Ahira's Hangar

by: The Duches of Malfi~

Patricia McKillip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Le Guin, a lot of her stuff is classified as Young Adult, even though it's pretty deep. She has one trilogy caled The Riddlemaster of Hed, that's just wonderful, and has written some really good stand alone books, too!
Jane Yolen is another writer whose stuff is classified as YA, but has some deep, very good stuff. Try her Briar Rose sometime. Very deep and disturbing, but very good. And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 3/3/04 12:29 pm
</i>

Actually, I read in an on-line interview with Donaldson yesterday that Patricia McKillip is one of HIS favorite fantasy writers! I kind of got a chuckle out of it, in that one of my favorite writers cited another of my favorite writers as one of his favorites.
If anyone else would like to read the Donaldson interview, here goes:
www.hostultra.com/~penneysplace/donaldson/donaldson.htm <i>Edited by: Duchess of Malfi  at: 12/29/02 11:01:46 pm
</i>

Patricia A. McKillip is second only to Ursula K. LeGuin as my favorite author. Yes she is classified as childrens, but much of fantasy is, and she is a strong writer. Here's a quote from Stephen R. Donaldson "There are no better writers than Patricia A. McKillip." That's something, to be said from him, I think. I've read most of what she's written, the Riddle Master of Hed trilogy is a must read, and there's the Song for the Basilisk, The Book of Atrix Wolfe, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Winter Rose, The Cygnet and the Firebird, the Tower at Stony Wood, and her latest, which I am currently half way through called Ombria in Shadow. Here is a link to a website dedicated to her, and her work. [ www.evan.org/McKillip.html ] It's not her Official web site, that I couldn't find. Oh, and here is a threaded discussion forum, where people comment on her work, [ readerville.com/WebX?13@2...7@.f1f96f0 ] (hope that's ok to put here) <i></i>

I was about to say I'd never even heard of Patricia McKillip, and then I followed your link to Readerville, Shiny.

I am a regular at Readerville, and frequent the Young Adult Readers Forum. I saw the Riddle-Master discussion, but hadn't read the books or participated. I guess I will have to check them out.

Shiny, are you a Readervillian? I use the same name over there as I do here.

~MsMary~ "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i></i>

No, I'm not a regular at Readerville, actually, I followed a link from this site, to Readerville, and immediately stumbled on McKillip's discussion, so I bookmarked it, and mentioned it in my post. It looks like an interesting place, I might frequent it more often! <i></i>

Readerville is a fun site. There are enough different topics to interest any reader, no matter what your tastes.

~MsMary~ "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i></i>

Shiny, another good read from McKillip is Moon Flash.
Very interesting journey through an alien world, more science fiction than fantasy. And anthropolgical in a good Le Guinish way. Ankh-Morpork people considered that spelling was a sort of optional extra. They believed in it the same way they believed in punctuation; it didn't matter where you put it, so long as it was there.~Terry Pratchett<i></i>

When I was in Borders last week, I noticed that McKillip's Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy is now available in one large trade paperback. I cannot recommend this work enough! And now you can buy it in one convenient book, rather than track down three seperate books! I hope to reread it later this year, when I get to it I'll post some quotes, unless Shiny beats me to it! <i></i>

As a matter of fact YOU DO realize that SRD dedicated The One Tree 2 PM, right? And now Danlo looked in that direction, too. He remembered that snowy owls mate in the darkest part of deep winter, and so along with this beautiful white bird perched in a tree a hundred feet away, he turned to face the sea as he watched and waited.

Ahira, Ahira, he called out silently to the sky. Ahira, Ahira<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 2/27/04 5:36 pm
</i>

Actually, Danlo, I didn't -- but I do know that he loves her writing, so that was a very nice thing for him to do.
But then again, from the communications I've seen from him to Kevinswatch, he seems like a very nice man indeed. Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
****Tavern Wench of DOGMA, the Defenders of George Martin's Art****<i></i>

I read The Riddlemaster Trilogy during my vacation, and really enjoyed it.

Don't have much specific to say right now, but I will be going back to re-read it.

~MsMary~ "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i></i>

Danlo inspired me to finally reread Riddlemaster yesterday. I hadn't read it in a few years, and had forgotten how hauntingly beautiful a read it is.
The intertwined stories of Morgon and Radearle are just....wonderful. ******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>

I just bought the first book and am aching to start! 50 pages of the Da Vinci Code left tho... *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

The Riddlemaster Trilogy has become one of my favorite serie (as you may have guess from my KW title ).

I have read the trilogy multiple time now, and always discover something new.

~MsMary~ "Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?"<i></i>

Two other books of hers that I think are particularly good are her little science fiction novel, called Moon Flash, which is out of print and very hard to find -- and another of her early fantasy books, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. If you can find either of them, you might want to give them a try.
******************************************************

Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
<i></i>