by Patricia A. McKillip
I was excited to try my first McKillip book, and was hooked by the beginning, but this turned into a rather frustrating read.The city-state of Ombria is in decline, made worse when its prince suddenly dies and the sinister, seemingly-immortal Domina Pearl takes over as regent for the five-year-old h...
this is a beautiful, dreamy fantasy. it is about a fallen city, the mysterious city under that city, two magical beings, a royal bastard, a cast-out mistress, a kind of changeling, a curious scholar, a lonely child prince. it is about ruthless control and equally ruthless revolution against that con...
Getting into this book was little difficult for me. This was and is the first Patricia A. McKillip novel I've ever read, which means I can't compare the language to anything and I don't know whether to blame the original author or the translator for my initial confusion. I persisted and within fifty...
One of my favorite McKillips, for the messiness and confusion and complexity of the city, for the many-threaded history, even though I have mixed feelings about the final chapter.
Ombria in ShadowOne of my favorite McKillip bookks, I decided to re-read this one recently. I found the story as beautiful and haunting as I remembered. The city of Ombria and its hidden shadow city seem both tantalizingly familiar and utterly foreign. Most of the characters shift between good an...
Recipient of McKillip's second World Fantasy Award... and well-deservedly so.This is definitely one of McKillip's best (does she have a worst? - I don't think so!)Here, McKillip introduces us to Ombria - a city of shadows and secrets, labyrinthine palaces and alleys, intrigues and magic... Ombria is...
Another beautifully lyrical novel by Ms. McKillip. Whomever is her cover artist, does a beautiful job reflecting the sheer elegance in Ms. McKillip's writing. This story, is kind of like the evil stepmother story with a quest to find the "wizard of Ombria" to help save the young price who is now k...