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The Riddle-Master of Hed

(Riddle-Master #1)

Patricia A. McKillip

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 11,709 ratings · 502 reviews

Long ago, the wizards had vanished from the world, and all knowledge was left hidden in riddles. Morgon, prince of the simple farmers of Hed, proved himself a master of such riddles when he staked his life to win a crown from the dead Lord of Aum. But now ancient, evil forces were threatening him. Shape changers began replacing friends until no man could be trusted. So Mor ...more

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Paperback, 240 pages

Published March 12th 1980 by Del Rey / Ballantine (first published 1976)

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Mar 26, 2011 Laura rated it liked it

There's just something frustrating about this book.

It just doesn't quite seem to get where it's going.

The story starts out with this really run-of-the-mill prince. That sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not. He's ruler of this really simple, down-to-earth place called Hed and is just an incredibly unpretentious character. Despite being the prince, he ends up wrestling his brother in a mud puddle within just a handful of pages. It's hard to really get into the story at first, because although he There's just something frustrating about this book.

It just doesn't quite seem to get where it's going.

The story starts out with this really run-of-the-mill prince. That sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not. He's ruler of this really simple, down-to-earth place called Hed and is just an incredibly unpretentious character. Despite being the prince, he ends up wrestling his brother in a mud puddle within just a handful of pages. It's hard to really get into the story at first, because although he seems like a nice guy and all, I just don't tend to care much about princes that roll around in mud puddles. Doesn't seem like a very interesting or important character, does he?

Of course, this is a fantasy novel, so we gradually come to understand that he is some unspeakably important person with a Destiny and all that. McKillip has created a world with a complex history, and she thankfully doesn't indulge herself in that hideously awful exposition where one character sits down and tells the other the entire history of the world as if they don't both already know. Instead she lets us piece together how the world works as we go along.

The problem is, the gradual unravelling of the background is perfectly paced.

Yes, problem. You see, there are really 2 unravellings going on at once: there is the reader coming to understand in bits and pieces the things that the characters already know about the rules of physics and magic that control this world, and how its history is interwoven with that. At the same time, the characters are gradually coming to understand this great mystery involving the main character's destiny- and part of that mystery means discovering that some of the things they thought they knew about their world aren't actually true.

You can see how this can get confusing.

So when I got to the (supposedly shocking) cliffhanger, it just sort of fell flat. I just don't understand enough about this world to really be affected the way the main character was. Or maybe I've just gotten too confused between the exposition and its revision. Or maybe I'm just a horribly unobservant, dumb reader and didn't get it, even though its obvious. (That one is less of a maybe.)

I've heard good things about this book, and author, and even better things about the rest of the series. So I will seek them out, and maybe reread this, and hopefully get less dumb about it. But for right now I'm still just a little underwhelmed. (Or maybe overwhelmed?) I reserve the right to come back and edit this review and rating when it all makes more sense to me. ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Allison Hurd rated it it was ok

Shelves: fem-author, fantasy

This was very disappointing for me. I was expecting an epic sweeping quest with adventures and magic and destiny! And I guess it was there, but the writing quality was not what I would have expected, given the way people I trust have talked about this book. I think safe to say it does not hold up.

Things that were fun:

-All the fixin's. It's very classic epic fantasy with the chosen one and mysterious prophecies, god like figures, wizards and the rest.

-A few glimmers of hope. There were 2 spots I ...more

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Aug 26, 2009 Kaion rated it did not like it

Shelves: unfinished, fantasy

Fantasy without any fantastic. 'Riddles' without any riddles! More accurately, what here is described as riddle-figuring is actually history/mythology research. But I guess that 'The Primary-and-Secondary-Document Seeker of Hed' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Characters should be great by what they do. I don't want to be told how clever and destined-for-great-things a character is- I want to be shown it without the bells and whistles. Unfortunately, only a bit more than nothing occurs here ...more

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Sep 02, 2008 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 2fiction, sword-sorcery, favorites, 3series, 1paper

2019 Review It's been a long time since I reread this. I have a lot of fond memories & found it quite good again, although I really like more realism in my novels now. This is an epic fantasy, quite lyrical in nature. It's more like a complex fairy tale & beautiful in that way. If you like that sort of thing, this is a 5 star read that I can't recommend highly enough.

Unfortunately, I seem to have become a grump. A farmer who has that much of a problem with death? Bacon doesn't grow at the stor 2019 Review It's been a long time since I reread this. I have a lot of fond memories & found it quite good again, although I really like more realism in my novels now. This is an epic fantasy, quite lyrical in nature. It's more like a complex fairy tale & beautiful in that way. If you like that sort of thing, this is a 5 star read that I can't recommend highly enough.

Unfortunately, I seem to have become a grump. A farmer who has that much of a problem with death? Bacon doesn't grow at the store & butchering Snogg's pigs had to be a regular chore plus he hunted. Well, I guess the Quakers were similar. Still, it rankled.

