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The Riddle of Stars #2
Heir of Sea and Fire
1st Futura 1979 edition 1st printing paperback, vg++ In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1977
50 people are currently reading
2530 people want to read
About the author
Patricia A. McKillip
91 books2,883 followersPatricia Anne McKillip was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. She wrote predominantly standalone fantasy novels and has been called "one of the most accomplished prose stylists in the fantasy genre". Her work won many awards, including the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
August 10, 2023
The writing is still magical, just like in the first book.
“The sunlight seemed to leap goatlike from peak to peak; the air crackled white with the smell of melting ice.”
There are so many heartbreaking and horrifying things happening, with something dark and unknowable always in the background.
I love it that Raedarle has a strong will, and a temper, and strange amazing powers. Her character arc was something I enjoyed very much - there are no princesses in towers patiently waiting for heroes to come back from quests in this book. Thank you!
I jumped for joy when Raedarle and Lyra teamed up and were being badass together. It was great to see Tristan again, and I liked the interactions between her and Lyra and Raedarle. I loved them all - even when their quest was all over the place. Really, I am impressed that a fantasy book published in the 1970’s did such cool things with its female characters.
The themes of the nature of trust, love of land and home, understanding who you are are woven very skillfully into the book (and the whole series, I am beginning to think).
(Insert minor complaint here: Why does everyone keep bringing the heels of his/her hands up to their eyes? It happened several times in book one, and at least three times in this one. Please stop doing this.)
Here is my favourite part - Raedarle gives Morgon a piece of her mind when he is all “thank you, love you, you are great, I have this and that quest left to do, wait for me a little longer”:
“Her smile faded. “Morgon of Hed”, she said evenly, “if you take one step across this threshold without me, I will lay a curse on your next step and your next until no matter where you go your path will lead you back to me.”
(She can do it, too.)
Wonderful ending. (Awwww…)
“The sunlight seemed to leap goatlike from peak to peak; the air crackled white with the smell of melting ice.”
There are so many heartbreaking and horrifying things happening, with something dark and unknowable always in the background.
I love it that Raedarle has a strong will, and a temper, and strange amazing powers. Her character arc was something I enjoyed very much - there are no princesses in towers patiently waiting for heroes to come back from quests in this book. Thank you!
I jumped for joy when Raedarle and Lyra teamed up and were being badass together. It was great to see Tristan again, and I liked the interactions between her and Lyra and Raedarle. I loved them all - even when their quest was all over the place. Really, I am impressed that a fantasy book published in the 1970’s did such cool things with its female characters.
The themes of the nature of trust, love of land and home, understanding who you are are woven very skillfully into the book (and the whole series, I am beginning to think).
(Insert minor complaint here: Why does everyone keep bringing the heels of his/her hands up to their eyes? It happened several times in book one, and at least three times in this one. Please stop doing this.)
Here is my favourite part - Raedarle gives Morgon a piece of her mind when he is all “thank you, love you, you are great, I have this and that quest left to do, wait for me a little longer”:
“Her smile faded. “Morgon of Hed”, she said evenly, “if you take one step across this threshold without me, I will lay a curse on your next step and your next until no matter where you go your path will lead you back to me.”
(She can do it, too.)
Wonderful ending. (Awwww…)
January 27, 2019
Jan2019 review: As much as I liked this book years ago, it didn't grab me this time. I think that's me, though. I've gotten grumpier about realism in fantasy. It was good, quite lyrical, but just not what I'm interested in any more. I won't be reading the last book in the trilogy. I remember it well enough.
Original review from 2007 or so
McKillip pulled off a real coup with this book. The first one was told from the typical male hero POV & it was excellent. Instead of keeping that same POV, she switches to another character, a strong woman at that. Fantastic, especially given the time. Off hand, I can't think of another trilogy that did this & certainly not so well. It allows her to fill in the world & develop characters that rounds everything out. It also puts a real point on the love interest & drives it in deep.
I'd rate this book higher than the first in some ways, but can't give it 5 stars because it is too dependent on the first & third. So again, if you find one of these books, don't read it until you have all three. There is the Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy which is possibly the way to go.
Original review from 2007 or so
McKillip pulled off a real coup with this book. The first one was told from the typical male hero POV & it was excellent. Instead of keeping that same POV, she switches to another character, a strong woman at that. Fantastic, especially given the time. Off hand, I can't think of another trilogy that did this & certainly not so well. It allows her to fill in the world & develop characters that rounds everything out. It also puts a real point on the love interest & drives it in deep.
I'd rate this book higher than the first in some ways, but can't give it 5 stars because it is too dependent on the first & third. So again, if you find one of these books, don't read it until you have all three. There is the Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy which is possibly the way to go.
September 15, 2025
”A riddle is a tale so familiar you no longer see it, it’s simply there like the air you breathe — the ancient names of kings echoing in the corners of your house, the sunlight in the corner of your eye — until one day you look at it and something shapeless, voiceless in you opens a third eye and sees it as you have never seen it before.”
”The land had always been uneasy with legend. The turn of a plow could still unearth an ancient sword eaten to the core with age, or the shaft of a broken spear abandoned with rings of gold.”
The true riddle in the Riddle-Master series is the mysterious realm itself. To use the famous words of Churchill, the land is “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Though the land rulers of each of its small kingdoms possess an inherited, magical awareness, the land-rule, which attunes them with all the creatures and objects of their kingdom, much is still lost in the mists of magic and the distant past. Who were the Earth Masters, first inhabitants of the land? Who are the deadly and alien Shapechangers, who seem to come from the sea and dangerously interfere with the land’s inhabitants? What caused all the powerful wizards to disappear, and where did they go? Why is it that even the dead don’t always lie easy, but stir to continue old feuds and grudges?
Heir of Sea and Fire, the middle book of the trilogy, adds yet more riddles. What has happened to Morgan, the Star-bearer (hero of book one) who has been missing for a year? Raederle, the second most beautiful woman in An, daughter of King Mathom, and pledged to marry the Star-bearer, sets out on a quest to discover that riddle’s answer. Is Morgan dead? (His land-rule sense has passed to his younger brother.) Or has something more terrible and transformative happened to him? Together with Morgan’s little sister Tristan, and Lyra, the land-heir of Herun, Raederle makes the hard journey toward Erlenstar Mountain, the home of the High One, and Morgan’s last known destination. On the way, she transforms herself, as she discovers secrets of her Shapechanger heritage, and begins to come into the power she inherited from it.
I first read this book when it originally came out in the ‘70s. It had been a year since I’d finished the first book, The Riddle-Master of Hed, which had ended with a shocking twist and a cliff-hanger leaving the protagonist Morgan in peril. Teenage me was absolutely non pulsed when confronted with a new protagonist and the mystery of the previous book’s cliff-hanger left hanging and uncertain through most of this one. Yet Raederle was skillfully developed, as her journey to discover Morgan’s fate, along with her personal journey discovering her hidden heritage, turned her into an outstanding protagonist in her own right, and set the table for the climactic book three of the series.
The Riddle-Master trilogy is a neglected classic of the genre. It combines Welsh inspired mythology with gorgeously constructed prose to create a true masterpiece. Heir of Sea and Fire contributed to its mystique with bold choices — introducing a powerful female protagonist (nearly unique in the fantasy genre of that era), and diverging from the typical black and white moral structure of fantasy to introduce nuance and complexity into just who are villains and who heroes.
”The land had always been uneasy with legend. The turn of a plow could still unearth an ancient sword eaten to the core with age, or the shaft of a broken spear abandoned with rings of gold.”
The true riddle in the Riddle-Master series is the mysterious realm itself. To use the famous words of Churchill, the land is “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” Though the land rulers of each of its small kingdoms possess an inherited, magical awareness, the land-rule, which attunes them with all the creatures and objects of their kingdom, much is still lost in the mists of magic and the distant past. Who were the Earth Masters, first inhabitants of the land? Who are the deadly and alien Shapechangers, who seem to come from the sea and dangerously interfere with the land’s inhabitants? What caused all the powerful wizards to disappear, and where did they go? Why is it that even the dead don’t always lie easy, but stir to continue old feuds and grudges?
Heir of Sea and Fire, the middle book of the trilogy, adds yet more riddles. What has happened to Morgan, the Star-bearer (hero of book one) who has been missing for a year? Raederle, the second most beautiful woman in An, daughter of King Mathom, and pledged to marry the Star-bearer, sets out on a quest to discover that riddle’s answer. Is Morgan dead? (His land-rule sense has passed to his younger brother.) Or has something more terrible and transformative happened to him? Together with Morgan’s little sister Tristan, and Lyra, the land-heir of Herun, Raederle makes the hard journey toward Erlenstar Mountain, the home of the High One, and Morgan’s last known destination. On the way, she transforms herself, as she discovers secrets of her Shapechanger heritage, and begins to come into the power she inherited from it.
