Book Review: Ombria in Shadow

There are two worlds as close together as the reflection in a mirror:  the present world we live in, and underneath that, a mere sidestep away, an enchanted place fraught with power and mystery.  And those who can straddle the two worlds eventually discover how emotions can cause them to converge.
In Ombria in Shadow, Patricia A. McKillip sculpts a declining city overcome by grief at the loss of its prince. The city seems to be sinking into its own shadow.  Political machinations come into play as Domina Pearl, a mysterious woman as ancient as history, sets herself as regent to the heir, Kyel.  She wields cunning authority over the royal house with no intention of ever relinquishing her power over the throne.
Those that oppose her are Ducon, a bastard nephew of the dead prince, and Lydea, the prince’s mistress.  Ducon has no political aspirations; he would rather be an artist, but soon he is being pushed by nobles to oppose Domina and to seize the throne.  Lydea, who has been banished from the castle by Domina, fears for the safety of the young Prince Kyel and contrives a way to return to him in disguise.
In the shadow world beneath Ombria there lives a sorceress, Faey, who literally hides her face behind the mask of other faces.  She brews potions for those above, sometimes supplying both sides of a conflict.  She has no apparent loyalty to anyone or anything, except (as she discovers) her apprentice, Mag, a foundling.
McKillip excels at creating worlds that have tangled histories.  Her characters often sense that another existence presses up against their own, and through legends, stories, and riddles, they come to know of the shadow realms. 
McKillip’s prose is lyrical and subtle, reading like a fairytale or at times a gothic novel, but at the center of everything is the emotional discovery of her characters.  The world is a physical manifestation of the uncertainty and change that evolves within us.  Her characters go on quests to uncover the riddles of the past, only to discover that the truth is more complex than they anticipated.  
I am a huge fan of McKillip.  Her Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy is my favorite fantasy series, and her Forgotten Beasts of Eld fascinates me.  Her more recent work sometimes can be a bit more challenging in the way that she wields her prose.  I have had to read the language carefully to determine if what is happening is literal or symbolic.  And to read slowly is not necessarily a bad thing.  It keeps me in touch with the beauty of her language and the mysteries that lie underneath the meaning of words.  This, of course, suggests to me that language is the portal between the present world and the shadow world underneath – the meaning of words is the magic that transport us from our world to the other realm, one step away.