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Harrowing the Dragon
A fantasist without equal, Patricia A. McKillip has created worlds of intricate beauty and unforgettably nuanced characters. For many years, she's drawn readers into her spell, spinning modern-day fables with a grace rarely seen.
Now she presents a book of short stories, full of beautiful dragons, rueful princesses, and handsome bards, and written in the gorgeous - and often surprisingly funny - prose she's known for. This is her world, wrapped up in the finery of fairy tales
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2005
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About the author
Patricia A. McKillip
93 books2,919 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 118 reviews
July 18, 2018
Harrowing the Dragon is a lyrically written, fantastical collection of fantasy short stories by Patricia McKillip, one of my favorite authors. Not every story in it was a winner for me, but there are some real gems here.
I'm just going to do some drive-by shootings of ratings and my opinions on the fifteen stories in this collection:
"The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath": 3.5 stars. Bothering a dragon can backfire on you. Who knew? It's a moody and atmospheric story, but the ending felt a little flat.
"A Matter of Music": 5 stars. The adventures of a magical bard. It's a character type that I've met before in McKillip's stories, but this story was really well done, both imaginative and surprising.
"A Troll and Two Roses": 4 stars. Sometimes trolls just want a little love. Sweet and humorous.
"Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son": 3 stars. More humor, of the Russian folk tale variety. Mildly amusing.
"The Fellowship of the Dragon": 3.5 stars. Another one that felt unfinished, but it had kind of a cool group of female adventurers, off to rescue a guy from a dragon. Some interesting twists.
"Lady of the Skulls": 4 stars. A lady in a tower is surrounded by magical treasures. Pick the most valuable one and you get them all. Pick wrong and you die a horrible death.
"The Snow Queen": 5 stars. In this creative retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Kay and Gerda are a young married couple with some relationship issues, and the snow queen is a femme fatale who seduces Kay away from Gerda, in a city encased by winter. Gerda, initially devastated, gradually finds herself. I loved this one.
"Ash, Wood, Fire": 1.5 stars. Short and incomprehensible.
"The Stranger": 4 stars. A stranger comes to an island, creates magical dragons who ravage the island, and demands a hefty price from the villagers to make them go away, in sort of a one-man Mafia act. Intriguing!
"Transmutations": 2.5 stars. I'm still not sure what the point was here.
"The Lion and the Lark": 4.5 stars. An interesting mix of Beauty and the Beast and a couple of other fairy tales. A beautiful but spoiled princess ("She doesn't listen very well") does her best to steal the guy. This was a delightful story!
"The Witches of Junket": 3 stars. Apparently it's a good thing that we have witch covens around to keep us safe from ancient menaces.
"Star-Crossed": 2.5 stars. This is a straightforward spin-off of Romeo and Juliet. It picks up right where Shakespeare's play ends, as the town tries to figure out what happened to Romeo, Juliet and Paris, and why. I'm really not sure what the point of this one was either. It wasn't particularly interesting.
"Voyage into the Heart": 3.5 stars. A prince and his mage use a virgin to capture a unicorn, with some unexpected results. This one was interesting.
"Toad": 3.5 stars. This retelling examines the "Princess and the Frog" fairy tale. We get it, the girl was a jerk. The ending was a little too ambiguous for me.
______
It all averages out to 3.6 stars (I actually ran the math), so I'll round up. As always, McKillip's writing is poetic and lovely. If you like lyrically written fairy tale retellings and aren't averse to some ambiguity, this collection should appeal to you.
I'm just going to do some drive-by shootings of ratings and my opinions on the fifteen stories in this collection:
"The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath": 3.5 stars. Bothering a dragon can backfire on you. Who knew? It's a moody and atmospheric story, but the ending felt a little flat.
"A Matter of Music": 5 stars. The adventures of a magical bard. It's a character type that I've met before in McKillip's stories, but this story was really well done, both imaginative and surprising.
"A Troll and Two Roses": 4 stars. Sometimes trolls just want a little love. Sweet and humorous.
"Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son": 3 stars. More humor, of the Russian folk tale variety. Mildly amusing.
"The Fellowship of the Dragon": 3.5 stars. Another one that felt unfinished, but it had kind of a cool group of female adventurers, off to rescue a guy from a dragon. Some interesting twists.
"Lady of the Skulls": 4 stars. A lady in a tower is surrounded by magical treasures. Pick the most valuable one and you get them all. Pick wrong and you die a horrible death.
"The Snow Queen": 5 stars. In this creative retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Kay and Gerda are a young married couple with some relationship issues, and the snow queen is a femme fatale who seduces Kay away from Gerda, in a city encased by winter. Gerda, initially devastated, gradually finds herself. I loved this one.
"Ash, Wood, Fire": 1.5 stars. Short and incomprehensible.
"The Stranger": 4 stars. A stranger comes to an island, creates magical dragons who ravage the island, and demands a hefty price from the villagers to make them go away, in sort of a one-man Mafia act. Intriguing!
"Transmutations": 2.5 stars. I'm still not sure what the point was here.
"The Lion and the Lark": 4.5 stars. An interesting mix of Beauty and the Beast and a couple of other fairy tales. A beautiful but spoiled princess ("She doesn't listen very well") does her best to steal the guy. This was a delightful story!
"The Witches of Junket": 3 stars. Apparently it's a good thing that we have witch covens around to keep us safe from ancient menaces.
"Star-Crossed": 2.5 stars. This is a straightforward spin-off of Romeo and Juliet. It picks up right where Shakespeare's play ends, as the town tries to figure out what happened to Romeo, Juliet and Paris, and why. I'm really not sure what the point of this one was either. It wasn't particularly interesting.
"Voyage into the Heart": 3.5 stars. A prince and his mage use a virgin to capture a unicorn, with some unexpected results. This one was interesting.
"Toad": 3.5 stars. This retelling examines the "Princess and the Frog" fairy tale. We get it, the girl was a jerk. The ending was a little too ambiguous for me.
______
It all averages out to 3.6 stars (I actually ran the math), so I'll round up. As always, McKillip's writing is poetic and lovely. If you like lyrically written fairy tale retellings and aren't averse to some ambiguity, this collection should appeal to you.
June 5, 2022
*4.5 stars*
Ohhh. Patricia McKillip was one of my most formative influences as an author, but I've only read a few of her short stories over the years - I've mostly just devoured her novels.
