Patricia McKillip, Fool's Run

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Patricia McKillip, Fool’s Run: This gets a pass, in the end, but only because the second half is a wild ride. Though really, [spoiler]The set-up: a woman locked away for life, considered the Underworld’s most dangerous prisoner. (Though you have to take the author’s word for this, at first, since for most of the book, Terra Viridian is too out-of

Comments

[tarigwaemir]

Hahaha, substance is hard to ask for from a McKillip book since her main appeal is in her style, but I very much liked The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and The Song of the Basilisk, if you haven't read those already.

[petronia]

I still like The Changeling Sea lots. It's a very... shoujo manga sort of book, but it's short and IMO shows McKillip's strengths to good effect.

[lacewood]

I second the rec for The Changeling Sea - it's also one of the more, hm, lucid books, meaning you CAN largely tell what is going on. XD

It's been a while since I read The Song of the Basilisk, but I seem to recall it was also not TOO obtuse, and I liked it for not following the conventional revenge narrative you would have expected.

I also really liked Ombria in Shadow, but since I'm still not entirely sure I understand its ending, so take that as... warning? ^^; A re-read might be in order, since my memory of most of her books is sadly fuzzy.

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my memory of most of her books is sadly fuzzy

It's funny how often that seems to happen with Patricia McKillip. XD I when Riddlemaster of Hed came up, lots of people could remember liking it but no one could remember the plot.

[lacewood]

Well, it makes sense, since you don't read McKilip for plot but for the prose and imagery really. XD Sometimes I think she deliberately sidelines the plot so it can't follow the usual good/evil trope. Also, to be fair, I've only read most of her books once, and all that years ago.

(Oh yeah, Od Magic! I don't know if you'll like it, but um, I did. I found some of its very mild warping of genre conventions amusing XD)

[sub_divided]

That...makes a lot of sense. ^^; Patricia McKillip does seem like she'd be better in smaller doses. Thanks for the recommendation!