I first read this book when it originally came out in the ‘70s. It had been a year since I’d finished the first book, The Riddle-Master of Hed, which had ended with a shocking twist and a cliff-hanger leaving the protagonist Morgan in peril. Teenage me was absolutely non pulsed when confronted with a new protagonist and the mystery of the previous book’s cliff-hanger left hanging and uncertain through most of this one. Yet Raederle was skillfully developed, as her journey to discover Morgan’s fate, along with her personal journey discovering her hidden heritage, turned her into an outstanding protagonist in her own right, and set the table for the climactic book three of the series.
The Riddle-Master trilogy is a neglected classic of the genre. It combines Welsh inspired mythology with gorgeously constructed prose to create a true masterpiece. Heir of Sea and Fire contributed to its mystique with bold choices — introducing a powerful female protagonist (nearly unique in the fantasy genre of that era), and diverging from the typical black and white moral structure of fantasy to introduce nuance and complexity into just who are villains and who heroes.
June 1, 2022
Synopsis: This second book in the trilogy sets off one year after the events of book one. Its main protagonist isn't Morgon anymore but switches to his betrothed one Raederle. She is not only heir to the throne of An but also the titular heir of Sea and Fire. Which means that she has a magical gift that she develops continously as her quest to seek for Morgon progresses. That cover picture embraces Raederle as a warrior princess, only in 1980's style.
There's a lot of political unrest with an ongoing war, rulers leaving their country, and the land-rulership of Hed passing to Morgon's brother Eliard.
Raederle is accompanied by two other strong women: Lyra, the heir of Herun's Morgul, and Morgon's teenage sister Tristan. They convince the captain of Raderle's guard to set off with them to find and rescue Morgon-the-damsel-in-distress.
Clashes with shapechangers are expected, but Raederle has to accept that some of her ancestors are not only witches but also shapechangers which might alienate her from Morgon and also from her family. Like Morgon, she has to wrestle with ghosts, the dead kings of An.
Review: This book reminds me a lot of Ursula LeGuin's second EarthSea-book, The Tombs of Atuan. Not only because it has a similar, distant and refined narrative voice (as many books of these two authors have in common), but mainly because LeGuin switched the main protagonist role from Ged, a classical male wizard hero to Tenar, a strong female protagonist on a journey of self-discovery. And similarly, we still don't know what's behind all those mysteries, in contrast to many other books where it's perfectly well clear what the antagonist is up to.
Raederle follows a typical Heroes journey, in this case from an aristocratical girl to a superhero witch out of some Celtic myth, very similarly to witch Sybel in Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
Just like the first book asked "Who is the Star-Bearer?", this second book asks "Who is Raederle of An?", providing an answer but stopping just before the stricture which is hopefully given in the third book, Harpist in the Wind.
McKillip's excellent, evocative and elegant prose carries the story more than the plot does. It builds up a certain dialogue between author and reader, especially because of the distance to its ensemble which reminds very much of classical tragedies rather than what one would read in more modern fantasy titles. The plot itself brings some interesting twists and one remarkable scene with Raederle figuratively arm-wrestling a ghost king and surviving a night of terrors. One should read this book for this scene alone!
The book feels very much like a middle-book in a trilogy. With an already well-introduced setting, most characters already established, the book was half-a-star less enjoyable than the excellent first book. Which doesn't mean that I wouldn't recommend it full-heartedly. But let's wait and see what the third and last book will offer!
There's a lot of political unrest with an ongoing war, rulers leaving their country, and the land-rulership of Hed passing to Morgon's brother Eliard.
Raederle is accompanied by two other strong women: Lyra, the heir of Herun's Morgul, and Morgon's teenage sister Tristan. They convince the captain of Raderle's guard to set off with them to find and rescue Morgon-the-damsel-in-distress.
Clashes with shapechangers are expected, but Raederle has to accept that some of her ancestors are not only witches but also shapechangers which might alienate her from Morgon and also from her family. Like Morgon, she has to wrestle with ghosts, the dead kings of An.
Review: This book reminds me a lot of Ursula LeGuin's second EarthSea-book, The Tombs of Atuan. Not only because it has a similar, distant and refined narrative voice (as many books of these two authors have in common), but mainly because LeGuin switched the main protagonist role from Ged, a classical male wizard hero to Tenar, a strong female protagonist on a journey of self-discovery. And similarly, we still don't know what's behind all those mysteries, in contrast to many other books where it's perfectly well clear what the antagonist is up to.
Raederle follows a typical Heroes journey, in this case from an aristocratical girl to a superhero witch out of some Celtic myth, very similarly to witch Sybel in Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
Just like the first book asked "Who is the Star-Bearer?", this second book asks "Who is Raederle of An?", providing an answer but stopping just before the stricture which is hopefully given in the third book, Harpist in the Wind.
McKillip's excellent, evocative and elegant prose carries the story more than the plot does. It builds up a certain dialogue between author and reader, especially because of the distance to its ensemble which reminds very much of classical tragedies rather than what one would read in more modern fantasy titles. The plot itself brings some interesting twists and one remarkable scene with Raederle figuratively arm-wrestling a ghost king and surviving a night of terrors. One should read this book for this scene alone!
The book feels very much like a middle-book in a trilogy. With an already well-introduced setting, most characters already established, the book was half-a-star less enjoyable than the excellent first book. Which doesn't mean that I wouldn't recommend it full-heartedly. But let's wait and see what the third and last book will offer!
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May 26, 2018Druga knjiga ove trilogije je na izvestan način bolja od prve. Malo se udaljuje od zacrtanog plana i programa kembelovskog monomita i posvećuje veći sav prostor ženskim likovima. I ovde imamo retko lirske momente, ali je radnja prilično zgusnutija (i dalje postoje neverovatni propusti u zapletu jer eto, bilo je neophodno da se neko prošvercuje s jednog broda na drugi, ko sada da sedi i smišlja kako). Najdivnije (spojler sledi) jeste što je otprilike poslednja trećina knjige doslovno kao da je Patriša pročitala deo iz Gospodara prstenova o Stazama mrtvih i rekla sebi "Ovo bi bilo mnogo više kul da ti mrtvi pričaju i imaju neki svoj plan i stalno se nešto bune. I da je umesto Aragorna žensko. I da ona umesto nekog tamo barjaka nosi lobanju glavnog mrtvaca sa natakarenom krunom i ucenjuje ga njom. E da, mislim da bi tako moglo."
I OPET okrutni klifhenger, stvarno ne znam dokle.
I OPET okrutni klifhenger, stvarno ne znam dokle.
June 27, 2016
These books have such ridiculously cheesy covers. Also, had the person who wrote the back cover copy even read the book? It combined spoilers with inaccuracy in a way marvelous to behold.
Anyway, if "second book blues" exist, I don't think Heir of Sea and Fire had them. In fact I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this one more than the first book: the writing seemed less choppy and I noticed less head-hopping, both of which were pleasant to me; also, the plot has thickened considerably, and while there is still a lot of traveling it felt more purposeful and less like "let's stop at all the spots on the map so that readers will get a feel for the world." (Not that that was the point of the stops in Riddle-Master, but more description/exploration was required in the first book to set the stage.) I did miss the focus on Morgon, despite enjoying Raederle's character; except for Har, who is a minor character and therefore doesn't get nearly enough page time, I like Morgon best. I hope to see more of him in Harpist in the Wind.
I can't say I'm entirely clear on everything that is going on at the moment; most of the time I feel like Duac (you can't leave me! I don't even know who half of these kings are!). However, I expect more explanations and resolutions in the last book, so for the moment I'm just taking it on faith that everything will fit together and I will understand how it does so. If not, I shall be peeved.
Anyway, if "second book blues" exist, I don't think Heir of Sea and Fire had them. In fact I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this one more than the first book: the writing seemed less choppy and I noticed less head-hopping, both of which were pleasant to me; also, the plot has thickened considerably, and while there is still a lot of traveling it felt more purposeful and less like "let's stop at all the spots on the map so that readers will get a feel for the world." (Not that that was the point of the stops in Riddle-Master, but more description/exploration was required in the first book to set the stage.) I did miss the focus on Morgon, despite enjoying Raederle's character; except for Har, who is a minor character and therefore doesn't get nearly enough page time, I like Morgon best. I hope to see more of him in Harpist in the Wind.
I can't say I'm entirely clear on everything that is going on at the moment; most of the time I feel like Duac (you can't leave me! I don't even know who half of these kings are!). However, I expect more explanations and resolutions in the last book, so for the moment I'm just taking it on faith that everything will fit together and I will understand how it does so. If not, I shall be peeved.
November 5, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up. Book Two of the Riddle-Master trilogy. Another re-read, but for a good cause since it's for one of my groups.
I'll get this out of the way first: although things end on an unresolved note, the ending wasn't a cliffhanger like Book One.
This one is from the point of view of Raederle, Morgon's intended. Since no one has seen hide nor hair of Morgon since he went to Erlenstar Mountain, Raederle sets off on a quest to find him. Along the way she discovers many things about her own self.
Two things struck me this time around. Actually three, but I might not bring up the third just to avoid spoilers. The first thing is that I really liked Raederle. She was unusually strong for female characters written back then. Her handling of the skull/dead king was well done. The second thing falls under the category of criticism I suppose, and that's the way Morgon had been dealt with by the author. To leave him like that for a year?! I wonder why that was considered necessary. He was an innocent and likeable character in Book One, so it just seemed overly...cruel. Yes, that word fits.