This year, for my birthday, I got both of her short story collections as gifts, and today I opened up this one, read the first short story (the title story of the collection)...and then just sat there, wonderstruck. My God, she was just. SO. good. She wrote truly *magical* fantasy, she inspired me as a teenager to want to write fantasy, and she inspires me now in my 40s to keep on trying to write it *better*. I really, really love her work.
I'll come back to write a real review of the whole collection once I finish it, but I didn't want to wait to write this much. Wow.
***
And coming back - this collection is such a masterclass in how to write various types of fantasy SO beautifully and lusciously! The only reason I'm marking it 4.5 stars instead of 5 is that its editor chose to arrange the ToC by the exact chronology of when each story was first published, rather than shaping the collection in a more intentional way. That means that, unlike most collections, this one doesn't end on its strongest note - out of the 15 stories, I absolutely loved most of the first 12 but then felt the last three stories in the book, while fine, were all pretty slight, and that gave a slightly anticlimactic feeling to the ending.
However, that still includes 12 really fantastic stories along with three that were just fine, and the stories I loved, I loved SO MUCH! So, overall, this is quite possibly my favorite-ever single-author short story collection. (Honestly, I'm torn between this and Zen Cho's Spirits Abroad, which I also love intensely! You should absolutely read them both.)
Ohhh. Patricia McKillip was one of my most formative influences as an author, but I've only read a few of her short stories over the years - I've mostly just devoured her novels.
This year, for my birthday, I got both of her short story collections as gifts, and today I opened up this one, read the first short story (the title story of the collection)...and then just sat there, wonderstruck. My God, she was just. SO. good. She wrote truly *magical* fantasy, she inspired me as a teenager to want to write fantasy, and she inspires me now in my 40s to keep on trying to write it *better*. I really, really love her work.
I'll come back to write a real review of the whole collection once I finish it, but I didn't want to wait to write this much. Wow.
***
And coming back - this collection is such a masterclass in how to write various types of fantasy SO beautifully and lusciously! The only reason I'm marking it 4.5 stars instead of 5 is that its editor chose to arrange the ToC by the exact chronology of when each story was first published, rather than shaping the collection in a more intentional way. That means that, unlike most collections, this one doesn't end on its strongest note - out of the 15 stories, I absolutely loved most of the first 12 but then felt the last three stories in the book, while fine, were all pretty slight, and that gave a slightly anticlimactic feeling to the ending.
However, that still includes 12 really fantastic stories along with three that were just fine, and the stories I loved, I loved SO MUCH! So, overall, this is quite possibly my favorite-ever single-author short story collection. (Honestly, I'm torn between this and Zen Cho's Spirits Abroad, which I also love intensely! You should absolutely read them both.)
July 8, 2017
As you might expect from Patricia McKillip, this is a lovely collection — some of the stories are just beautiful, and her writing always is. ‘The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath’ is a strong point, as you’d expect from the fact that the collection is named after it, and I enjoyed ‘A Matter of Music’, ‘The Stranger’ and ‘Lady of the Skulls’, too.
The lighter, more humorous ones like ‘A Troll and Two Roses’ and ‘Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer’s Son’ are still well written, but the tone doesn’t work for me. Mostly, it just doesn’t fit with the dream-like prose-poetry I expect from McKillip (and which she delivers, even with the lighter stories).
It’s a nice collection, but not a favourite by any means. It’s one of those I’ll keep because I enjoy the way McKillip writes rather than because I particularly want to revisit most of the stories. This sounds like faint praise, but McKillip’s writing really is beautiful.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
The lighter, more humorous ones like ‘A Troll and Two Roses’ and ‘Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer’s Son’ are still well written, but the tone doesn’t work for me. Mostly, it just doesn’t fit with the dream-like prose-poetry I expect from McKillip (and which she delivers, even with the lighter stories).
It’s a nice collection, but not a favourite by any means. It’s one of those I’ll keep because I enjoy the way McKillip writes rather than because I particularly want to revisit most of the stories. This sounds like faint praise, but McKillip’s writing really is beautiful.
Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.
June 11, 2010
There are fifteen stories here, from 1982's "The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath" to 1999's "Toad", and the quality is, as one would expect from McKillip, very high. For me, standouts were the title story, of a young man who returns to a island of perpetual ice to seek a sleeping dragon and of the young woman who tries to stop him; "The Lark and the Lion", a fairy tale with overtones of "Beauty and the Beast", "Psyche and Eros", and "East of the Sun, West of the Moon"; "A Matter of Music", where matters of music collide with matters of politics; and "The Snow Queen", a modern retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.
A couple of the stories, notably "Ash, Wood, Fire", falter due to too much language and not enough plot (an occasional failing of McKillip's), and I didn't care for "Star-Crossed", in which Verona investigates the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, which just seemed rather pointless to me (plus I've never been fond of that play).
Overall, though, this is a lovely collection, essential for McKillip fans and an excellent introduction to her work for those who don't yet know it.
A couple of the stories, notably "Ash, Wood, Fire", falter due to too much language and not enough plot (an occasional failing of McKillip's), and I didn't care for "Star-Crossed", in which Verona investigates the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, which just seemed rather pointless to me (plus I've never been fond of that play).
Overall, though, this is a lovely collection, essential for McKillip fans and an excellent introduction to her work for those who don't yet know it.
November 2, 2021
McKillip's strength is building the numinous slowly, through hints and insinuations, against a backdrop of the mundane, which is probably why her shorter fiction rarely hits home for me; there's just not enough time to create the atmosphere that makes her longer works sing. The stories here seem to have space for characters, plot, or atmosphere, but rarely all three. Still, sometimes that's enough to make them linger in my mind, whether it's the spectacular visuals of "The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath," the interpersonal relationships of the five-woman questing group in "The Fellowship of the Dragon," the interiority of the protagonist in "Transmutations," or the complex melange of fairy tales in "The Lion and the Lark."
The longest story in the collection here, "A Matter of Music," was the most frustrating for me; it felt like it desperately wanted to be a novel and had been parred down to a skeleton of itself to make it fit. But if she ever expanded it with more detailed characterization, I'd definitely pick up that volume.
The longest story in the collection here, "A Matter of Music," was the most frustrating for me; it felt like it desperately wanted to be a novel and had been parred down to a skeleton of itself to make it fit. But if she ever expanded it with more detailed characterization, I'd definitely pick up that volume.
