Yes, I missed a month, but I read 3 books in February, so I'm okay. ;) It's a busy time for me at the moment, so I'm actually surprised I've gotten much reading in at all! Anyway, on the review . . . .
Morgon is a Riddle-Master and prince of Hed, a small, island country that few pay much attention to . . . until now. Born with three stars on his forehead, Morgon finds himself in the center of destiny when he goes to claim a wife won by a riddle. The ship goes down and he is set on the path of destiny, a path he would rather ignore so he can go home and just be a prince of Hed. His journey brings him to a harp made for him 700 years earlier, also marked with three stars, a sword with three stars, and, eventually, to the home of the mysterious High One who rules over all.
Impression: One of the earliest novels by Patricia McKillip, it lacks the poetic, language rich style of Ombria In Shadow and some of her other books, although a foreshadowing of it can be seen throughout the novel. What is apparent is McKillip's gift for the unusual, for events that are unexpected and yet you can see how you got there when you look back. While not among my favorites of her books, the story was still enjoyable and well worth reading. She's a strong author, with distinct characters and beautiful settings, but this particular book is obviously an earlier one for her and does not show the complexity or full power of her writing as seen in later novels.
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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I will no longer be linking to Amazon and no longer recommending Amazon as a place to purchase books I review. Amazon has repeatedly used bully tactics to reinforce its policies, even if those tactics cause harm to authors or limit customer choices. Amazon usually apologizes for the events after the fact, but that they continue to use the same methods makes those apologies hollow. I will not purchase from or encourage others to purchase from a business that chooses to take from the pockets of authors (who as a whole earn a lot less than general public realizes) and decide what the public should and should not read.