The book ends on a cliff-hanger, a really big reveal that rocked me back on my heels, & then it ends. Ugh! MUST READ THE NEXT BOOK NOW! Thankfully, I have the full trilogy now. I didn't the first time through. Be warned. Get all 3 books before starting the first & read in order.

Original review from when I joined GR in 2007 I last read this book some time ago, but have reread it a couple of times. McKillip captured me with this book immediately because I just loved the hero. In the first few pages, she draws him so well & in such a novel way that just tickled me. (view spoiler) plus... No, I won't put that here, even under a spoiler tag. Let's just say there is a LOT more to him than meets the eye at first, just as there is to the story.

And there are riddles. I don't particularly care for riddles, but they worked well here, as did the harps. Yeah, hackneyed harps in a S&S world, but the two together, along with a quest & love & destinies foretold in the stars (maybe, if things worked out) all came together under McKillip's beautiful writing to create a wonderful epic story, but be prepared to read the trilogy.

If I have any complaint at all with these books it's that they do NOT stand alone well at all. You need to read them in order & have the next one ready or you may just dissolve into a puddle of frustration. I almost did. I read the first one before I joined the Army & the second one sometime later, but I think I was married with children before I finally got a hold of the third one & got to figure out what happened. I don't recommend doing that if you can help it. ...more

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Oct 29, 2016 Kristina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, favorites, loved-em, magic-fantasy, my-book, so-good-read-again

There are books that I pull from my shelves to re-read every few years. They may be romantic thrillers or science-fiction or fantasy or classics. What they all have in common is superb story-telling, characters who are as familiar to me as friends and family, and worlds so detailed and engrossing that I am transported there as soon as I open the book. Patricia McKillip’s Riddle-Master trilogy are books that I have loved ever since I first read them. The world she creates is magical and complete There are books that I pull from my shelves to re-read every few years. They may be romantic thrillers or science-fiction or fantasy or classics. What they all have in common is superb story-telling, characters who are as familiar to me as friends and family, and worlds so detailed and engrossing that I am transported there as soon as I open the book. Patricia McKillip’s Riddle-Master trilogy are books that I have loved ever since I first read them. The world she creates is magical and complete and full of mysteries and riddles and I’m always in awe of how incredibly well-written they are. These books are, to me, the best that fantasy offers and should be considered classics of literature, regardless of genre. The first book, The Riddle-Master of Hed, is one I’ve read probably half a dozen times. But because it is so full of unknown magic and centuries-old riddles, I never remember the answers to all those riddles. As soon as I read the first sentence: “Morgon of Hed met the High One’s harpist one autumn day when the trade-ships docked at Tol for the season’s exchange of goods,” I’m once again swept up into Morgon’s story and the mysteries surrounding him.

Morgon is the Prince of Hed, a small island of simple farmers. In a world haunted by unanswered riddles, restless wraiths and threatened by unnamed magic, Hed is considered safe and practical. However, Morgon is not a typical man of Hed. He is gifted in riddle-answering and attended the College of Riddle-Masters. When he wins the crown of a dead lord of Aum in a riddle-game, Morgon’s life changes forever. Determined to learn about his destiny, Morgan, accompanied by Deth, the High One’s harpist, travels across the lands to Erlenstar Mountain to confront the High One. Along the way, Morgon’s life is threated by shape changers, powerful creatures from the sea, who don’t want him to seek the answers to his riddles.

No matter how I try to explain the plot of this book, I will not be able to do it justice. It is, essentially, the story of a man traveling through a country seeking answers to questions and trying to find his identity and place in the world. But that sounds so boring. Morgon has three stars on his forehead and no one knows why. He would rather ignore them and spend his life in Hed, being a farmer. However, once he won the crown from Peven, he fulfilled a vow made by Mathom, the King of An. Mathom vowed to marry his daughter, Raederle, to the man who took the crown of Aum from Peven. Before Morgon can marry Raederle, the second most beautiful woman in the three portions of An (An, Aum, and Hel), he must travel to Caithnard, to the College of Riddle-Masters, where Rood, Raederle’s brother, is an apprentice. What happens after Morgon sees Rood sets Morgon on his path towards Erlenstar Mountain where he will demand answers from the High One.

This book is so well-written that every sentence is evocative of a magic-infused world. When Morgon finds himself on the Wind Plain, living for a while with Astrid, a banished lord of Ymris, Astrid is attacked by a shape-shifter. This is how he describes what the shape-shifter looked like: “He was shaped out of seaweed and foam and wet pearl, and the sword was of darkness and silver water. It bit me and flew away like a bird” (47). I never noticed this before, but there is a lot of bird imagery in this book (and probably in the other two). It’s not distracting because it’s so well done, but it is interesting because weapons are shaped out of birds, and people often take bird form when dying or fleeing from danger. Here is another use of bird imagery; Morgon and Deth are taking refuge from their travels with the Morgol of Herun when a harpist of the ancient and powerful shape changers visits Morgon and plays for him (and tries to kill him): “The harping wove through him like a net, the slow, deep beat measured to the sluggish, jarring beat of his blood, the swift, wild high notes ripping at the fabric of his thoughts like tiny, panicked birds. He tried to move but something weighted on his hands, his chest. He opened his mouth to call for Deth; the sound that came out of him was again the squawk of the black crow” (116).