August 9, 2023
“‘They never listen to me,’ she said, looking over the plain again, her eyes prickling dryly. In the distance, lightning cracked apart the sky; purple clouds rumbled. But there was no rain in them, never any rain; the sky was as tearless as she. She moved from skull to skull along the parapet wall, watering things she had grown stubbornly from seeds that blew from distant, placid gardens in peaceful kingdoms. Some were grasses, weeds, or wildflowers. She did not care; she watered anything that grew.” — from “Lady of the Skulls”
TITLE—Harrowing the Dragon
AUTHOR—Patricia McKillip
PUBLISHED—2005
PUBLISHER—Ace Books
GENRE—short stories: literary fantasy; cozy fantasy
SETTING—various worlds
MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—fairy tales & tales of faerie, music, transformation, lots of dragons, Baba Yaga, artists & poets, alchemy & magic, quests, The Snow Queen, witches, Shakespeare, unicorns, toads, The Frog Prince, lighthearted dialogue
"Troll," she said, "where are we?" He looked around. He sighed deeply, for he was very far from his bridge. "I would think," he said glumly, "in an enchanted forest. Inside a magic land. No place I've ever seen before. Where,” he added, "there's enchantment, there's always an enchanter. I don't like them, myself. I prefer being comfortable.” — from “A Troll and Two Roses”
My thoughts:
This is surprisingly the first time I’m rereading McKillip in over fifteen years. McKillip was one of my favorite authors when I was in highschool but I do remember her work going perhaps a bit over my head and I was really just showing up for the vibes back then. I knew something beautiful and fascinating and clever was happening, I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it at the time. Now that I’ve gotten more familiar and comfortable with complex, literary fairy-tale writing styles—a la Helen Oyeyemi and Gregory Maguire—I am discovering a whole new layer of meaning and appreciation for McKillip’s work.
McKillip is usually considered a fantasy author but a lot of her stories seem to transcend genre categories to embrace a more literary and speculative take on fantasy and fairy tale tropes. Quite a few of the stories in this collection were directly inspired by popular fairy tales: “A Troll and Two Roses”, “Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer’s Son”, “The Snow Queen”, “The Lion and the Lark” (Beauty & the Beast), and “Toad” (The Frog Prince).
My especial favorite stories from this collection were “A Matter of Music” (medieval fantasy inspired by western asian traditions), “The Fellowship of the Dragon” (a quest & Faerie story), “Lady of the Skulls” (a holy grail story), and “The Snow Queen” (which had a lovely contemporary & almost-queer feel to it). Though “Transmutations” (alchemy), “Ash, Wood, Fire” (the most poetic and ephemeral of the stories), and “Toad” were all delightful and strange. Oh and “Star-Crossed” (literary historical fiction/Shakespeare re-imagining) was lovely.
The only stories I didn’t love were “The Witches of Junket” (which only works if its queer and about chosen family, which it wasn’t) and “Voyage into the Heart” (which was just sad and unpleasant).
"I don't want a silent shining path of gold. I need the imperfect world broken up into words.” — from “Transmutations”
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy literary fantasy short stories that are unique and pull mainly from the fairy tale traditions of Europe and Asia. This book is best read one story every night at bedtime.
Final note: If I’m able to track down the books of McKillip’s that have somehow disappeared from my collection over the years, I think I might consider doing a big reread of all of her works this winter.
"There are ways. There are always ways. This land riddles constantly, but all the riddles have answers. Fleur will turn from a bird into a woman, we will find a path for Christabel out of the wood-king's country, we will rescue Danica from the mountain imps. There are ways to do these things, we only have to find them." — from “The Fellowship of the Dragon”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Season: Winter
CW // animal death (Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)
Further Reading—
- Helen Oyeyemi
- Gregory Maguire
- NK Jemisin
- “Fiddler, Fool Pair”, in FRUITING BODIES by Kathryn Harlan
- PRACTICAL MAGIC (the book & the movie)
March 19, 2016
An omnibus of fifteen fairy tales given a twist by McKillip.
My Take
In general, I find McKillip's writing to be lyric poetry. In this group of tales, she seems to be more musical.
The Stories
"Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath" was a very frustrating tale of a dragon fighter taking on a dragon whose only fault…so far…is 11 months of winter.
"A Matter of Music" was very good and, true to its title, revolves around music. It also brought in a reference to another of McKillip's stories, "In the Forest of Serre". It made me think of "pagan" harvest festivals, people's belief systems, and the power of love whether it be of people or one's passions.
"A Troll and Two Roses" made me think of several fairy tales mingled into one. Snow White and Rose Red and all the tales of bridge trolls. Who knew that a troll could have a heart?
"Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son" shows that even Baba Yaga has a sense of humor…and a heart!
"Fellowship of the Dragon" is an odd twist on all the fairy tales in which the various heroes, heroines in our case, are distracted by magical tricks and wander off from their intended paths. I did like our winning heroine's approach when she found her "treasure"…what a comeuppance that was!
"Lady of the Skulls" is a fine entrapment allowing self-judgment to punish the lesser. A most surprising ending.
"Snow Queen" starts out so sadly and ends so well. A tale that every woman should take to heart and hold a true path.
"Ash, Wood, Fire" was nearly incomprehensible. Taking place in a castle kitchen, we observe the frenetic actions as meals are prepared except everyone is addressed as the items they are in charge of: Onion, Fire, Cream, Pastry, Kitchen-Beetle, etc. It does have a lovely incarnation of an ending.
"Stranger" is a scam perpetrated by an artist of colors whose visual art is appreciated by a local weaver. She is entranced by the visual feast but appalled at his use of his skills. A most unexpected and lovely ending.
"Transmutations" is a curious tale of students and professor as they explore the mysteries of life in a laboratory pursuing the alchemical arts.
"Lion and the Lark" is a twist on Grimms' The Singing, Soaring Lark.
"Witches of Junket" is a contemporary setting for a family of witches who must battle an ancient threat.
"Star-Crossed" provides an inside look at what "really happened" between Romeo and Juliet.
"Voyage into the Heart" a mage uses a young virgin to entice a unicorn to be slain for its horn. The sight of the slaughter causes the mage to reconsider.
"Toad" is a more realistic look, from the frog's perspective, of the character of the princess who kisses the toad. Poor king. Poor toad.