While this was a good old-fashioned quest tale, I think I preferred the first book to this. That also was a quest tale, but it was just more enjoyable. Maybe because of the interaction between Morgon and Deth. I'll be re-reading the third next month for the December group read.
I'll get this out of the way first: although things end on an unresolved note, the ending wasn't a cliffhanger like Book One.
This one is from the point of view of Raederle, Morgon's intended. Since no one has seen hide nor hair of Morgon since he went to Erlenstar Mountain, Raederle sets off on a quest to find him. Along the way she discovers many things about her own self.
Two things struck me this time around. Actually three, but I might not bring up the third just to avoid spoilers. The first thing is that I really liked Raederle. She was unusually strong for female characters written back then. Her handling of the skull/dead king was well done. The second thing falls under the category of criticism I suppose, and that's the way Morgon had been dealt with by the author. To leave him like that for a year?! I wonder why that was considered necessary. He was an innocent and likeable character in Book One, so it just seemed overly...cruel. Yes, that word fits.
While this was a good old-fashioned quest tale, I think I preferred the first book to this. That also was a quest tale, but it was just more enjoyable. Maybe because of the interaction between Morgon and Deth. I'll be re-reading the third next month for the December group read.
June 22, 2022
در زمینه هایی نسبت به جلد اول پیشرفت داشت
ولی سیر داستانی دقیقا مثل جلد اول بود
و بازهم میگم برای اینکه بخونی و ریلکس کنی کتاب خوبیه😅
ولی سیر داستانی دقیقا مثل جلد اول بود
و بازهم میگم برای اینکه بخونی و ریلکس کنی کتاب خوبیه😅
August 27, 2016
So, two quotes. One from Faulkner (a famous one): "The past is never dead. It isn't even past." In The Riddle-Master of Hed, Morgon is dragged out of his comfort zone and into the realization that the ancient riddles he studied at the School of Riddle-Mastery in Caithnard are not just riddles. They are truths of a former present that now simmers beneath the surface of everything he thought he knew about the High One's realm. In this second book of the trilogy, Raederle, Morgon's "betrothed," learns that the past she knew of that haunts the earth of An is ready to burst into the present and not just to a rare, "gifted" few who understand the dead and their ancient and tormented magic but to all who involve themselves in the discovering of answers. The past cannot be past in the realm because the Earth-Masters, the shape changers, the Wizards, and the Riddle-Masters and their separate but tensely connected past-presents are all colliding in a battle for the final truth of the most epic riddle, for which very few if any yet have the answer or the stricture.
The second quote is from Morgon, the Star-Bearer himself: "The first stricture of the Founder of Lungold: the language of truth is the language of power--truth of name, truth of essence." Everyone wants a name. Everyone needs a name. When a name changes, the person or thing itself changes. One of the Riddle Masters says to Raederle that nothing changes, but we make things different by how we see them. Yet, she knows that by discovering her true power (not minor voodoo-type tricks anymore), she loses Raederle and finds herself nameless. Where can she go now that she no longer belongs where she is and always has been? Morgon as the Star-Bearer is no longer Morgon, Prince of Hed. Names matter. They are truth, and they shape and forge truth as much as they are shaped and forged by it.
This book has depths that don't need to be plumbed but that, when they are, leave me rereading passages and stopping to consider their meaning. The writing is beautiful, and the descriptions are unique. As a second novel in a series, this is great. I wish the ending had a better cliff hanger like the first book, but the story develops and progresses well. The tension between all the different groups builds, we find out most of what happened to Morgon at Erlenstar Mountain, and we learn more about the shape changers, but there are still many unanswered riddles.
I like that this book centers around Raederle, that Morgon is in it but is not the main character. The secondary characters are just as fascinating as they are in the first book.
I'm definitely happy to FINALLY get the answers to all these riddles in the third book. If McKillip leaves me with anything unanswered, I will be highly upset. I need my Black Robe of Mastery (although I'm not sure how useful it would be...). I want to write more but can't, really. My thoughts are a little jumbled because I really like this book, but there is much in it that I don't understand and don't know if I will even after reading the third book. I may have to reread these books at some point (and they're short enough to do so without taking too much time away from unread books).
That's all, for now.
The second quote is from Morgon, the Star-Bearer himself: "The first stricture of the Founder of Lungold: the language of truth is the language of power--truth of name, truth of essence." Everyone wants a name. Everyone needs a name. When a name changes, the person or thing itself changes. One of the Riddle Masters says to Raederle that nothing changes, but we make things different by how we see them. Yet, she knows that by discovering her true power (not minor voodoo-type tricks anymore), she loses Raederle and finds herself nameless. Where can she go now that she no longer belongs where she is and always has been? Morgon as the Star-Bearer is no longer Morgon, Prince of Hed. Names matter. They are truth, and they shape and forge truth as much as they are shaped and forged by it.
This book has depths that don't need to be plumbed but that, when they are, leave me rereading passages and stopping to consider their meaning. The writing is beautiful, and the descriptions are unique. As a second novel in a series, this is great. I wish the ending had a better cliff hanger like the first book, but the story develops and progresses well. The tension between all the different groups builds, we find out most of what happened to Morgon at Erlenstar Mountain, and we learn more about the shape changers, but there are still many unanswered riddles.
I like that this book centers around Raederle, that Morgon is in it but is not the main character. The secondary characters are just as fascinating as they are in the first book.
I'm definitely happy to FINALLY get the answers to all these riddles in the third book. If McKillip leaves me with anything unanswered, I will be highly upset. I need my Black Robe of Mastery (although I'm not sure how useful it would be...). I want to write more but can't, really. My thoughts are a little jumbled because I really like this book, but there is much in it that I don't understand and don't know if I will even after reading the third book. I may have to reread these books at some point (and they're short enough to do so without taking too much time away from unread books).
That's all, for now.
February 24, 2017
I picked this one up as part of my reading project for this year. I'm really trying to read more books written by ladies pre-2000 in SFF. This definitely fit the bill, but unfortunately it didn't grip me anywhere near as much as I had hoped for...
This follows on from the story of Morgon, Prince of Hed, by instead following his lady love, Raederle. She is the second-most-beautiful lady in the world and she's also a fairly intelligent and progressive young lady who's not just going to sit and wait for Morgon to come back for her...she's going to find him!
What I liked about this one over the first book was that the characters (maybe becuase they were female) I was reading about felt a lot more real and exciting to me. This is the shortest book in the trilogy, and I was very sad about that becuase in my mind it's a whole lot better than the first, and definitely deserved more becuase when we go onto book #3 we don't get nearly as much time with Raederle and she was great!
I do think this book was slight filler at times, hence the 3* rating, but I also thought the new perspective and the faster pace (becuase of the shorter length) worked better for the story as a whole. Not only was I more into the plot, I also felt like lots of the threads we'd seen starting in book #1 were being drawn nearer together and I did see the people of this world learning as they went.
As I said I also really liked the Shapechangers, this is fairly easy to guess from the name but unlike the Witches of this world the Shapechangers are able to shift form into all sorts of living things including various animals and trees/plants. This is definitely utilised at various points in the story to great effect, and I felt like this magic element was probably the one best described and portrayed in the book.
What I had problems with were the moments I found predictable. Maybe it's becuase I've read a lot of Fantasy that takes inspiration from classic fantasies like this one, but I just found that many of the 'reveals' weren't as effective on me as if I hadn't already thought about that as a potential route to take. I do think it falls into the trap of troupes a little more than I would have liked it to, but it's by no means a bad read if you can get past that.
In the end I gave this on 3*s overall becuase it's a big improvement on book #1 and I found myself wanting to read this one way more than the first and trying to find out what would happen next.
This follows on from the story of Morgon, Prince of Hed, by instead following his lady love, Raederle. She is the second-most-beautiful lady in the world and she's also a fairly intelligent and progressive young lady who's not just going to sit and wait for Morgon to come back for her...she's going to find him!
What I liked about this one over the first book was that the characters (maybe becuase they were female) I was reading about felt a lot more real and exciting to me. This is the shortest book in the trilogy, and I was very sad about that becuase in my mind it's a whole lot better than the first, and definitely deserved more becuase when we go onto book #3 we don't get nearly as much time with Raederle and she was great!
I do think this book was slight filler at times, hence the 3* rating, but I also thought the new perspective and the faster pace (becuase of the shorter length) worked better for the story as a whole. Not only was I more into the plot, I also felt like lots of the threads we'd seen starting in book #1 were being drawn nearer together and I did see the people of this world learning as they went.
As I said I also really liked the Shapechangers, this is fairly easy to guess from the name but unlike the Witches of this world the Shapechangers are able to shift form into all sorts of living things including various animals and trees/plants. This is definitely utilised at various points in the story to great effect, and I felt like this magic element was probably the one best described and portrayed in the book.
