Gorgeous Words: Patricia McKillip & “The Riddle-Master Of Hed”
Well, I could just say “Patricia McKillip” and end right there — but I thought I’d start at the beginning of my reading journey into her wonderful worlds — and words — with The Riddle-Master Of Hed.
Anyway, I’m not going to say how old I was when I first read this book, or how long ago it was either (nope, not telling!) except to say that I still love the book ‘after all this time’ — for very many reasons, but not least Ms McKillip’s gorgeous way with words.
Here’s a wee sample of what has spun my reader’s wheels for many years:
“The ships sailed with the evening tide. Morgon watched them leave in an eerie, beautiful band of lavender-white twilight stretching across the sea beneath the rain clouds. He had stabled his horse, taken a room in the tavern to wait for Rustem Kor’s ships; the rain-streaked window gave him a view of the quiet docks, the wild sea, and the two ships, taking the sullen waves with the grace of sea birds. He watched them until the light faded and their sails darkened…”
Like Mary Stewart in Madam, Will You Talk, Patricia McKillip knows how to make a world come to life, so you experience it for yourself through her words.
Yes, to both. If I could ever write that lyrically and beautiful, I would be ecstatically happy. At least I can read Old French…
I think being able to read Old French is quite something!
RIDDLEMASTER was the second McKillip I’d found, the first being FORGOTTEN BEASTS. I’d picked up RIDDLE MASTER hoping it would tie in somehow with the earlier book. Riddles are in both, but this one was even more enthralling. And the writing – I now see – is truly gorgeous. And then it ended as it does, and I had to WAIT for book #2 to come out.
I had to wait, too, Elaine, FOREVER (it felt like) because for some reason our local library didn’t have them for several years (and I was only a country kid so didn’t have my head around ‘requesting’ in those days.) But I was ‘faithful’ & kept on looking and hoping–and when I did get to read Books 2 and 3, I was not disappointed!
PS I don’t know if you saw, but Michael Scott Rohan himself commented on the Winter Worlds post. 🙂 http://helenlowe.info/blog/2012/07/21/the-magic-of-winter-worlds/