The Cover
I've suddenly realized of what McKillip's covers remind me of those gorgeous, highly-lacquered Russian boxes. They have that same quality of luminous, jeweled depth. Much like her writing. In this case, the cover is of an unearthly white horse posed deep in the forest ridden by a Valkyrie with her cape floating behind her.
My Take
In general, I find McKillip's writing to be lyric poetry. In this group of tales, she seems to be more musical.
The Stories
"Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath" was a very frustrating tale of a dragon fighter taking on a dragon whose only fault…so far…is 11 months of winter.
"A Matter of Music" was very good and, true to its title, revolves around music. It also brought in a reference to another of McKillip's stories, "In the Forest of Serre". It made me think of "pagan" harvest festivals, people's belief systems, and the power of love whether it be of people or one's passions.
"A Troll and Two Roses" made me think of several fairy tales mingled into one. Snow White and Rose Red and all the tales of bridge trolls. Who knew that a troll could have a heart?
"Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son" shows that even Baba Yaga has a sense of humor…and a heart!
"Fellowship of the Dragon" is an odd twist on all the fairy tales in which the various heroes, heroines in our case, are distracted by magical tricks and wander off from their intended paths. I did like our winning heroine's approach when she found her "treasure"…what a comeuppance that was!
"Lady of the Skulls" is a fine entrapment allowing self-judgment to punish the lesser. A most surprising ending.
"Snow Queen" starts out so sadly and ends so well. A tale that every woman should take to heart and hold a true path.
"Ash, Wood, Fire" was nearly incomprehensible. Taking place in a castle kitchen, we observe the frenetic actions as meals are prepared except everyone is addressed as the items they are in charge of: Onion, Fire, Cream, Pastry, Kitchen-Beetle, etc. It does have a lovely incarnation of an ending.
"Stranger" is a scam perpetrated by an artist of colors whose visual art is appreciated by a local weaver. She is entranced by the visual feast but appalled at his use of his skills. A most unexpected and lovely ending.
"Transmutations" is a curious tale of students and professor as they explore the mysteries of life in a laboratory pursuing the alchemical arts.
"Lion and the Lark" is a twist on Grimms' The Singing, Soaring Lark.
"Witches of Junket" is a contemporary setting for a family of witches who must battle an ancient threat.
"Star-Crossed" provides an inside look at what "really happened" between Romeo and Juliet.
"Voyage into the Heart" a mage uses a young virgin to entice a unicorn to be slain for its horn. The sight of the slaughter causes the mage to reconsider.
"Toad" is a more realistic look, from the frog's perspective, of the character of the princess who kisses the toad. Poor king. Poor toad.
The Cover
I've suddenly realized of what McKillip's covers remind me of those gorgeous, highly-lacquered Russian boxes. They have that same quality of luminous, jeweled depth. Much like her writing. In this case, the cover is of an unearthly white horse posed deep in the forest ridden by a Valkyrie with her cape floating behind her.
October 27, 2020
I read over half of these stories before giving up on this collection. I don't intend to come back to it.
McKillip's Riddle Master trilogy is a sentimental favorite of mine, but I have searched in vain to find another of her works that interests me equally. This short story collection looked promising, but try as I might, I couldn't labor through it. It's best stories are thick with atmosphere, mood, and scenery, but perilously thin in any characters that are much more than cyphers. Almost all are too long by half. None pulled me along insistently or let me lose myself in it. When I realized that reading the collection had become a chore rather than a pleasure, I gave it up.
McKillip's Riddle Master trilogy is a sentimental favorite of mine, but I have searched in vain to find another of her works that interests me equally. This short story collection looked promising, but try as I might, I couldn't labor through it. It's best stories are thick with atmosphere, mood, and scenery, but perilously thin in any characters that are much more than cyphers. Almost all are too long by half. None pulled me along insistently or let me lose myself in it. When I realized that reading the collection had become a chore rather than a pleasure, I gave it up.
October 19, 2014
Average rating: 2.3
Harrowing the Dragon: ***
A Matter of Music: ****
A Troll and Two Roses: ***
Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son: **
Fellowship of the Dragon: ****
Lady of the Skulls: ***
Snow Queen: **
Ash, Wood, Fire: *
Stranger: *
Transmutations: *
Lion and the Lark: ****
Witches of Junket: *
Star-Crossed: **
Voyage into the Heart: **
Toad: **
Harrowing the Dragon: ***
A Matter of Music: ****
A Troll and Two Roses: ***
Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son: **
Fellowship of the Dragon: ****
Lady of the Skulls: ***
Snow Queen: **
Ash, Wood, Fire: *
Stranger: *
Transmutations: *
Lion and the Lark: ****
Witches of Junket: *
Star-Crossed: **
Voyage into the Heart: **
Toad: **
December 11, 2009
love her books and the sweet love story!Adult
September 13, 2024
Anthologies are hard to assign a star rating to, since there are a number of stories. In this collection, I liked the following ones a lot:
"A Matter of Music"
"A Troll and Two Roses"
"Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son" - I thought this one was pretty funny
"The Fellowship of the Dragon"
"Lady of the Skulls"
"The Lion and the Lark"
"The Witches of Junket" - this one I think was the best one in the book
I really didn't like:
"The Snow Queen"
"Ash, Wood, Fire"
"Voyage into the Heart"
"Toad"
"A Matter of Music"
"A Troll and Two Roses"
"Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son" - I thought this one was pretty funny
"The Fellowship of the Dragon"
"Lady of the Skulls"
"The Lion and the Lark"
"The Witches of Junket" - this one I think was the best one in the book
I really didn't like:
"The Snow Queen"
"Ash, Wood, Fire"
"Voyage into the Heart"
"Toad"
September 26, 2023
To say Patricia McKillip is one of my favorite fantasy authors is a little tricky because she is and she isn't, somehow? She's one of my favorite fantasy writers, because her ability to craft dreamy fairy-tale language is second to none, but sometimes I feel like she'd rather not have a plot. Or she'll run a little syrupy sweet for my liking.
Some of these stories are gorgeous; just "The Lion and the Lark" is worth the price of admission, to me. Some of them are inscrutable. Most of them are at least all right. I miss Patricia McKillip.
Some of these stories are gorgeous; just "The Lion and the Lark" is worth the price of admission, to me. Some of them are inscrutable. Most of them are at least all right. I miss Patricia McKillip.
