, and Katherine Kurtz. (Let me upset a few more people: I find largely mediocre and derivative, though not without some high points and merit, most of what Stephen Donaldson, Terry Brooks, and Robert Jordan have churned out, not to mention the vast hordes of lesser lights.) McKillip's world in this trilogy is sui generis and a place that calls to you. As a writer (largely non-fiction, but I am working on both a play and a novel), I have the greatest of admiration for McKillip. As a reader, I find this series always moves and renews me. I hope they do the same for you. ..bruce..
Rating: 
Summary: A fantasy novel about "real" people
Review: I recently came across the Riddle-Master books and was very pleased with my discovery. McKillip has crafted a fantasy series that while being very much in the traditional realm of that genre is still an original and refreshing series. Morgon, the Riddle-Master, must set out on a journey to fulfill his destiny, but his journey is not just a bad imitation of Tolkein, but one that is captivating and a mystery to him and to readers. The journey that he undertakes is one that he would rather not go on, but he knows that he must. The result is a story about a man's wanderings as he tries to solve the riddle of his life. What I really enjoyed about these books is how real McKillip makes everything seem. Of course, these books are fantasy and the armies of ghosts and the ability to change shapes are constant reminders of that fact. But nevertheless, the characters and their lives seem believable. The main character, Morgon, is not a hero who has the universe figured out and knows exactly what must be done to save it. He is a common man who discovers that there are further plans for his life than pig-herding. He is forced to discover that destiny and eventually save the world as he knows it. But those are not things that he immediately knows or is willing to accept. Like as for normal humans, his life unfolds day by day. As readers, we see the pieces of his life fitting together at the same pace as he does and so his life seems more real. I also appreciated how McKillip portrayed the women in these books. She again created characters which seem real. Her women are not the warrier princess gods or the traditional beautiful weakling extremes that one finds in many fantasy novels. Instead, they are real women. Yes, some of them are the best warriers around or can use magic like no one else, but they also have fears, emotions, longings, and get sick on boats. They are not unnatural superwomen, but they do have strength and character and are not afraid to show it. It is so seldom that one finds a good portrayal of women in any fiction that I must praise McKillip for the ones she gave us. While the Riddle-Master books may not be as fast paced as other fantasy stories, they are very captivating. One becomes so wrapped up in the story story that one feels the extreme emotions that Morgon feels at the book's climax. (I don't want to give it away, but the twist at the end is really good.) It's a great series and a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: master of prose
Review: Patricia McKillip is not only a great writer of fantasy; she's one of the great living masters of English prose, and this is her masterpiece. This trilogy is comparable to the Lord of the Rings in its scope, in the truth and consistency with which it's imagined, and in its profundity.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, mysterious, exciting and original work of fantasy
Review: This is a wonderful series. The world that Patricia McKillop creates is refreshingly original: the creatures and races are her own, not just the usual dwarfs, elves etc. Likewise the magic encountered in the story is subtle and interesting, a pleasant change from the standard hand-waving, chanting and pyrotechnics. The characters are superb as well. Morgon and Raederle are wonderfully 3-dimensional and human as they cope with their unwanted powers and destinies. Apart from the two principals, my favourite character was probably the fierce and uncomplicated warrior girl Lyra, whose answer to every problem is to throw a spear at it. As for the story, it works pretty much perfectly. The various mysteries in the plot are revealed gradually, rather than in one big chunk at the very start. The final revelations do not seem forced - most of them can be guessed by an alert reader, yet the ending is still surprising. All in all, a must for any fantasy fan, and probably not a bad entry into the genre either.
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