Later, Deth names this harpist as Corrig and shares with Morgon a time when they harped together: “He came into the circle of my firelight, glistening with tide, his harp of shell and bone and mother of pearl, and demanded songs of me. I played as well for him as for the kings I had played to; I dared not do less. He gave me songs in return; he stayed with me until dawn, until the sun rose, and his song as the red northern sun flamed across the sea burned in my heart for days after I heard it. He melted like mist into the morning sea-mist, but first he gave me his name. He asked for mine. I told him, and he laughed” (125).

The imagery in this book is very evocative of the kind of magical world these characters inhabit. McKillip expertly describes every day scenes of traders and their goods, ships at sea, and their food and music. Magic is a fact of life and infuses everything—from the roots in the ground to the wind in the air. Her descriptions of even the smallest events make the characters come alive for me. Although Raederle is not present in this novel, she is mentioned quite a bit and it’s due to scenes like this that we get to know her: “He [Morgon] had raced her up the hill to the College once, years ago, she in a long, green dress she had hiked to her knees to run in. He had let her win, and, at the top, happy, panting, she had mocked his courtesy. Rood came behind them with a handful of jeweled pins that had fallen out of her hair; he tossed them to her; they caught the light like a swarm of strange, glittering insects, scarlet, green, amber, purple. Too tired to catch them, she had let them fall around her, laughing, her red hair massed like a mane in the wind” (137).

Two of my favorite scenes in the book involve shape-changing. Morgon travels to Osterland and learns to change into a vesta (sort of like a large deer/elk) and runs with herds of them while searching for the wizard Suth. My other favorite is Morgon learning to become a tree in the mountain-land of Isig: “Listening, he heard suddenly the hum of their veins, drawing life from deep beneath the snow, beneath the hard earth. He felt himself rooted, locked into the rhythms of the mountain; his own rhythms drained away from him, lost beyond memory in the silence that shaped him. Wordless knowledge moved through him, of slow measureless age, of fierce winds borne beyond breaking point, of seasons beginning, ending, of a patient, unhurried waiting for something that lay deeper than roots, that lay sleeping in the earth deeper than the core of Isig, something on the verge of waking…” (209). I really like the idea of being able to change into a vesta and a tree, and I love the descriptions of Morgon doing so.

The Riddle-Master of Hed is an amazing book. Every time I read it, I find something different to love and discover new depths to the story. This is a fantasy novel that deals with magic and wizards, but it’s not really about who is the best wizard and has the most power. It’s more about knowing yourself and not being afraid to take charge of your own destiny. It’s one of my absolute favorite books of all time. ...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Garth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, exceptional-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the first book of a closely-connected trilogy; if you plan to read it, you may want to have the next book on hand. I read The Riddle-Master of Hed as part of the Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy omnibus.
Morgon is the land-ruler of Hed, a non-descript, undramatic, peaceful, and very agrarian island off the coast of a land with a vivid and mixed magical history. Morgon himself has had a few un-Hed-like adventures, having been educated as a Riddle-Master in the city of Caithnard, but sin This is the first book of a closely-connected trilogy; if you plan to read it, you may want to have the next book on hand. I read The Riddle-Master of Hed as part of the Riddle-Master: The Complete Trilogy omnibus.
Morgon is the land-ruler of Hed, a non-descript, undramatic, peaceful, and very agrarian island off the coast of a land with a vivid and mixed magical history. Morgon himself has had a few un-Hed-like adventures, having been educated as a Riddle-Master in the city of Caithnard, but since the death of his parents in a shipwreck he's settled down to oversee the farming and land of Hed. However, before doing so, he went on one last adventure, beat a ghost in a riddle game, and won a crown and the hand of a king's daughter in marriage. And now he has to decide what to do about it.

This book has the dubious non-distinction of being compared with Tolkien and the distinction of having that comparison feel apt in some less usual ways. McKillip captures in Hed a similar feel as the rural life of the Shire, and in Morgon's dislike of the adventures thrust upon him, she presents it as a stronger valid choice. So many fantasies hurry their young protagonists away from their humble roots, showing that magic is clearly the superior choice. Morgon doesn't follow that attitude. Using the land-rule, the basic structure of McKillip's world that gives the rightful ruler of a country a deep understanding of that country's needs and functioning, McKillip shows a more painful sundering from a life that the hero liked, for a journey through magic that's perilous, frustrating, and in many ways worse.