What I had problems with were the moments I found predictable. Maybe it's becuase I've read a lot of Fantasy that takes inspiration from classic fantasies like this one, but I just found that many of the 'reveals' weren't as effective on me as if I hadn't already thought about that as a potential route to take. I do think it falls into the trap of troupes a little more than I would have liked it to, but it's by no means a bad read if you can get past that.
In the end I gave this on 3*s overall becuase it's a big improvement on book #1 and I found myself wanting to read this one way more than the first and trying to find out what would happen next.
September 20, 2022
Again, a beautifully told story. This time following Raederle as she goes on the trail of Morgon only to end up on her own path of self discovery. Sometimes though the dialog lost me and I didn't quite know what they were saying.
~ After a re-read in 2022 ~
This time I found it easier to engage with the dialog than I did last time. Perhaps helped by my reading it straight after the first volume this time.
One thing that struck me is how unique a fantasy setting this is. Unbound by the many tropes that so often pervade the genre these days, you never know quite what might happen or what to expect.
I also like the fact that there are is only a single POV throughout the book (although the POV of a different character from the first volume) and world building is kept to a minimum. Combine these with the elegant prose style and you have what I look for in fantasy.
I've increased the rating from 3 to 4 stars too as I feel that my negatives that I previously held against this book have been somewhat ameliorated by my being in a better state of mind.
~ After a re-read in 2022 ~
This time I found it easier to engage with the dialog than I did last time. Perhaps helped by my reading it straight after the first volume this time.
One thing that struck me is how unique a fantasy setting this is. Unbound by the many tropes that so often pervade the genre these days, you never know quite what might happen or what to expect.
I also like the fact that there are is only a single POV throughout the book (although the POV of a different character from the first volume) and world building is kept to a minimum. Combine these with the elegant prose style and you have what I look for in fantasy.
I've increased the rating from 3 to 4 stars too as I feel that my negatives that I previously held against this book have been somewhat ameliorated by my being in a better state of mind.
May 11, 2020
Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 3/5
A worthy successor to The Riddle-Master of Hed that provides a better-paced and more coherent story but at the expense of lost mystique.
One of the best aspects of Heir of Sea and Fire was the vision for how this story was going to be told. Rather than directly following the protagonist of the first and confronting his experiences, readers instead proceed with the story through a minor-though-significant character from the last book. This reads as a parallel story to the one readers were expecting, then. While this might disappoint those who wanted more Morgan and to pick up directly with the questions and answers with which he was struggling, the loss is balanced by getting to see more from a host of strong female characters. They, and in particular our new protagonist, have stories and quests of their own that are excellently plotted to give them independent agency while linking their stories to the longer, original one. In contrast, one area in which this vision for the sequel suffered was in its helping the reader get back into the narrative. These books were originally published about a year apart, and I read them within two months of one another. Even so, this second in the series cannot be read without a review or a look through the cast of characters at the back. I always feel like using that reference list at the end is a form of cheating, or at least impatience. It is there for readers who read infrequently enough that they need to be reminded of what they’ve forgotten while away from the book or for those who are unwilling to let the author reveal and reconnect at her own pace. McKillip makes no effort at reintroducing the characters and places from the last. This seems to have been written directly after finishing the first and without any consideration that readers might need to be reminded of the names of characters, relationships between them, and the different regions of the map. I realized about half-way into the book that I had confused two characters with nearly identical roles, bringing vague backstory and information from my recollection and imposing it on the wrong character. Also, I realized I was not correctly appreciating the differences and interconnections between An, Aum, and Anuin. These (and others) are not distinct geographic locations but have an overlapping relationship. Often the significance of what is happening is dependent on where it is happening and within whose kingdom it is occurring. So one needs not only to be able to distinguish between the different kings, but also to know their heirs, and which kingdoms they are all tied to. McKillip breezed through these connections, entirely unaware that we readers did not have the same encyclopedic knowledge of lands and people that she did. As a result, confusion unnecessarily enters the story and some of the impact of events and revelations is dampened.
Overall the pacing of this volume is far superior to the hurried and episodic questing of the first. There is more continuity and development in this one, and McKillip’s development of the magic of the world blooms beautifully right before our eyes. Unfortunately our gaze is turned entirely away from some of the more alluring components of the first, such as harping and riddling. Those were left hanging as underdeveloped and incomplete elements with much promise, but it appears that McKillip is finished with them already. The bigger picture mystery involving the Foe and Ancient Rivalries is, if not abandoned, pushed off until later. This was perhaps the single-most unsatisfying choice of McKillip’s because we readers were ready for answers – or at least for developments. Mostly this was a tale of bringing in others to the knowledge that we readers already had in the first, getting us ready, I suppose, for them all to proceed ahead together in the final volume.
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 3/5
A worthy successor to The Riddle-Master of Hed that provides a better-paced and more coherent story but at the expense of lost mystique.
One of the best aspects of Heir of Sea and Fire was the vision for how this story was going to be told. Rather than directly following the protagonist of the first and confronting his experiences, readers instead proceed with the story through a minor-though-significant character from the last book. This reads as a parallel story to the one readers were expecting, then. While this might disappoint those who wanted more Morgan and to pick up directly with the questions and answers with which he was struggling, the loss is balanced by getting to see more from a host of strong female characters. They, and in particular our new protagonist, have stories and quests of their own that are excellently plotted to give them independent agency while linking their stories to the longer, original one. In contrast, one area in which this vision for the sequel suffered was in its helping the reader get back into the narrative. These books were originally published about a year apart, and I read them within two months of one another. Even so, this second in the series cannot be read without a review or a look through the cast of characters at the back. I always feel like using that reference list at the end is a form of cheating, or at least impatience. It is there for readers who read infrequently enough that they need to be reminded of what they’ve forgotten while away from the book or for those who are unwilling to let the author reveal and reconnect at her own pace. McKillip makes no effort at reintroducing the characters and places from the last. This seems to have been written directly after finishing the first and without any consideration that readers might need to be reminded of the names of characters, relationships between them, and the different regions of the map. I realized about half-way into the book that I had confused two characters with nearly identical roles, bringing vague backstory and information from my recollection and imposing it on the wrong character. Also, I realized I was not correctly appreciating the differences and interconnections between An, Aum, and Anuin. These (and others) are not distinct geographic locations but have an overlapping relationship. Often the significance of what is happening is dependent on where it is happening and within whose kingdom it is occurring. So one needs not only to be able to distinguish between the different kings, but also to know their heirs, and which kingdoms they are all tied to. McKillip breezed through these connections, entirely unaware that we readers did not have the same encyclopedic knowledge of lands and people that she did. As a result, confusion unnecessarily enters the story and some of the impact of events and revelations is dampened.
Overall the pacing of this volume is far superior to the hurried and episodic questing of the first. There is more continuity and development in this one, and McKillip’s development of the magic of the world blooms beautifully right before our eyes. Unfortunately our gaze is turned entirely away from some of the more alluring components of the first, such as harping and riddling. Those were left hanging as underdeveloped and incomplete elements with much promise, but it appears that McKillip is finished with them already. The bigger picture mystery involving the Foe and Ancient Rivalries is, if not abandoned, pushed off until later. This was perhaps the single-most unsatisfying choice of McKillip’s because we readers were ready for answers – or at least for developments. Mostly this was a tale of bringing in others to the knowledge that we readers already had in the first, getting us ready, I suppose, for them all to proceed ahead together in the final volume.
June 14, 2019
“There is an instinct in me to trust you blindly. Beyond reason, and beyond hope.”
Moderns whine the former dearth of recognized female authors and lead characters in speculative fiction. Like most generalizations that’s generally wrong. This book is a case in point. Published in 1977, it features a mostly female protagonist and supporting cast. Sadly, but understandably, the series male hero … (Oops, that’d be telling.)
“I know that silence … sometimes I think it’s a silence of living, then at other times, it changes to a silence of waiting.”
Simple, direct storytelling. Great impact. Hate to think how Robert Jordan would have drawn out this story.
“Traders, like animals, have an instinct for danger.” “So do you, but without the instinct to avoid it.” “Where do you suggest we go to be safe in a doomed realm? And when, in the void between a riddle and its answer, was there ever anything but danger?”
Morgol, unfortunate choice of name for a supporting female character. Both because of The Lord of the Rings association and because the series hero is named Morgon. McKillip should have known better.
“They were promised a man of peace.”
Moderns whine the former dearth of recognized female authors and lead characters in speculative fiction. Like most generalizations that’s generally wrong. This book is a case in point. Published in 1977, it features a mostly female protagonist and supporting cast. Sadly, but understandably, the series male hero … (Oops, that’d be telling.)
“I know that silence … sometimes I think it’s a silence of living, then at other times, it changes to a silence of waiting.”
Simple, direct storytelling. Great impact. Hate to think how Robert Jordan would have drawn out this story.
“Traders, like animals, have an instinct for danger.” “So do you, but without the instinct to avoid it.” “Where do you suggest we go to be safe in a doomed realm? And when, in the void between a riddle and its answer, was there ever anything but danger?”
Morgol, unfortunate choice of name for a supporting female character. Both because of The Lord of the Rings association and because the series hero is named Morgon. McKillip should have known better.
