Fantasy novels and the entire genre are close to my heart. I started reading the genre at a young age and fantasy novels are the ones I still turn to when I'm looking to read for fun. It's disappointing that the genre is frowned upon. Fantasy writers are just as great as traditional fiction writers and non-fiction ones as well.
My personal favorite has further deepened my love of the genre and influenced my own fiction writing style. I discovered her in the summer during the 7th and 8th grade while in a Target. I was going to a summer camp and needed all those camping provisions. My mom, being the somewhat frugal lady she is, decided Target was the place to go. While walking down the book aisle I happened across her book by chance. I ended up reading the novel 20 times that summer.
The author to whom I refer is none other than Patricia A. McKillip. Some of you may not have heard of her or read any of her work. The first book of hers I chanced upon is "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld." When I returned from summer camp I immediately went to my local library, searched her name and left carrying a stack of all the books of hers the library had.
What's so fascinating about McKillip is her style of writing. I have yet to come across another fantasy author (or any others in different genres) who come close to the eloquence of her writing. It's really in the way she describes her fantasy worlds that draws me in. She looks at the world through a unique filter. Instead of relying on the usual cliches most writers tend to use, she re-invents standard images, putting a new spin on the mundane.
One of the most eloquently written books of hers is "Song for the Basilisk." The main character doesn't know who he was only who he is now, a bard on a mystical island. His past suddenly rips apart the world he knows and now he travels back to the city of his birth to face the tragedies that bound him in lies and secrets. With music being a strong element within the story (hence the title) some would expect it to be the usual drab talk in the language of music. Gladly, McKillip gives readers a new way to see music, describing songs through the types of scenes the music invokes within the imagination.
She actually does this a lot. A short fiction piece of hers, "A Matter of Music," delves deeper into the realm of music and songs. Some other works that come to mind where she invokes music include "In the Forests of Serre," and the Riddle-Master trilogy.
Which brings me to my next topic. Vengeance. Whether by accident or not, a lot of McKillip's works focus on characters who seek vengeance for various reasons. In the Riddle-Master Trilogy, the last book "Harpist in the Wind" deals entirely with Morgan's (the main character) revenge on the harpist Deth for tricking him and almost killing him. The novel I mentioned earlier, "Song for the Basilisk," is about the main character, Caladrius, seeking revenge on the Basilisk for destroying his family. Some other novels with vengeance themes: "In the Forests of Serre," "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld," "Ombria in Shadow," and "The Book of Atrix Wolfe." To further explore this theme of vengeance go to http://home.earthlink.net/~mflabar/VenVance/McKillip.htm
For first time fantasy readers, McKillip is a great author to start out with. I recommend "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld" as the first novel of hers to read. Aside from the Riddle-Master Trilogy and the Cygnet and Moon-flash duologies, all of McKillip's books are stand alones. Once you read one though, you wish that she did sequels to some because you want to know more, what happens after, etc.
I hope you decide to give Patricia A. McKillip a chance because her novels are a joy to read. I've listed below the novels of hers I've read and linked them to amazon.com description pages. On Monday I will continue with fantasy and take a look at another female author who has also been an influence to my writing and is a joy to read. See you then!
~Nepenthe
Riddle-Master Trilogy:
-The Riddle-Master of Hed
-Heir of Sea and Fire
-Harpist in the Wind
Cygnet Duology:
-The Sorceress and the Cygnet
-The Cygnet and the Firebird
Stand Alones
-The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
-The Book of Atrix Wolfe
-The Tower at Stony Wood
-Ombria in Shadow
-Winter Rose
-Od Magic
-Song for the Basilisk
-Alphabet of Thorn
-Harrowing the Dragon
-The Changeling Sea
-The Bell at Sealey Head
-In the Forests of Serre
20 hours ago
1 comment:
If you are a fan of McKillip, then I really think you would like The Bitterbynde Trilogy by Cecilia Dart-Thornton, if you haven't already read it. She intertwines classic elements of fantasy with celtic mythology and legends of the fae to produce three beautifully bittersweet novels.
The first in the series, The Ill-Made Mute, also begins with a character who wakes up unable to remember her past, or in fact even if she is a man or a woman due to a fall into poisonous brambles. This begins the long search for her identity, and one that is really, really worth it. I promise you will love it.
Also, The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier is excellent, another tale steeped in Celtic mythology and Irish history.
I saw that you like Tamora Pierce, and wondered if you had read the Song of the Lioness Quartet (the story of Alianne's mother). So, so good. Also the Protector of the Small Quartet.
Also highly recommended: Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy and Keys to the Kingdom series (the second is for slightly younger readers but still very intriguing), anything by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett or Charles de Lint, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray, Holly Black's faerie novels, the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke (again, younger readers but so good!), Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar, Time and Again by Jack Finney, and Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale in the form of a Holocaust survivor story. Just a few good fantasy books. :)
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