McKillip also plays with history, following Tolkien's strong sense of tradition but approaching it from a different angle. Tolkien's historical medium was mythology and story. McKillip's is closer to historical fact. Morgon, and indeed most people of importance in the world, are adept with riddles, but riddles in this book are less something one would expect from the sphynx and more like historical fact combined with a lesson. A typical riddle asks some question of history or deed of a famous (or forgotten ruler), the answer being the story, and the stricture being some lesson to take from that story. Knowledge of the world, its past, the places and meanings of the people in it, and the location and nature of lost knowledge is vitally important. Questions to which no answer is known are unanswered riddles, and unanswered riddles are inherently dangerous. For a fantasy, it's an atypical take on the quest for understanding of the world, more open to everyone in the world than the normal path of magical power.

There is magic, prophecy, and an unregarded young man from a backwater of the world who turns out to be an awaited person of great power, and at times, The Riddle-Master of Hed followed the standard script a bit too closely. There's just enough difference, though, to reward digging at the foundations and thinking about what McKillip has changed. For one, there's a lack of obvious evil and obvious good, even if the world seems full of that at the start. For another, there's a lot of nuance in the history and debate over the lessons to be drawn from it. As the story progresses and draws into question some of the foundations of the world, McKillip incorporates a canny sense of wrongness, a feeling that matters are quite a bit more complicated and difficult than it first appeared. The surface plot is a standard "collect the wise men" travelogue and suffers for it, but I kept coming back to and picking apart what lay underneath it.

Alas, the ending is just frustrating. It's a cliff-hanger that's worse than a cliff-hanger since the next book doesn't even pick up at the cliff. After delivering the climax that one knew was coming for much of the book, it offers no denouement or explanation whatsoever. I admire the audacity with which McKillip overturns some genre expectations, but there are good reasons for the normal dramatic structure. The book suffers from the excessively abrupt curtain. It helps some to have the next book on-hand and consider this more part one than a book in its own right, but even then, The Riddle-Master of Hed is better read for the feel of its world and for McKillip's effective descriptions than for its plot structure. An exceptional Fantasy genre first book. ...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Othy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-literature, favorites

A very impressive novel. McKillip is both an impressive storyteller and author, showing her intricate skill in this the first part of the Riddlemaster Trilogy. Mysterious, at times chilling, and with fascinating characters, "The Riddlemaster of Hed" reminds me of Le Guin and, to some extent Tolkien, authors who I believe to be masters of fantasy literature. McKillip's descriptions and dialogue are very well constructed, pulling the reader (or at least me) in to read quickly yet also deeply. At t ...more

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Nov 19, 2014 Theo Logos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-as-a-kid, read-more-than-once, reviewed, fantasy-high-fantasy

No Mr. Wolfe, you CAN go home again.
(Well, at least sometimes.)
I first read The Riddle Master of Hed in 1978. I was 14 years old, had read The Lord of the Rings the same year, and at the time, consider them pretty much on par. Riddle Master captured me with the same sense of unfolding wonder of a world with a deep history, more than half lost in mystery, that unfolded slowly as a crucial element of the ongoing story. Fourteen year old me immediately placed The Riddle Master trilogy among the cla No Mr. Wolfe, you CAN go home again.
(Well, at least sometimes.)
I first read The Riddle Master of Hed in 1978. I was 14 years old, had read The Lord of the Rings the same year, and at the time, consider them pretty much on par. Riddle Master captured me with the same sense of unfolding wonder of a world with a deep history, more than half lost in mystery, that unfolded slowly as a crucial element of the ongoing story. Fourteen year old me immediately placed The Riddle Master trilogy among the classics.
Years pasted, and I went gray. I noticed that the Riddle Master trilogy was rarely included in the "must read" lists that are periodically created to educate on the classics of the fantasy/scifi/speculative fiction genre. Perhaps 14 year old me simply lacked the refined literary palate to separate the dross from the gold? A re-read was in order.
So last night I finished reading The Riddle Master of Hed, nearly four decades after my first experience of it. I am pleased to report that my fourteen year old self had good taste. It does in ways resemble Tolkien; the tropes are there - a reluctant, unlikely hero, a creeping menace, a quest at the end of an Age - but it doesn't feel derivative. Rather, the two works resemble each other as Welsh mythology resembles Norse mythology. The beauty of this book is that it fires the imagination with a sense of wonder in precisely the way our oldest cultural mythologies do.
Indeed, my mention of Welsh mythology above was more than a random reference. What I caught on this reading that I lacked the knowledge to notice on my first time through was how much Riddle Master resembles the Welsh myths of the Mabinogion. There are no direct parallels between the stories, but both convey the same feel, of a world where the miraculous and the mundane exist side by side as a matter of accepted course, where music, knowledge, and craftsmanship are the conduits of magic, and the lords of the land are tied to it in both mystical and physical ways. Even the naming in the book smacks of a strong Welsh influence. Both for these reasons, and because of her lyrical, dream like style, McKillip's Riddle Master is probably closer to Evangeline Walton's Mabinogion Tetralogy than any other works in the fantasy genre.
What have I learned from this re-reading? I had literary discernment as a young teen. Patricia McKillip was strongly influenced by Welsh mythology. If I ever create a "must read" fantasy genre list, The Riddle Master trilogy will be on it. And yes, in some sweet, rare, treasured instances, you can go home again. ...more