August 1, 2020
Why is it, that it is easier to write a fury funneled review than one of a book you loved?
Really guys... asking for a friend O_O
Luckily this author has no need of glowing, gushing reviews from an amateur reviewer, because after all these years I still don't know how to do her justice.
She's a word weaver of the first caliber. She has created amazing stories, some of them
"I WANT MORE!"
-______________-
She does this to you constantly and "you" still love what she writes... although not what she does to your poor heart :/
Presenting the delicate "seeds" in this book:
1- The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath **** Stars
In which you have a mining community, and everything's cold and dark minus for a few days in the season; but people get by and everything's going well until this dude with daddy issues decides to come and ruin all. Honestly I get expecting the dragon to eat him.
2- A Matter of Music **** Stars
In which a young woman is doomed to stay in a place she doesn't want to, because of other people's decisions... yes, I really wouldn't mind a full lenght book out of this story.
3- A Troll and Two Roses **** Stars
A cursed couple meets a very nosy troll
4- Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son ***** Stars
"Long ago, in a vast and faraway country, there lived a witch named Baba Yaga. She was sometimes very wise and sometimes very wicked, and she was so ugly mules fainted at the sight of her."
See?? *.*
5- The Fellowship of the Dragon **** Stars
In which the knighs are women and the damsel in distress is this horrible dude that really should just be left there.
Also, what happens NEXT, JFC?!
6-Lady of the Skulls `*****
In which most men are blind (figuratively speaking) and die because of it.
7-The Snow Queen *** Stars
One of my least favorites or maybe I just don't have any patience for fickle men.
Yes, no patience whatsoever. I kept expecting the author to give him a swift kick in his derriere.
8- Ash, Wood, Fire **
A Cinderella kind of? I don't know. This one was really convoluted.
9-The Stranger 3/5 maybe?
10- Transmutations * Star
Yeah, I just gave up on this one...
11- The Lion and the Lark ***** Stars
A mixture of Beauty and The Beast and East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
12-The Witches of Junket **** Stars
More please?
13- Star Crossed *** Stars
I am not a big fun of Romeo and Juliette, but imagine if a criminal investigator was sent to figure out what those fools did...
Idiots.
14- Voyage Into the Heart **** Stars
Well, you weren't expecting that were you, you little fucker?!
15- Toad ** Stars
It was just too short.
August 28, 2012
It has been some few years since I read anything by Patricia McKillip; I was unsatisfied by her Riddlemaster trilogy, although I liked its first installment pretty well. I tend not to enjoy stories of the general formula: "hero steadily becomes more powerful until practically invincible, yet remains uncorrupted by said power due to his/her humble, kindhearted, and/or underdog upbringing, thus becoming able to defeat the tale's one-dimensional, nigh-omnipotent villain and stop his/her world-ending schemes coming to pass."
This collection, however, was quite different. I was transported by nearly every tale in it, a remarkable feat - especially considering that I read these stories while sitting in that most mundane of places, a car repair shop waiting room. They are exquisite. When they aren't original, they either peep around the corners of familiar fairytales - showing up the cobwebs, the side passages, the "minor" characters murmuring about the periphery - or model a new tale after the pattern of the old. McKillip's writing is superb and her stories are haunting, or funny, or thoughtful. Here's a good book for a rainy day... or to keep in the car for when you've got to kill some time in a waiting room.
This collection, however, was quite different. I was transported by nearly every tale in it, a remarkable feat - especially considering that I read these stories while sitting in that most mundane of places, a car repair shop waiting room. They are exquisite. When they aren't original, they either peep around the corners of familiar fairytales - showing up the cobwebs, the side passages, the "minor" characters murmuring about the periphery - or model a new tale after the pattern of the old. McKillip's writing is superb and her stories are haunting, or funny, or thoughtful. Here's a good book for a rainy day... or to keep in the car for when you've got to kill some time in a waiting room.
December 18, 2025
I've become a Patricia A. McKillip fan today, though her work is not without flaws. She has great ideas, beautiful prose, and weaves immersive dreams with ease, but she also has a habit of ocassionally getting lost in her own magic in a way that is confusing to the reader; I needed to reread some passages a few times and look back to understand things, but I also don't think it detracted from my experience too much overall.
The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath (4): A wonderful and atmospheric tale that has an interesting character dynamic that touches on matters of home, its disruption, and what happens when you don't leave well enough alone and meddle. I got lost once the action started: beautiful imagery, but the long chains of heavy descriptive passages bogs itself down hard as Patricia tries to weave dialogue and world-shattering magic sequences together in the same moment-to-moment. The ending was good, with a satisfying climax as the two mc's beliefs regarding the fate of Hoarsbreath clash, though I was a bit muddled on what I was specifically supposed to take away from it.
A Matter of Music (3): This one started off very strong, and had a solid twist, but I feel it bogged itself down and went on for too long. The pacing was strange, or perhaps merely overstayed itself, and the second half I wasn't as fond of, as the intriguing cultural touches and use of music in politics meandered into a climax that felt too drawn-out. I did, however, very much like the feel of the world within and the way bards were used to give the setting such lovely cultural texture in the interplay; albeit some characters feeling unnecessary.
A Troll and Two Roses (3): Liked the protagonist and his simple goal, and the humor somewhat landed, but overall I think this one was just okay. The interesting conflict became very muddied when the antagonist actually showed up, for reasons similar to the Hoarsbreath story.
Baby Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son (2): Cute, but honestly not much to say. I feel one series of passages in this one were perhaps references to Patricia's other stories? But otherwise not much of note here.
The Fellowship of the Dragon (4): I thought I wouldn't like this one at first, but the twist at the end and the mounting frustration of the protagonist as her quest goes awry were solid and intriguing. Here Patricia shows signs that she really, really, really loves bards, which I suspect is generally a major theme across her works based on the premises of some of her novels. I don't mind; she describes music and musicians beautifully. The ending of this one almost felt like the start of a longer story, but I consider it satisfying on its own.
Lady of the Skulls (5): Interesting premise executed well. The interplay of the two main characters is good, and I like the ending. I am not fully certain I picked up properly on the meaning, but it read like a nice, beautifully vivid tale about how often we miss the things that matter for riches and dreams.