“They were promised a man of peace.”
September 12, 2018
DO NOT READ THE BLURB.
This is my main complaint about this book. The book is 207 pages, and the blurb talks about a plot point that doesn't emerge until p 170. This is a huge pet peeve for me. The blurb is literally a spoiler-filled synopsis of the book.
Yet ironically, it was this book's blurb that made me interested in the series to begin with, so maybe I shouldn't be caps-yelling at people not to read the blurb.
That aside, I enjoyed this book. Raederle is a great character. Please see my review of book 3 (Harpist in the Wind) for an emotionally charged review of the whole series.
This is my main complaint about this book. The book is 207 pages, and the blurb talks about a plot point that doesn't emerge until p 170. This is a huge pet peeve for me. The blurb is literally a spoiler-filled synopsis of the book.
Yet ironically, it was this book's blurb that made me interested in the series to begin with, so maybe I shouldn't be caps-yelling at people not to read the blurb.
That aside, I enjoyed this book. Raederle is a great character. Please see my review of book 3 (Harpist in the Wind) for an emotionally charged review of the whole series.
October 30, 2016
Heir of Sea and Fire by Patricia A. McKillip is the second book in the Riddle-Master trilogy. Just as the first book is the story of Morgon and his path to self-discovery, this book is the story of Raederle of An, the second most beautiful woman of the Three Portions of An.
A year has elapsed from the events of The Riddle-Master of Hed. Morgon, along with the High One’s harpist, has disappeared after leaving Danan Isig’s house. Because Morgon has not come to claim Raederle as his wife, other lords from surrounding lands are coming to visit her bearing gifts and hoping to wed her. Raederle isn’t interested in them and instead spends her time visiting the pig-woman of the Lord of Hel. The pig-woman has no name but is very old and teaches Raederle small acts of magic. Through their conversation, we learn that Raederle has the blood of shape-changers through her long ago ancestor Ylon. When Raith and Elieu, lords of Hel, come across Raederle speaking with the pig-woman, they tell her news they’d heard about Morgon. When Elieu mentions the dead children of the Earth-Masters, the pig-woman shouts (it’s a very loud, disruptive magical shout) and disappears. Mathom, King of An, turns into a crow and flies to Erlenstar Mountain to discover what happened to Morgon and Deth. He leaves his land-heir, Duac, to deal with ruling the land and Raederle travels to Caithnard to speak with her brother Rood. When Raederle gets to Caithnard, she learns that the Morgol of Herun is also there, bringing the Wizard Iff’s books to the College of Riddle-Masters. Even though she is supposed to travel home with Rood, Raederle and Lyra, the Morgol’s land-heir and one of her guard, plot to seize a boat and travel up the coast to find Morgon themselves.
This book is also full of adventures and self-discovery for Raederle. As Morgon must discover the truth of his identity and name himself, Raederle has to come to terms with her shape-changer heritage and the wild power she knows she possesses but is too afraid to use. She faces many trials and has to prove herself a worthy match for Morgon, the Star-Bearer. This book is just as beautifully written as the first one. In this scene, a woman shape-changer is talking with Raederle about the nature of their shared power: “She reached down, touched the white fire with one hand, drew it softly into a glistening spider’s web, a polished bone, a scattering of stars, a moon-white chambered shell, shape weaving into shape, falling from her hand, a handful of blazing flowers, a net knotted and glinting as with seawater, a harp with thin, glistening strings. Raederle, watching, felt a hunger stir in her, a longing to possess the knowledge of the fire, the fire itself. The woman’s face had grown oblivious of her, intent on her work; it seemed touched with wonder itself at each fiery, beautiful shape” (115). Raederle both desires to use her power, but is afraid to because the shape-changers are an ancient, unknown powerful people who have tried to kill Morgon many times. This struggle with her nature continues into the third and final book, Harpist in the Wind.
While many fantasy novels are often very much that—fantasies of strong men wielding swords with lithesome, decorative women at their sides, it is a delight to read a series of books with strong women who are powerful in their own right. Raederle is this woman. Her hesitation to use her powers should not be viewed as a weakness—it’s more that she has yet to learn to trust herself and her abilities, just as Morgon many times wanted to turn his back on the riddle of his destiny and return to Hed to farm. One of my favorite scenes in the book is depicted on the cover: Raederle bargaining with Farr, a long-dead king of Hel, using his skull as a bargaining chip. If she loses, she forfeits her life.
Note
My copy of the book is the original, first edition 1977 Del Rey. The cover is the same as this Mass Market edition. In fact, all my copies of this trilogy are the first editions.
A year has elapsed from the events of The Riddle-Master of Hed. Morgon, along with the High One’s harpist, has disappeared after leaving Danan Isig’s house. Because Morgon has not come to claim Raederle as his wife, other lords from surrounding lands are coming to visit her bearing gifts and hoping to wed her. Raederle isn’t interested in them and instead spends her time visiting the pig-woman of the Lord of Hel. The pig-woman has no name but is very old and teaches Raederle small acts of magic. Through their conversation, we learn that Raederle has the blood of shape-changers through her long ago ancestor Ylon. When Raith and Elieu, lords of Hel, come across Raederle speaking with the pig-woman, they tell her news they’d heard about Morgon. When Elieu mentions the dead children of the Earth-Masters, the pig-woman shouts (it’s a very loud, disruptive magical shout) and disappears. Mathom, King of An, turns into a crow and flies to Erlenstar Mountain to discover what happened to Morgon and Deth. He leaves his land-heir, Duac, to deal with ruling the land and Raederle travels to Caithnard to speak with her brother Rood. When Raederle gets to Caithnard, she learns that the Morgol of Herun is also there, bringing the Wizard Iff’s books to the College of Riddle-Masters. Even though she is supposed to travel home with Rood, Raederle and Lyra, the Morgol’s land-heir and one of her guard, plot to seize a boat and travel up the coast to find Morgon themselves.
This book is also full of adventures and self-discovery for Raederle. As Morgon must discover the truth of his identity and name himself, Raederle has to come to terms with her shape-changer heritage and the wild power she knows she possesses but is too afraid to use. She faces many trials and has to prove herself a worthy match for Morgon, the Star-Bearer. This book is just as beautifully written as the first one. In this scene, a woman shape-changer is talking with Raederle about the nature of their shared power: “She reached down, touched the white fire with one hand, drew it softly into a glistening spider’s web, a polished bone, a scattering of stars, a moon-white chambered shell, shape weaving into shape, falling from her hand, a handful of blazing flowers, a net knotted and glinting as with seawater, a harp with thin, glistening strings. Raederle, watching, felt a hunger stir in her, a longing to possess the knowledge of the fire, the fire itself. The woman’s face had grown oblivious of her, intent on her work; it seemed touched with wonder itself at each fiery, beautiful shape” (115). Raederle both desires to use her power, but is afraid to because the shape-changers are an ancient, unknown powerful people who have tried to kill Morgon many times. This struggle with her nature continues into the third and final book, Harpist in the Wind.
While many fantasy novels are often very much that—fantasies of strong men wielding swords with lithesome, decorative women at their sides, it is a delight to read a series of books with strong women who are powerful in their own right. Raederle is this woman. Her hesitation to use her powers should not be viewed as a weakness—it’s more that she has yet to learn to trust herself and her abilities, just as Morgon many times wanted to turn his back on the riddle of his destiny and return to Hed to farm. One of my favorite scenes in the book is depicted on the cover: Raederle bargaining with Farr, a long-dead king of Hel, using his skull as a bargaining chip. If she loses, she forfeits her life.
He was, as she imagined him, a big, powerful man with a wide slab of a face hard as a slammed gate. His beard and long hair were copper; he wore rings of hard metal at every knuckle, and his sword, rising above one of the glass moons, was broad at the base as the length of his hand. He wasted no time with words; the sword, cutting down into the thin air of illusion, nearly wrenched him off his horse. He straightened, tried to ride his horse through it, but the animal balked with a squeal of pain and cast a furious eye at him. He reined it back to try to leap; Raederle, reaching for the skull, held it above the flames (175).This book is an excellent sequel to The Riddle-Master of Hed. Raederle is an important player in this riddle-game of power and she is a strong, likeable character. I like the exploration of her power and the temptation she feels to join the shape-changers, even though she loves (and is promised to) Morgon. Heir of Sea and Fire provides the background necessary for the final book of the series and prepares you for Morgon and Raederle’s final quest.
Note
My copy of the book is the original, first edition 1977 Del Rey. The cover is the same as this Mass Market edition. In fact, all my copies of this trilogy are the first editions.
January 12, 2011
More of a 4.5 than a 4 (out of five). McKillip's writing, I believe, improved since "The Riddlemaster of Hed," though also did some small part of the mysteriousness. One of the brilliant aspects of the first part of the trilogy, for me, was the acuteness that McKillip's writing found in the abstract and the wordless and although this novel got at some very interesting aspects of the world, I don't think it was as effective as the original. Still, Raederle came out to be a very interesting character, one that I did not think I would like as much as I did (or do), and the story is continued in very interesting and inventive ways. McKillip does not cease to surprise me with her turns in her story and (possibly because it was written in the late seventies) there is a distinct lack of the types of plots that usually make up fantasy literature (with the important exception of "the quest," which I would think is one of the core characteristics to the genre). On its own, a very good story. As a bridge novel, fantastic.