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Apr 28, 2008 Mark rated it really liked it

A lovely trilogy that somehow manages to balance an epic scope while being focused on just two people trying to figure out who they are. This first book is about Morgon, a farmer with a knack for answering riddles (a bit more like Zen koans) who was born with three stars on his head.

Yes, this is the "Chosen One of the Ancient Prophecy" trope that I hate so much. I think there are a number of reasons it works for me here. First, there isn't a concrete prophecy looming over each action. Morgon do ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 Kavita rated it it was ok

Shelves: yawnfest, fantasy

Morgon of Hed rules his small kingdom. But it's nothing fancy and Morgon even has to help his subjects mend their roofs. He's more of a village chief than a king, really. But he has one thing going for him - he is a whiz at solving riddles. This is how he defeated the ghost king of Aum and got away with his life. Morgan has a destiny - three stars on his forehead proclaim it to everyone. The question is - would he accept it or not?

This is the gist of the story here. Is Morgan going to go forward ...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Violinknitter rated it it was amazing

I love this trilogy far beyond reason, so I won't try to give a reasoned review. I will give a few words of advice, though. The first book is in no way a stand-alone story. The trilogy only makes sense if you read the entire trilogy... much more like a book of the Lord of the Rings than a Harry Potter book that can be enjoyed on its own terms apart from the rest of the series. Secondly, there is a major shift in viewpoint between the first & second books of the trilogy, so don't expect Morgan of ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Fares rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-and-a-half-stars

2.5 stars

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Aug 05, 2016 Jenny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, books-i-need-to-reread-and-soon

*****4.5*****
This book surprised me. I found it in the local used bookstore, and I liked the cover and the title, but I put off reading it because I didn't know if it would be compelling enough. Well, I was captivated right away by McKillip's writing style and by her protagonist, Morgon. Then, the story line drew me in. The plot is so mysterious: who is Morgon? why does he have three stars on his forehead? why do so many people want to kill him?
Answers and partial answers are revealed slowly, b ...more

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Feb 04, 2010 Greymalkin rated it did not like it

Shelves: scifi-fantasy

Lovely language and delicate mythos but I just couldn't get over the riddles that weren't riddles. The wordplay was too much for me and although it is a slim book, it felt much longer because the main character kept dragging his heels and complaining through the whole book. It had a feeling a bit like Taran Wanderer (which I love) so I can see why people would love this but it wasn't for me, alas! ...more

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Jun 13, 2019 Ron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, maps, fantasy

“When you open your minds and hands and heart to the knowing of a thing, there is no room in you for fear.”

Sorry I missed this when first published in 1974. Better than most post-LOTR imitators. McKillip may feel that she’s surpassed this earlier effort, but this is a deeper, more satisfying tale than many more famous competitors, which admittedly is a low bar.

“Truth,” the Master Ohm murmured, “needs no apology.”

It took the entire book to get the protagonist interested in his quest, along the ...more

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Nov 11, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

See my review of the omnibus volume. I stumbled over this book back in '77 or '78 and then had to wait till I could find the next volume. Very frustrating. A good series, I find the first volume to be the best of the 3 though I've read reviews of those who disagree. ...more

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Feb 23, 2017 Margo rated it it was ok