The Snow Queen (3): Liked this one more than expected. The opening scene was incredibly strong and vivid, but I think after the ballroom scene I lost the plot a bit, likely due to not being familiar with the original tale. The ending was sweet, though, and Patricia's prose continues to shine here.
Ash, Wood, Fire (2): Lovely atmosphere, but does not grant the reader much footing to start with regarding figuring out the goings-on. It clicked somewhat midway through, and I think I got the general gist of the ending, but I have little idea what to make of this story beyond it being pleasant to read.
The Stranger (5): Wonderful concept with a stranger using dragons to bribe islanders, a bittersweet ending, and which continues the train of beautifully written passages. It made me feel a sharp sense of longing and nostalgia.
Transmutations (2): Starts in a dreamlike way that mostly just diminishes it, moving into a story resolution that would've been interesting if the tale hadn't spent so much time setting up a mystery that I wasn't sure had been there in the first place regarding two of the characters. I did not dislike the ending, but the story mostly carried itself on its prose until that point. It does seem to comment on chasing enlightenment despite it not enriching one's life, but that was lost in the sauce for much of the story.
The Lion and the Lark (5): One of my favorites from the collection. I just love a good romantic fable, and the imagery this story conjured up. Here the ending somewhat confuses, and I had to go back to an earlier point to figure out what had happened, but I don't think I really lost much from that confusion. Wonderful and very magical story that brings back the wonder of a true fable to the reader's heart.
Witches of Junket (4): Feels more a three, rounding up for wonderful imagery. This story adds way too many characters to keep track of for its length, starting and ending strong, but feeling bloated in the middle. It felt almost like it was meant to be a novel, and it suffers from the muddiness some more surreal urban fantasy stories do that makes it seem vague for vague's sake, but overall I liked it, especially on the front of the ending and the antagonist having a strong presence.
Star-Crossed (2): Just kind of okay. I was more interested in the MC's affair than anything else, and the ending was sweetish, but overall it's a story already solved and I feel appeals far more to people who love Shakespeare than those who don't.
Voyage into the Heart (3): Unicorn story with a twist. Kind of amusing, kind of dark, feels like the first chapter of a larger work in the end.
Toad (4): Felt predictable at first, but did not at all go in the direction I thought it would, and the vague but ominious ending was fairly intriguing.
Overall, solid collection demanding careful reading to both absorb the beauty carefully instilled in every word and pick out the themes it tries to convey, which even then can be a bit tough as Patricia does not spell them out. The mysteries she weaves are intriguing, though, and the sense of magic is very strong in almost every story. Will be reading her again soon, I feel.
The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath (4): A wonderful and atmospheric tale that has an interesting character dynamic that touches on matters of home, its disruption, and what happens when you don't leave well enough alone and meddle. I got lost once the action started: beautiful imagery, but the long chains of heavy descriptive passages bogs itself down hard as Patricia tries to weave dialogue and world-shattering magic sequences together in the same moment-to-moment. The ending was good, with a satisfying climax as the two mc's beliefs regarding the fate of Hoarsbreath clash, though I was a bit muddled on what I was specifically supposed to take away from it.
A Matter of Music (3): This one started off very strong, and had a solid twist, but I feel it bogged itself down and went on for too long. The pacing was strange, or perhaps merely overstayed itself, and the second half I wasn't as fond of, as the intriguing cultural touches and use of music in politics meandered into a climax that felt too drawn-out. I did, however, very much like the feel of the world within and the way bards were used to give the setting such lovely cultural texture in the interplay; albeit some characters feeling unnecessary.
A Troll and Two Roses (3): Liked the protagonist and his simple goal, and the humor somewhat landed, but overall I think this one was just okay. The interesting conflict became very muddied when the antagonist actually showed up, for reasons similar to the Hoarsbreath story.
Baby Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son (2): Cute, but honestly not much to say. I feel one series of passages in this one were perhaps references to Patricia's other stories? But otherwise not much of note here.
The Fellowship of the Dragon (4): I thought I wouldn't like this one at first, but the twist at the end and the mounting frustration of the protagonist as her quest goes awry were solid and intriguing. Here Patricia shows signs that she really, really, really loves bards, which I suspect is generally a major theme across her works based on the premises of some of her novels. I don't mind; she describes music and musicians beautifully. The ending of this one almost felt like the start of a longer story, but I consider it satisfying on its own.
Lady of the Skulls (5): Interesting premise executed well. The interplay of the two main characters is good, and I like the ending. I am not fully certain I picked up properly on the meaning, but it read like a nice, beautifully vivid tale about how often we miss the things that matter for riches and dreams.
The Snow Queen (3): Liked this one more than expected. The opening scene was incredibly strong and vivid, but I think after the ballroom scene I lost the plot a bit, likely due to not being familiar with the original tale. The ending was sweet, though, and Patricia's prose continues to shine here.
Ash, Wood, Fire (2): Lovely atmosphere, but does not grant the reader much footing to start with regarding figuring out the goings-on. It clicked somewhat midway through, and I think I got the general gist of the ending, but I have little idea what to make of this story beyond it being pleasant to read.
The Stranger (5): Wonderful concept with a stranger using dragons to bribe islanders, a bittersweet ending, and which continues the train of beautifully written passages. It made me feel a sharp sense of longing and nostalgia.
Transmutations (2): Starts in a dreamlike way that mostly just diminishes it, moving into a story resolution that would've been interesting if the tale hadn't spent so much time setting up a mystery that I wasn't sure had been there in the first place regarding two of the characters. I did not dislike the ending, but the story mostly carried itself on its prose until that point. It does seem to comment on chasing enlightenment despite it not enriching one's life, but that was lost in the sauce for much of the story.
The Lion and the Lark (5): One of my favorites from the collection. I just love a good romantic fable, and the imagery this story conjured up. Here the ending somewhat confuses, and I had to go back to an earlier point to figure out what had happened, but I don't think I really lost much from that confusion. Wonderful and very magical story that brings back the wonder of a true fable to the reader's heart.
Witches of Junket (4): Feels more a three, rounding up for wonderful imagery. This story adds way too many characters to keep track of for its length, starting and ending strong, but feeling bloated in the middle. It felt almost like it was meant to be a novel, and it suffers from the muddiness some more surreal urban fantasy stories do that makes it seem vague for vague's sake, but overall I liked it, especially on the front of the ending and the antagonist having a strong presence.