January 4, 2015
I think I liked this more than the first, but ohhh, I did think I'd like this trilogy more and I'm sad I don't. The writing isn't quite clicking and I feel like some of the story telling is too subtle for me, like I'm missing stuff.
June 6, 2021
I didn't love this. The change in POV wasn't that cool and I felt impatient that the story wasn't moving. It felt like it could have been condensed to a few chapters and imho felt like a filler book
June 25, 2020
I don’t understand why I like these books so much. The characters don’t do anything. This is a whole second book of the plot happening AT and TO characters rather than them being active participants. And yet, somehow they do have agency. In fact, they take their destiny into their own hands and bravely face the future. And yet, the forces arrayed against them are so much more powerful and so completely unfathomable to both themselves and the reader that they just cannot hope to have any lasting impact. Nevertheless, they persist and they do achieve very small victories.
The only thing I know is that I love the world-building, despite the fact that it remains just as piece-meal and random and infuriatingly opaque. I saw someone on YouTube try to explain how a Studio Ghibli movie differs in its world-building approach from something like LOTR or Harry Potter and this is truly the Studio Ghibli of fantasy books in that few of the ground rules of the world are actually laid down, we don’t get a clear view of the types of powers or the power scale at play. Two books in and every magical action of every character comes as a complete surprise. Despite this, there is some internal consistency, the magic sort of riffs off of what we previously saw without being laid out in any logical way.
I also immensely enjoyed the characters. In this book the Chosen One takes a back seat to the girls and mainly Raederle, his bride to be, who is the main character here and is developed significantly. And honestly, she’s one of the better-drawn female characters I’ve read in a while. First of all, her relationship with and feelings for, Morgon are compelling and completely believable. There is none of the pining and moaning and angering typical of YA. Just fear, worry and longing, all front and center in her mind but at the same time not overwhelming the whole of her character and motivations. I can’t think back to a book that treated a relationship between young people this calmly and naturally. These are sensible people in a dangerous situation and they have no time or patience for that ridiculous dancing around and feigning of disinterest. Bravo! Most importantly, Raederle gets her own and very separate character arc and motivations that are just as interesting as the unfortunate destiny bestowed on Morgon. Seeing her grappling with her demons was very interesting.
Naturally, the scene-stealer is her father, Mathom. I picture him somewhat like Willem Dafoe because he has that mysterious, knowing and sarcastic air of many of his characters. And he has some great dialogue here.
Finally, oh boy are these books dark! I did not expect the way Morton’s story was handled at all but I loved how she dealt with it. And Raederle herself is no stranger to anguish and pain. Nicely done and on to the next one. Maybe our characters finally get to watch the plot being resolved (by other people).
The only thing I know is that I love the world-building, despite the fact that it remains just as piece-meal and random and infuriatingly opaque. I saw someone on YouTube try to explain how a Studio Ghibli movie differs in its world-building approach from something like LOTR or Harry Potter and this is truly the Studio Ghibli of fantasy books in that few of the ground rules of the world are actually laid down, we don’t get a clear view of the types of powers or the power scale at play. Two books in and every magical action of every character comes as a complete surprise. Despite this, there is some internal consistency, the magic sort of riffs off of what we previously saw without being laid out in any logical way.
I also immensely enjoyed the characters. In this book the Chosen One takes a back seat to the girls and mainly Raederle, his bride to be, who is the main character here and is developed significantly. And honestly, she’s one of the better-drawn female characters I’ve read in a while. First of all, her relationship with and feelings for, Morgon are compelling and completely believable. There is none of the pining and moaning and angering typical of YA. Just fear, worry and longing, all front and center in her mind but at the same time not overwhelming the whole of her character and motivations. I can’t think back to a book that treated a relationship between young people this calmly and naturally. These are sensible people in a dangerous situation and they have no time or patience for that ridiculous dancing around and feigning of disinterest. Bravo! Most importantly, Raederle gets her own and very separate character arc and motivations that are just as interesting as the unfortunate destiny bestowed on Morgon. Seeing her grappling with her demons was very interesting.
Naturally, the scene-stealer is her father, Mathom. I picture him somewhat like Willem Dafoe because he has that mysterious, knowing and sarcastic air of many of his characters. And he has some great dialogue here.
Finally, oh boy are these books dark! I did not expect the way Morton’s story was handled at all but I loved how she dealt with it. And Raederle herself is no stranger to anguish and pain. Nicely done and on to the next one. Maybe our characters finally get to watch the plot being resolved (by other people).
February 10, 2021
Somewhat boring first half, it picks up later and ends on a note of meh.
First off, I just want to ask, what is up with fantasy novels and twenty-somethings with stark white hair? That is a whole thing in fantasy. All these hot young people with gray or white hair. But I think that's hot. I think white hair is hot. It's like, very death metal. Deth is this immortal character. I pronounce his name DEETH instead of Death but I don't know how to pronounce it. Or if this is another one of McKillip's lazy fantasy names like An or Hel. We don't know how he became immortal but he is like if Gandalf tried less. You know, he's the main harpist dude. People go fucking apeshit for harp music in this world. That is all they have. Dude is a wizard but he mainly just jams out. Okay, cool. I mean, maybe that's just how you need to roll when you're a thousand. I'm not judging. He's not a very good wizard. He basically doesn't do that much.
We find out at the end of book 1, The Riddle-Master of Hed, that Morgon walked into a trap. The High One, who is the big kahuna of their world, is either missing or dead. He was replaced for like, decades? Hundreds of years? A few years? by a Big Evil Wizard named Ghisteslwchlohm, which is the sound your snot makes when it's a really solid pea shape that just shoots out of your nose when you blow it, like a miniature CANNON BALL of snot. That is what that word means, I've decided.
So I guess Deth just played his harp while that dude tortured Morgon for like a year before he escaped. Shit. I mean, that's some nasty shit. Book one was so nice. What happened! And it always happens inside a mountain. A lot of 70s and early 80s fantasy had really bad shit happen inside mountains. If I were living in a fantasy world, I would fucking protest evil mountain lairs. Fuck that shit.
I really want to like this book more. It's trying. I realize it's trying. McKillip's use of language is always good and fits perfectly with the high fantasy motifs she's going for.
(spoilers ahead)
The first book followed the prince of Hed, Morgon. In book 2 we follow the princess he's engaged to be married to, Raederle. As far as characters go, she's a good one. I did enjoy her search to understand her own magical talents and abilities. I like the fact that the onion is peeling back slowly as far as the mystery of the shape-changers. It's still mysterious, there was a war thousands of years ago and we don't have any knowledge of it now. George RR Martin might have had a little bit of influence from this series. I'm noticing enough similarities and it's McKillip's more famous work. The shift in perspective, the medieval-ish setting, shades of a bygone evil time in history we have only remnants of all reminded me of ASOIAF.
The plot of the first half revolves around Raederle and her family. Her father, King Mathom, a secret shape-changer king, turns into a bird of prey and takes off to find Morgon, who has been reported dead for over a year. After finding out Morgon is still alive, she sets off to find him where he was last seen, at Erlenstar Mountain, which is in the middle of nowhere. There aren't many huge cities in this world. The few we see aren't hugely impressive. It's mostly either wilderness or old houses that would remind one of the Swedish countryside. She winds up finding Deth, who tells her what he did and that he fucking sucks, and doesn't explain why he hung out and watched her hot stud prince get tortured. Cause he sucks. Deth sucks, in case you were wondering. But he's hot. He looks like he's 25 and he's got white hair. He looks like he should play in an 80s hair band. He looks sad but he rocks out. He is fucking metal because he's a thousand years old and he can still bang it out. I mean musically. I don't know if he needs wizard Viagra. The book doesn't say.
This isn't in the book, but I picture him as looking really similar to a really young Timothy Dalton with white hair and he harps for me. That's not in the book. That's...just for me.
Overall, the first half lagged a bit for me. All the stuff about the super-Amazons she befriends who help her steal a ship could have been better. For such a great plot idea, I found it blandly executed. It picks up speed when Raederle comes into contact with several other monarchs who are preparing or in the midst of wars that are breaking out without the presence of Mathom and Morgon. Without her father around, someone decides to invade. And of course, she retaliates by making a deal with dozens of former dead kings who are able to turn visible and walk around...for some reason. That part is super vague. The important thing is that Raederle herself is very resourceful, determined, and she doesn't complain. She is super boy crazy for Morgon, though. She's smart, but she can't bear to ever be apart from him ever again because he's Morgon. He's her prince! Yeah I get it. I GET IT. Gah.