Repetitive and painful to read. I do not like the writing style at all. Every time Morgon goes to sleep, someone tries to kill him. Every single time. If it gets dark or someone yawns or they've been traveling a long time and someone says they should rest, you immediately know someone is about to try to kill Morgon -- again. In pretty much the same way, because it's always this shape-shifting creature. I'm less than half way through the book even though I've been trying to read it for months, an Repetitive and painful to read. I do not like the writing style at all. Every time Morgon goes to sleep, someone tries to kill him. Every single time. If it gets dark or someone yawns or they've been traveling a long time and someone says they should rest, you immediately know someone is about to try to kill Morgon -- again. In pretty much the same way, because it's always this shape-shifting creature. I'm less than half way through the book even though I've been trying to read it for months, and he's already been almost killed in his sleep at least five times. The conversations have been about 90% identical. Every time Morgon almost dies, he says he's going to go home, he doesn't want this name or this destiny, he'll be safe if he just goes home, he doesn't care if he isn't safe, as long as he's home, blahblahblah. Every time someone mentions a riddle, one of Morgon's friends says his life could depend on answering the riddle about the stars on his face, and he responds meh, answering riddles was fun for awhile, but I don't feel like answering that one. And Deth and Morgon talk constantly about how cool their harps are. The names are unoriginal -- really? Deth? Hel? An of Awn? -- and half the names of the cities are too similar -- Heth? Hel? Hed? No matter how many times people compare this book to LOTR, it will never strike me as LOTR-esque. The only things LOTR-esque about it is the author's apparent love of unpronounceable names, having people randomly start singing poems, and never staying in one place longer than a minute. No, I take that back -- Tolkien uses less unpronounceable names, because Tolkien actually wants to keep the attention of his readers. The author doesn't explain anything to you; the characters just start talking about random stuff that makes no sense until you read it five times because they know what's going on and you don't, and a good book should require you to read the same passage over and over for it to actually make sense. Stephen R. Donaldson's review on the back of the book, "There are no better writers than Patricia A McKillip," is not only laughable, but an insult to a lot of authors. Ray Bradbury. Louisa May Alcott. Michael Ende. Elizabeth Gaskell. William Pierre du Bois. People who didn't just have an idea for a story, but knew how to draw their reader into it, and didn't keep throwing them out again by putting more focus on the names than the story or by making them re-read whole chapters to have any idea what's going on. I'm 112 pages into the first book, and it stopped going anywhere about 100 pages ago. ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 Kaitlin rated it it was ok

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 tells the story of Morgon, Prince of Hed, who manages to unravel a riddle and earn himself notoriety and magical propechy. Morgon never really knew what he was getting by completing the Riddle, but let's just say it becomes something much much gre 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 tells the story of Morgon, Prince of Hed, who manages to unravel a riddle and earn himself notoriety and magical propechy. Morgon never really knew what he was getting by completing the Riddle, but let's just say it becomes something much much greater than a young farm-based Prince could ever have dreamed.

What I liked about this book were the hints of magic we saw. All the way through we hear about this magic that is used by the various land-rulers to really 'feel' all of their lands. The idea that the rulers were in tune with the magic of their domain was something I loved to imagine, but even though it sounds cool I am not sure it was fully developed, and I feel that way about most of the magic within this series.

I also really enjoyed the concepts of Harps, History and Shapechangers. We see a lot of myth and legend woven into the quest that Morgon finds himself on, and along the way we discover a significance to the stars on a harp that match the stars on Morgon. This music/nature-based magic was definitely whimsical and lyrical and I could imagine it being wonderful...but again, it wasn't ever really described as well as I wanted it to be.

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 tiring, drawn-out descriptions of travelling. Some of the scenes within this book just felt too long for my liking and although things do happen on the way, I just never felt like I connected with or sympathised with Morgon himself. I think the writing style of this book definitely has some lovely moments, but I just couldn't get past the moments and get immersed in the book as a whole.

In the end I gave this on 2*s overall becuase it's not a bad book, but it was just an okay read for me. I felt like there was a lot of convenient/predictable stuff happening with the plot, and I also wish it had been a bit more emotional rather than long-winded, but there was potential here... ...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Dana rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

Didn't finish.

In the first chapter, Main Character (MC) and his siblings have a fight in front of their subjects involving a rose bush and a poured bucket of sour milk. The siblings are angry because MC went on a riddle quest and won the quest by asking, "What was the monster that knocked on a door, that one time?" This is not a riddle, but anyway. Then MC buys a harp and goes on a ship back to visit the college he attended, so he can tell the brother of his future bride that he is the one who w ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 Kathleen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-opener, fantasy, audio

Good story, quite imaginative. I read it a second time, the entire trilogy, and liked it much more. The first time through, I didn't read it, I only listened to it. I lost a lot that way, including some nuance and details on the complexities of this plot. The story gradually pulled on my heartstrings, especially through the complex characterization of Deth, the harpist.

Simon Prebble is a fine narrator, but he didn't add anything to this story. He didn't differentiate between characters enough so ...more

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Apr 07, 2019 Andy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-read, the-booket-list-2019

Most of this book was Morgon begrudgingly or outright telling prophecies and such to go fuck themselves. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with riddles about his fate. Man, I really felt for him. All he wanted was to go home to be with his siblings, but instead he's roped into a huge adventure that makes him question everything he thinks he knows about himself.

See Morgon was born with three stars on his head. And these three stars keep showing up in un-answerable riddles. So Morgon goes off to ...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Metaphorosis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-rev, reviewed

4.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary:
Morgon has a crown gathering dust under his bed. And his sister is none too happy that he risked his life riddling with a ghost to get it. When the High One’s harpist turns up and tells them what else the crown means, Morgon sets out to find out who he really is.

Review:
This book is one of the things that got me interested in fantasy to begin with. There were others – Donaldson, Lewis, Vance, Zelazny – but this series was among the most accessible. I wasn’t 4.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary:
Morgon has a crown gathering dust under his bed. And his sister is none too happy that he risked his life riddling with a ghost to get it. When the High One’s harpist turns up and tells them what else the crown means, Morgon sets out to find out who he really is.