Star-Crossed (2): Just kind of okay. I was more interested in the MC's affair than anything else, and the ending was sweetish, but overall it's a story already solved and I feel appeals far more to people who love Shakespeare than those who don't.
Voyage into the Heart (3): Unicorn story with a twist. Kind of amusing, kind of dark, feels like the first chapter of a larger work in the end.
Toad (4): Felt predictable at first, but did not at all go in the direction I thought it would, and the vague but ominious ending was fairly intriguing.
Overall, solid collection demanding careful reading to both absorb the beauty carefully instilled in every word and pick out the themes it tries to convey, which even then can be a bit tough as Patricia does not spell them out. The mysteries she weaves are intriguing, though, and the sense of magic is very strong in almost every story. Will be reading her again soon, I feel.
October 12, 2012
One of my favorites together with Gordon in a cupboard :)
"It's the Lady," they murmured, hushed.
"Lady of the Skulls."
"Does she have hair? I wonder."
"She's old as the tower. She must be a skull."
"She's beautiful," the man of Stoney Head said shortly. "They always are, the ones who lure, the ones
who guard, the ones who give death."
"Is it her tower?" the one of Carnelaine asked. "Or is she trapped?"
"What's the difference? When the spell is gone, so will she be. She's nothing real, just a piece of the
tower's magic."
Merged review:
A good collection of her short stories (15 st), if you like her other books you'll like this one too... it's some few just weird storys like "Ash, Snow and Fire" that I didn't understand at all and some lovely stories in "Mckillip-style" like "A matter of Music", "A Troll and two Roses" and the one that I liked the most: "Lady of the Skulls" but the most are really good stories, not excellent dreamly "Mckillip-style" but good stories!
Recommended to Mckillip-loves and the ones who would like to read and see if she suites your style of good authors.
"It's the Lady," they murmured, hushed.
"Lady of the Skulls."
"Does she have hair? I wonder."
"She's old as the tower. She must be a skull."
"She's beautiful," the man of Stoney Head said shortly. "They always are, the ones who lure, the ones
who guard, the ones who give death."
"Is it her tower?" the one of Carnelaine asked. "Or is she trapped?"
"What's the difference? When the spell is gone, so will she be. She's nothing real, just a piece of the
tower's magic."
Merged review:
A good collection of her short stories (15 st), if you like her other books you'll like this one too... it's some few just weird storys like "Ash, Snow and Fire" that I didn't understand at all and some lovely stories in "Mckillip-style" like "A matter of Music", "A Troll and two Roses" and the one that I liked the most: "Lady of the Skulls" but the most are really good stories, not excellent dreamly "Mckillip-style" but good stories!
Recommended to Mckillip-loves and the ones who would like to read and see if she suites your style of good authors.
February 27, 2008
I feel that this book wasn't worth the £6.50 I paid for it, which was disappointing. Some of the stories were definitely better than others. The Lion and the Lark - the story I bought the book for - luckily turned out to be my favourite. Other enjoyable reads included: A Troll and Two Roses (so cute!), The Fellowship of the Dragon (interesting, but it felt like it had been cut off too soon), Lady of the Skulls (I guessed what "the most precious thing in the tower" was by the second page but despite the strength of the idea, I felt it wasn't executed as well as it could have been), and The Snow Queen (the Robber Girl was adorable, but I would have liked Gerda to be a bit stronger).
The other stories felt weak, mostly due to a lack of plot and overly-descriptive writing style. A Matter of Music was dire. Oh, and the headhopping in Transmutations had me wanting to fling the book across the room; the writing was atrocious. :|
The other stories felt weak, mostly due to a lack of plot and overly-descriptive writing style. A Matter of Music was dire. Oh, and the headhopping in Transmutations had me wanting to fling the book across the room; the writing was atrocious. :|
October 1, 2007
A collection of fantasy short stories. "Harrowing the Dragon" is a dreamy story about a young man who seeks to free his town from eternal winter. But perhaps the town does not wish to be free. Probably the weakest story. "A Matter of Music" feels like a novel crammed into a short story. A young musician gets involved in a generations-long conflict that is mirrored in the conflict between her friend and his half-blood wife. I think my favorite is "A Troll and Two Roses," in which a lazy troll grows enamored of a magical white rose and ventures out of his bridge to get it. Thereupon he fights a prince, argues with a princess, and defeats a sorcerer. McKillip has always been interested in her own twisting retellings of fairy tales, and each of these stories is an odd reflection of a classic.
May 24, 2019
This book was a nice follow-up foray into books by this author. This is a collection of short stories, so it was a good show of different styles from the same author. I particularly enjoyed the harrowing dragon story, and the troll and the lady of the skulls. But my favorite was definitely the Bard of Jazi story (might be messing up the title). I've never read a fantasy story that focused so much on music and musical instruments, and I thought it was incredibly well done!
May 24, 2016
This book is a collection of short stories. Patricia McKillip seems to have no end of wonderful ideas for stories, most filled with magic. Very much liked this book. Can't wait to try another.
November 3, 2025
Reviews of stories below:
The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreadth - 5 stars - LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. The writing is gorgeous. A young woman living under the snow on an island encased in winter meets a man come to harrow the ice dragon he insists wreathes her home in winter.
Excerpt:
His hair was dead white, with strands bright as wormspoor running through it; his eyes were the light, hard blue of dawn during suns-crossing. Rich colors flashed out of him everywhere in her light: from a gold knife hilt and a brass pack buckle; from the red ties of his cloak that were weighted with ivory, and the blue-and-silver threads in his gloves. His heavy fur cloak was closed, but she felt that if he shifted, other colors would escape from it into the cold, dark air. At first she thought he must be ancient: the taper-fire showed her a face that was shadowed and scarred, remote with strange experience, but no more than a dozen years older than hers.
A Matter of Music - 5 stars - ALSO all the love for this one. A bard goes to an almost hostile place and becomes a conduit to peace. It sounds boring, but I loved the gentleness of it and the complexities of the characters: the married pair separated and trying to come back together, the bard trying to find her place, the broody, troubled warrior trying to come to terms with his life...
A Troll and Two Roses - 3 stars - I didn't like nor hate this one. A troll wants his toll and gets involved with a prince, a magic rose, and a wicked black horse.
Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son - 3 stars - I also didn't like nor hate this one. The writing was fun, though! A sorcerer's son lands in Baba Yaga's realm and minor shenanigans ensue.