The ghost kings make a deal with her and the jerk ghost tries to pull some jerk ghost king moves. Fuck that dead ghost king so hard. Anyway, Raederle is pretty hardcore. She didn't annoy me very much, even though she's in a luvvy duvvy gotta have my man and never ever leave him again mood. High fantasy princesses can be very high maintenance people. I tend to judge them rather harshly because they have got to have their shit together. This is high stakes shit with magic and kingdoms. You can't fuck that up when you're making negotiations with not just one but a buttload of dead ghost kings, most of whom have surprisingly not evolved much. The book describes them minimally, but we're going with a gangster Viking vibe here.
Morgon finally fucking shows up after fucking FOREVER. Way to draw that out. And now he's a homicidal trainwreck but he does need some of that. He needs some of that princess hump magic. And she's like, "Baby no you ain't leavin me again. Nuh uh. I said so that's why."
Lyra the not Amazon female guard is in both books 1 and 2. I found her almost cartoonish in book 1 so it was nice to see her character fleshed out to appear methodical, reasonable and she has a cop vibe about her. Protective and gets right to the point.
I really liked all the clues of the ancient civilization because there really weren't enough of them. I was hoping for more magic shit. I really liked the one trick Raederle is able to pull off as she's losing a fleet of ships. She has a small stone that glimmers and she creates a giant mirage with it that blinds all the other ships. That was rad.
I was going to give this three stars because if I were an interdimensional tourist, I wouldn't even want to stop at this shit world. Like, there's nothing that would really send me into hysterics if I were there seeing it close up. I think a fantasy world should be judged solely on whether or not I would want to take a tour there. Oh and for characters and plot. I guess.
I'll give it four stars because Morgon shows mercy at the end on the man he most wants to kill, and I want to see where that takes him spiritually. Deth shows up at the end and everyone is in the same room together finally, except for the Big Bad Dude. And it's super fucking awkward. I really liked having him vengeance bent and then he pulls back. Morgon's a good guy. That was the harder road, so I look forward to finishing book 3 now.
First off, I just want to ask, what is up with fantasy novels and twenty-somethings with stark white hair? That is a whole thing in fantasy. All these hot young people with gray or white hair. But I think that's hot. I think white hair is hot. It's like, very death metal. Deth is this immortal character. I pronounce his name DEETH instead of Death but I don't know how to pronounce it. Or if this is another one of McKillip's lazy fantasy names like An or Hel. We don't know how he became immortal but he is like if Gandalf tried less. You know, he's the main harpist dude. People go fucking apeshit for harp music in this world. That is all they have. Dude is a wizard but he mainly just jams out. Okay, cool. I mean, maybe that's just how you need to roll when you're a thousand. I'm not judging. He's not a very good wizard. He basically doesn't do that much.
We find out at the end of book 1, The Riddle-Master of Hed, that Morgon walked into a trap. The High One, who is the big kahuna of their world, is either missing or dead. He was replaced for like, decades? Hundreds of years? A few years? by a Big Evil Wizard named Ghisteslwchlohm, which is the sound your snot makes when it's a really solid pea shape that just shoots out of your nose when you blow it, like a miniature CANNON BALL of snot. That is what that word means, I've decided.
So I guess Deth just played his harp while that dude tortured Morgon for like a year before he escaped. Shit. I mean, that's some nasty shit. Book one was so nice. What happened! And it always happens inside a mountain. A lot of 70s and early 80s fantasy had really bad shit happen inside mountains. If I were living in a fantasy world, I would fucking protest evil mountain lairs. Fuck that shit.
I really want to like this book more. It's trying. I realize it's trying. McKillip's use of language is always good and fits perfectly with the high fantasy motifs she's going for.
(spoilers ahead)
The first book followed the prince of Hed, Morgon. In book 2 we follow the princess he's engaged to be married to, Raederle. As far as characters go, she's a good one. I did enjoy her search to understand her own magical talents and abilities. I like the fact that the onion is peeling back slowly as far as the mystery of the shape-changers. It's still mysterious, there was a war thousands of years ago and we don't have any knowledge of it now. George RR Martin might have had a little bit of influence from this series. I'm noticing enough similarities and it's McKillip's more famous work. The shift in perspective, the medieval-ish setting, shades of a bygone evil time in history we have only remnants of all reminded me of ASOIAF.
The plot of the first half revolves around Raederle and her family. Her father, King Mathom, a secret shape-changer king, turns into a bird of prey and takes off to find Morgon, who has been reported dead for over a year. After finding out Morgon is still alive, she sets off to find him where he was last seen, at Erlenstar Mountain, which is in the middle of nowhere. There aren't many huge cities in this world. The few we see aren't hugely impressive. It's mostly either wilderness or old houses that would remind one of the Swedish countryside. She winds up finding Deth, who tells her what he did and that he fucking sucks, and doesn't explain why he hung out and watched her hot stud prince get tortured. Cause he sucks. Deth sucks, in case you were wondering. But he's hot. He looks like he's 25 and he's got white hair. He looks like he should play in an 80s hair band. He looks sad but he rocks out. He is fucking metal because he's a thousand years old and he can still bang it out. I mean musically. I don't know if he needs wizard Viagra. The book doesn't say.
This isn't in the book, but I picture him as looking really similar to a really young Timothy Dalton with white hair and he harps for me. That's not in the book. That's...just for me.
Overall, the first half lagged a bit for me. All the stuff about the super-Amazons she befriends who help her steal a ship could have been better. For such a great plot idea, I found it blandly executed. It picks up speed when Raederle comes into contact with several other monarchs who are preparing or in the midst of wars that are breaking out without the presence of Mathom and Morgon. Without her father around, someone decides to invade. And of course, she retaliates by making a deal with dozens of former dead kings who are able to turn visible and walk around...for some reason. That part is super vague. The important thing is that Raederle herself is very resourceful, determined, and she doesn't complain. She is super boy crazy for Morgon, though. She's smart, but she can't bear to ever be apart from him ever again because he's Morgon. He's her prince! Yeah I get it. I GET IT. Gah.
The ghost kings make a deal with her and the jerk ghost tries to pull some jerk ghost king moves. Fuck that dead ghost king so hard. Anyway, Raederle is pretty hardcore. She didn't annoy me very much, even though she's in a luvvy duvvy gotta have my man and never ever leave him again mood. High fantasy princesses can be very high maintenance people. I tend to judge them rather harshly because they have got to have their shit together. This is high stakes shit with magic and kingdoms. You can't fuck that up when you're making negotiations with not just one but a buttload of dead ghost kings, most of whom have surprisingly not evolved much. The book describes them minimally, but we're going with a gangster Viking vibe here.
Morgon finally fucking shows up after fucking FOREVER. Way to draw that out. And now he's a homicidal trainwreck but he does need some of that. He needs some of that princess hump magic. And she's like, "Baby no you ain't leavin me again. Nuh uh. I said so that's why."
Lyra the not Amazon female guard is in both books 1 and 2. I found her almost cartoonish in book 1 so it was nice to see her character fleshed out to appear methodical, reasonable and she has a cop vibe about her. Protective and gets right to the point.
I really liked all the clues of the ancient civilization because there really weren't enough of them. I was hoping for more magic shit. I really liked the one trick Raederle is able to pull off as she's losing a fleet of ships. She has a small stone that glimmers and she creates a giant mirage with it that blinds all the other ships. That was rad.
I was going to give this three stars because if I were an interdimensional tourist, I wouldn't even want to stop at this shit world. Like, there's nothing that would really send me into hysterics if I were there seeing it close up. I think a fantasy world should be judged solely on whether or not I would want to take a tour there. Oh and for characters and plot. I guess.
I'll give it four stars because Morgon shows mercy at the end on the man he most wants to kill, and I want to see where that takes him spiritually. Deth shows up at the end and everyone is in the same room together finally, except for the Big Bad Dude. And it's super fucking awkward. I really liked having him vengeance bent and then he pulls back. Morgon's a good guy. That was the harder road, so I look forward to finishing book 3 now.
September 2, 2022
"Riddle of Stars" trilogy #2
In book one of this trilogy, Morgon, the (reigning) Prince of the island of Hed, left his island to get married to Raederle, daughter of a powerful King on the mainland. Events happened that drove him to travel Northward, seeking the High One at Erlenstar Mountain.
Here, a year has passed, and rumors of Morgon's death have reached Raederle. His "land-right" has passed to his brother, Eliard, which means that he has, in some way, lost or forfeited it. The usual reason for the land-right to pass is the death of the current holder, but there are others.
Raederle is convinced that Morgon is still alive.
Lyra is the daughter and land-heir of the Morgol of Herun. With her help, Raederle coerces her father's ship-master to take her up the coast towards Erlenstar, hoping to find out Morgon's fate. They are joined by a stowaway: Tristan, Morgon and Eliard's sister.
There are (of course) adventures on the way North. Eventually, they receive strong evidence that Morgon is indeed alive, but has been terribly tortured and barely freed himself; also that Deth, the High One's harper, harped and watched it happen. Morgon seeks revenge on Deth, and on the one who tormented him.
Like the first book, this one ends on a climactic but inconclusive moment. It isn't quite the cliffhanger of the first book, but it clearly points the way forward to the third.