Review:
This book is one of the things that got me interested in fantasy to begin with. There were others – Donaldson, Lewis, Vance, Zelazny – but this series was among the most accessible. I wasn’t (at the time) impressed by McKillip’s earlier work, but this book in particular made a lasting impression on me. I’ve re-read it a few times, but not visited in some decades now. I saw Ace’s omnibus volume, and thought I’d go back and see how the story has stood the test of time.

Quite well. McKillip’s introduction seems dismissive, and it’s true that the book lacks some of her usual (perhaps later) finesse. The seams are visible, and there’s a certain meandering repetition – he wakes up from dreams a lot, he decides to go home a lot. Overall, Morgon seems more anxious and neurotic than I recall, less light-hearted. But the magic still works.

The world is fascinating, but a little clumsy at times. There’s a lot of magic lying around – the Wind Plain and its ruins seem a clear fore-runner to the Bone Plain and its tower in a later book – but its all ancient, it’s origins buried in history. Most people seem normal until Morgon begins actually meeting them. Then, it seems everyone he meets is old. This ruler? 700 years old. That person? A thousand years old. Even the first time I read this I remember wondering, “No one knows what happened back then, but wait – almost everyone he meets was already alive ? That doesn’t make sense.” It doesn’t, really. The later books try to make it work, but it’s better glossed over. And the book works despite it all.

The Riddle-Master of Hed isn’t quite as perfect as I remember it, and some of McKillip’s references are a little more visible to an older eye – a pigherder turns up a lot – but it’s still a great book. I heartily recommend it to anyone who hasn’t already encountered it. This isn’t a classic to read because it’s old, but because it’s a lot of fun.
...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Abigail Hartman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Abigail by: Jennifer Freitag

Shelves: fantasy

Rereread: December 2020
I've read this three times?! Why? I mean, it's interesting and I enjoy aspects of it, but I had the same sense of tedium with Morgon's unwillingness to accept his destiny: we spend so many pages plodding along with him from place to place. (Although I do like a lot of the characters he meets along the way.) Not to mention the good old McKillip writing style of "I'll never explain anything to my readers ever." I was thinking about rereading the whole trilogy, but now I'm am Rereread: December 2020
I've read this three times?! Why? I mean, it's interesting and I enjoy aspects of it, but I had the same sense of tedium with Morgon's unwillingness to accept his destiny: we spend so many pages plodding along with him from place to place. (Although I do like a lot of the characters he meets along the way.) Not to mention the good old McKillip writing style of "I'll never explain anything to my readers ever." I was thinking about rereading the whole trilogy, but now I'm ambivalent...

Reread: June 2016
So I said in my first review that it's a cliff-hanger ending and you should have the second book on hand, but I a) didn't go on to read the rest of the series back in 2012 (why? I can't remember) and b) failed to have Heir of Sea and Fire on hand when I finished Riddle-Master this time around. Do as I say, not as I do. At any rate, while I had a few more quibbles with the writing than I remember having four years ago (it's very omniscient with some occasional head-hopping: not enough to be incredibly irksome, just not quite my style), I still enjoyed the story. It has some of the hallmarks (okay, cliches) of fantasy -- unpronounceable names, too many people and places to keep track of, complicated destinies -- and I found myself exclaiming over it in frustration a few times ("Dude, could you just accept your destiny already? We all know you're going to so please hurry up and do it oh my word."). On the other hand, it's also got some fascinating and original aspects that kept me going.

...I'd also forgotten about 85% of the story, so it was like reading it for the first time. Embarrassing, but enjoyable. I've picked up the next book and this time I plan to finish the trilogy. Just don't quote me on that.

First Read: August 2012
Despite the covers, which make these books look no better than pulp fiction, the Riddle-Master trilogy is (thus far) very clever and written in lovely prose. Of course there are some cliches that are unavoidable when writing a high, quest-and-destiny fantasy, but McKillip writes in such a way that the cliches are of no consequence. What stands out is the originality: things like riddling and Great Shouts and land-rule and Morgon's tie to the land of Hed. This does have a cliff-hanger ending, though, so make sure the second novel is on hand. ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Shellie rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Some books keep you up at night reading, dreaming, questioning. This book put me to sleep every time I opened it. I think the cause of my novel-induced narcolepsy was a combination of things.

First and most importantly, Morgon's stops along his journey were so unrelated and unconnected that I would just be getting used to the city and the character he was meeting when BAM! some random shape-changer, trader, or disappearing sailor would try to kill him in some not-so exciting way and we'd move on Some books keep you up at night reading, dreaming, questioning. This book put me to sleep every time I opened it. I think the cause of my novel-induced narcolepsy was a combination of things.