Does it suffer from "Middle Book Syndrome?" Perhaps, a little; "they traveled North, found something out, and traveled back South" seems like a very light frame to hang a novel on -- but if you substitute East for North, that's more or less the frame of _The Hobbit_. And, actually, a great deal does happen in _Heir of Sea and Fire_. I have, for example, left out Raederle's gradual discovery of her own magical power, and the terrible source from which it stems -- and many other things as well. My conclusion on whether it ultimately has MBS will, I suppose, depend on how much all the things that happen in _this_ book inform and shape the final volume. I have tentatively given this one three stars, but it could increase, depending on that last book.
In book one of this trilogy, Morgon, the (reigning) Prince of the island of Hed, left his island to get married to Raederle, daughter of a powerful King on the mainland. Events happened that drove him to travel Northward, seeking the High One at Erlenstar Mountain.
Here, a year has passed, and rumors of Morgon's death have reached Raederle. His "land-right" has passed to his brother, Eliard, which means that he has, in some way, lost or forfeited it. The usual reason for the land-right to pass is the death of the current holder, but there are others.
Raederle is convinced that Morgon is still alive.
Lyra is the daughter and land-heir of the Morgol of Herun. With her help, Raederle coerces her father's ship-master to take her up the coast towards Erlenstar, hoping to find out Morgon's fate. They are joined by a stowaway: Tristan, Morgon and Eliard's sister.
There are (of course) adventures on the way North. Eventually, they receive strong evidence that Morgon is indeed alive, but has been terribly tortured and barely freed himself; also that Deth, the High One's harper, harped and watched it happen. Morgon seeks revenge on Deth, and on the one who tormented him.
Like the first book, this one ends on a climactic but inconclusive moment. It isn't quite the cliffhanger of the first book, but it clearly points the way forward to the third.
Does it suffer from "Middle Book Syndrome?" Perhaps, a little; "they traveled North, found something out, and traveled back South" seems like a very light frame to hang a novel on -- but if you substitute East for North, that's more or less the frame of _The Hobbit_. And, actually, a great deal does happen in _Heir of Sea and Fire_. I have, for example, left out Raederle's gradual discovery of her own magical power, and the terrible source from which it stems -- and many other things as well. My conclusion on whether it ultimately has MBS will, I suppose, depend on how much all the things that happen in _this_ book inform and shape the final volume. I have tentatively given this one three stars, but it could increase, depending on that last book.
March 10, 2025
Much as I love this book I can't give it more than four stars. The first book leaves Morgon with a cliffhanger and he's abandoned there for the nonce. The second book picks up the tale of Raederle of An, his betrothed (and beloved, despite the "arranged" marriage). She teams up with Lyra, land heir of the Morgol (ruler) of Herun and together with Morgon's little sister, set off on a quest of their own.
The three women are all strong characters, even Tristan who is in her early teens. Although I feel the author did the Morgol's Guard a bit of a disservice in the ship hijack scene. It doesn't ring true to the steely competence displayed elsewhere. 70s gender assumptions slipping in?
In the course of their journey Raederle starts to feel the awakening of magical power within her but, when she discovers it is inherited from an ancestor who was of the people now hounding Morgon, pushes back hard an refuses to embrace her power. It get's a little frustrating and that, plus the somewhat pointless conclusion of their quest, knocks off that last star from the rating.
The other four stars remain though, as bright as ever. The writing is still elegant, concise and at times almost lyrical. The realm the story is set in is expanded and continues to amaze with its beauty and magic. And there's still enough story to get us comfortably to the stepping off point for the final volume.
The three women are all strong characters, even Tristan who is in her early teens. Although I feel the author did the Morgol's Guard a bit of a disservice in the ship hijack scene. It doesn't ring true to the steely competence displayed elsewhere. 70s gender assumptions slipping in?
In the course of their journey Raederle starts to feel the awakening of magical power within her but, when she discovers it is inherited from an ancestor who was of the people now hounding Morgon, pushes back hard an refuses to embrace her power. It get's a little frustrating and that, plus the somewhat pointless conclusion of their quest, knocks off that last star from the rating.
The other four stars remain though, as bright as ever. The writing is still elegant, concise and at times almost lyrical. The realm the story is set in is expanded and continues to amaze with its beauty and magic. And there's still enough story to get us comfortably to the stepping off point for the final volume.
August 17, 2024
This is one series where you want all three books at once, either the trilogy published as a single volume or each of the books ready to go. The books are so intertwined that none of them feel complete without reading the entire trilogy. What's unusual about this volume, and one of the reasons I really liked it, is that the author switches POV completely, and unusual for the time, she switched to a strong female character, one who is obviously a strong counterpart for the male protagonist in the first book. But what I also liked about this story is that while Morgan was a reluctant hero, she was willing to do what had to be done, and what only she could do, even if the men in her life were trying to stop her. Overall, I think this was my favorite of the three books, but it really was part of the overall story. For what it's worth, I was initially thrown because the first book all but ended on a cliffhanger, but this book didn't even pick up where the first one left off, other than that they mentioned he had disappeared. The story just began with her. I think if you're looking for a cerebral classic fantasy book, this fits that quite well, and her writing really is beautiful. But be ready to read the whole trilogy at once.
December 26, 2020
As much as I love this trilogy as a whole, this is the weak one. And not because of the different protagonist, Raederle is awesome, but because a lot of the plot feels like "we must do this because it is what we should do", there are a lot of filler moment and in general there's not that much happening. Bar for 3-4 big moments/revelations, the rest of the book is too similar to the first, just with Raederle instead of Morgon.
On its own it would have been an ok, maybe nearly good, book. As part of a trilogy, it's just ok.
On its own it would have been an ok, maybe nearly good, book. As part of a trilogy, it's just ok.
August 7, 2022
Can't think of any other author who wrote one book about the male Chosen One only to make a complete turn for the sequel and be like "actually these three women are the protagonists now". Legendary, especially for the time when this was written. I love Raederle and Lyra especially, and how this book really does center on Raederle grappling with questions of identity and heritage. The writing is lyrical and superb. About my only complaint is that this trilogy is a bit lacking in external plot – much like the first, it mainly consists of people travelling from place to place until they meet up.
April 18, 2022
In the words of the immortal Joe Bob Briggs, there was way too much plot getting in the way of the story in "Heir of Sea and Fire," not to mention fantasy tropes gone berserk, ridiculous plot twists and true love between characters who've barely met.
I loved "The Riddle-Master of Hed," the first book in the series, but this one was so disappointing I'm not even going to try volume three. What a let-down ...
I loved "The Riddle-Master of Hed," the first book in the series, but this one was so disappointing I'm not even going to try volume three. What a let-down ...
May 7, 2024
"Where does a man go to escape from himself?"
These books are trippy as hell. The last 50 pages or so were a fucking wild ride. Said it before (probably) and I'll say it again, McKillip writes one of the meanest sentences I've ever read in high fantasy. She is impeccable with her words, her style, her pacing. Reading her is like eating a thick, hearty stew. You wanna savor every bite. It's truly a shame she isn't more well known.
These books are trippy as hell. The last 50 pages or so were a fucking wild ride. Said it before (probably) and I'll say it again, McKillip writes one of the meanest sentences I've ever read in high fantasy. She is impeccable with her words, her style, her pacing. Reading her is like eating a thick, hearty stew. You wanna savor every bite. It's truly a shame she isn't more well known.
May 27, 2024
Druhý díl je příjemně nepředvídatelný (ještě víc než první) a navíc vyprávěný z pohledu Raederle, která má tak překrásně daleko k tomu, aby jako love interest hlavního hrdiny seděla doma a čekala, až se hrdina vrátí a vezme si ji. Vlastně celá kniha sestává převážně ze situací, kdy moudří lidé radí Raederle, aby byla opatrná, nevydávala se na cestu, neunášela loď i s kapitánem, neutíkala sama studenou divočinou, kde není tak docela bezpečno, a kdyby byla tak laskavá a položila tu lebku dávného krále, jehož přízrak se na ni mračí... A z toho, že Raederle na všechno vesele odpovídá: "Tůdle!" a dělá si přesně to, co chce.
May 11, 2018
When I started reading the Riddle-Master trilogy, it seemed to me like a very straightforward fantasy novel: a Special, Chosen man must go on a Dangerous Quest to save his kingdom and marry and/or rescue the woman he loves.
Book two in the series turned all that on its head. It became this story of very compelling, complicated women. I liked it.
Book two in the series turned all that on its head. It became this story of very compelling, complicated women. I liked it.
December 19, 2020
9/10
Raederle, promised to the Star-Bearer after he answered an unanswerable riddle, is the focus of this second book in the Riddle-Master trilogy. The author’s prose is lyrical and enchanting, weaving its own spells as Raederle learns the mysteries of her own magic. The story relates her journey through the lands and deep into herself. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this series.
Raederle, promised to the Star-Bearer after he answered an unanswerable riddle, is the focus of this second book in the Riddle-Master trilogy. The author’s prose is lyrical and enchanting, weaving its own spells as Raederle learns the mysteries of her own magic. The story relates her journey through the lands and deep into herself. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this series.
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