First and most importantly, Morgon's stops along his journey were so unrelated and unconnected that I would just be getting used to the city and the character he was meeting when BAM! some random shape-changer, trader, or disappearing sailor would try to kill him in some not-so exciting way and we'd move on to a new injury and a new leg of the trip complete with new acquaintance and climate.

I wanted so badly to feel Morgon's confusion and his yearning to just stay home and farm like the good prince and leader of a small peaceful island that he should be, but the angst just didn't make it to a visceral or even cerebral level for me. Individually, the stops and people along the way were pretty cool, but Patricia ripped me away from them just as I was getting attached and before I was ready to leave. Thus, I was detached from this novel.

Second, there were not enough answers to all of these riddles about the three stars and Morgon's destiny. I found myself wondering what was the point of all of this and why did I care? Was the world as they knew it at stake? And if so, what was going to happen or be prevented? I would have liked a few clues about the Star-Bearer's destiny, even if Morgon didn't have one.

Also, some of the wording didn't flow so well for me, and I found myself having to re-read sentences to ascertain who was talking or what they were saying or where we were. I am, however, forgiving Patricia 100% for the frequent flipping back to the map that was required because, hey, that's just fantasy.

That being said, I'm almost 100 pages into the second book of the trilogy and, as I've found previously with fantasy literature, I am pleasantly surprised by the next installment. Characters and places are familiar and there is actually a group of travelers this time instead of just the solo tortured soul of the Riddle-Master.

The overall lesson I've learned is that I have to stick with the slow build-up of the first book and give the fantasy author a chance to bring pieces and places together in his or her sweet fantastical time. It tends to be worth it. ...more

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May 25, 2014 Nicky rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This is beautifully written, as all of Patricia McKillip's work is. However, something in the density of it makes it difficult -- not to read; I sped through it, in that sense, but to understand exactly what it going on and how we should feel about it. I've had that problem with one or two of McKillip's other books, so I think it's something about her style which may or may not be a problem for other people. I wouldn't actually start here, with McKillip: I first fell in love with The Changeling ...more

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Jun 19, 2013 Andrea rated it it was amazing

This is one of those border books that not everyone has heard of but is actually probably my favorite book ever. I have read it and reread it probably a hundred times and will reread it for comfort up there with Pride and Prejudice and Unbearable Lightness of Being-- all books I could read over and over without getting sick of them. For anyone who would look at this and dismiss it as stupid fantasy writing they are missing the huge parable that dies not make sense until you read the last chapter ...more

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Apr 07, 2015 Ryan St george rated it it was ok

I'll review this book a little different than usual. Reason being I had extremely high expectations regarding this. I love riddles, mazes, creepy castles, Celtic themed fantasy, with a deep and interesting lore.

The good: Awesome idea for a fantasy setting, decent world building, the idea of riddles being involved, interesting magic, quest, mysteries, riddle college, and Celtic themes.

The bad: weak characterization, insanely boring dialogue, slow chore like pace, no real riddles, and it's just ...more

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May 29, 2013 AnHeC the Paperback Obliterator rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Now, I should start with admitting I'm partial to this book. I've read it as a kid, it was a gift from my parents (whole 3 books). And I loved it. It had some wisdom in it, that I needed at the time. And a few of my favourite quotes hit me still today.

So, let's get on with review.

I liked the main character. I liked the fact, that he didn't necessarily seek glory. Didn't want to save the world, so to speak. An unwilling hero. A guy that loves peace and quite and books (^^) but life has other idea ...more

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Mar 02, 2020 prcardi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, fantasy, series, pg, epic-fantasy

Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 4/5

The Riddle-Master of Hed was published a little late for getting away with the hurried pacing and thin characterization, but some of the components here are just so rich to give excuse to the many deviations from Great Book demands. It is easy to see how this would be a classic. It has several hallmarks of an epic: the eye-opening personal evolution, the quest, the introductions to powerful objects and great events. McKlllip adds to that b ...more

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Mar 03, 2020 Jael Anderson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wonderful start to the trilogy! It leaves you on a fabulous cliff-hanger that makes you immediately want the next book!

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About Patricia A. McKillip

Patricia A. McKillip

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Patricia Anne McKillip is an American author of fantasy and science fiction novels, distinguished by lyrical, delicate prose and careful attention to detail and characterization. She is a past winner of the World Fantasy Award and Locus Award, and she lives in Oregon. Most of her recent novels have cover paintings by Kinuko Y. Craft. She is married to David Lunde, a poet.

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Other books in the series

Riddle-Master (3 books)

Books by Patricia A. McKillip

Heir of Sea and Fire (Riddle-Master, #2)

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Quotes from The Riddle-Master...

“If you have no faith in yourself, then have faith in the things you call truth. You know what must be done. You may not have courage or trust or understanding or the will to do it, but you know what must be done. You can't turn back. There is now answer behind you. You fear what you cannot name. So look at it and find a name for it. Turn your face forward and learn. Do what must be done.
-Deth to Morgon, Prince of Hed-” — 51 likes

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