The Fellowship of the Dragon - 4 stars - It felt a little meandering but the writing was lovely, and the events were interesting. A queen's trusted group of friends set out to retrieve her errant harpist who has gotten himself imprisoned by a dragon. The beginning I especially loved:
...though we lived too far from her to hear her fabled harper play, we heard the rumor that at each full moon she gave him gloves of cloth of gold and filled his mouth with jewels. As we stood in the hall among her shining company, listening to her pleas for help, Justin, who is the riddler among us, whispered...
I do feel like this is part of a larger, untold story (or maybe told elsewhere).
Lady of the Skulls - 4.75 stars - Men enter a tower full of jewels, a tower occupied by a woman who grows flowers in the skulls of men who have died there before for choosing the wrong treasure to take. Lovely writing. Interesting tale. I choose to believe the ending is happy!
Excerpt:
...he sighed. In the distance, thunder rumbled. "We all build towers, then dare each other to enter..." He picked up the little rose in its skull pot and stood abruptly; she followed him to the stairs.
"Where are you going with my rose?"
"Out."
She followed him down, protesting, "But it's mine!"
"You said we could choose anything."
"It's just a worthless thing I grew. It's nothing of the tower's treasure. If you must take after all, choose something worth your life!"
He glanced back at her, as they rounded the tower stairs to the bottom. His face was bone-white, but he could still smile. "I will give you back your rose," he said, "if you will let me take..."
The Snow Queen - 5 stars - retelling of the Snow Queen with Kai and Gerda being a married couple. Gorgeous prose.
Ash, Wood, Fire- 3.5 stars - interesting!
The Stranger - 5 stars - a mysterious musician appears and terrorizes a small island.
Excerpt:
Syl saw the stranger at ebb tide, standing among the tide pools, half-hidden by the great hoary rocks slick with weed and moss and the living sea-things that clung to them. He watched the tide; she watched him as she walked along the shore road that ran between the sea and Liel's sheep pastures... Then the stranger moved.
He pulled something rectangular off his shoulder; his hands flicked across it, opening, pulling, twisting. Odd angles emerged from it, wings, cylinders, strings. He bent his head to it; his hands moved again. A single, deep note broke...
Transmutations - 3.5 stars - interesting but odd
The Lion and the Lark - 4.5 stars - A fairytale retelling that was lovely
The Witches of Junket - 2.5 stars - A story of an oddball coven of witches dealing with an ancient evil awakening off their shore.
Star-Crossed - 3 stars - follows one of the watchmen in Romeo and Juliet trying to uncover what happened after the lovers and Paris are found dead
Voyage into the Heart - 2 stars - I wasn't sure what was happening here at the end. Did the mage turn into a unicorn?
Toad - 2 stars - I feel like this had potential but it felt rushed.
The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreadth - 5 stars - LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. The writing is gorgeous. A young woman living under the snow on an island encased in winter meets a man come to harrow the ice dragon he insists wreathes her home in winter.
Excerpt:
His hair was dead white, with strands bright as wormspoor running through it; his eyes were the light, hard blue of dawn during suns-crossing. Rich colors flashed out of him everywhere in her light: from a gold knife hilt and a brass pack buckle; from the red ties of his cloak that were weighted with ivory, and the blue-and-silver threads in his gloves. His heavy fur cloak was closed, but she felt that if he shifted, other colors would escape from it into the cold, dark air. At first she thought he must be ancient: the taper-fire showed her a face that was shadowed and scarred, remote with strange experience, but no more than a dozen years older than hers.
A Matter of Music - 5 stars - ALSO all the love for this one. A bard goes to an almost hostile place and becomes a conduit to peace. It sounds boring, but I loved the gentleness of it and the complexities of the characters: the married pair separated and trying to come back together, the bard trying to find her place, the broody, troubled warrior trying to come to terms with his life...
A Troll and Two Roses - 3 stars - I didn't like nor hate this one. A troll wants his toll and gets involved with a prince, a magic rose, and a wicked black horse.
Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son - 3 stars - I also didn't like nor hate this one. The writing was fun, though! A sorcerer's son lands in Baba Yaga's realm and minor shenanigans ensue.
The Fellowship of the Dragon - 4 stars - It felt a little meandering but the writing was lovely, and the events were interesting. A queen's trusted group of friends set out to retrieve her errant harpist who has gotten himself imprisoned by a dragon. The beginning I especially loved:
...though we lived too far from her to hear her fabled harper play, we heard the rumor that at each full moon she gave him gloves of cloth of gold and filled his mouth with jewels. As we stood in the hall among her shining company, listening to her pleas for help, Justin, who is the riddler among us, whispered...
I do feel like this is part of a larger, untold story (or maybe told elsewhere).
Lady of the Skulls - 4.75 stars - Men enter a tower full of jewels, a tower occupied by a woman who grows flowers in the skulls of men who have died there before for choosing the wrong treasure to take. Lovely writing. Interesting tale. I choose to believe the ending is happy!
Excerpt:
...he sighed. In the distance, thunder rumbled. "We all build towers, then dare each other to enter..." He picked up the little rose in its skull pot and stood abruptly; she followed him to the stairs.
"Where are you going with my rose?"
"Out."
She followed him down, protesting, "But it's mine!"
"You said we could choose anything."
"It's just a worthless thing I grew. It's nothing of the tower's treasure. If you must take after all, choose something worth your life!"
He glanced back at her, as they rounded the tower stairs to the bottom. His face was bone-white, but he could still smile. "I will give you back your rose," he said, "if you will let me take..."
The Snow Queen - 5 stars - retelling of the Snow Queen with Kai and Gerda being a married couple. Gorgeous prose.
Ash, Wood, Fire- 3.5 stars - interesting!
The Stranger - 5 stars - a mysterious musician appears and terrorizes a small island.
Excerpt:
Syl saw the stranger at ebb tide, standing among the tide pools, half-hidden by the great hoary rocks slick with weed and moss and the living sea-things that clung to them. He watched the tide; she watched him as she walked along the shore road that ran between the sea and Liel's sheep pastures... Then the stranger moved.
He pulled something rectangular off his shoulder; his hands flicked across it, opening, pulling, twisting. Odd angles emerged from it, wings, cylinders, strings. He bent his head to it; his hands moved again. A single, deep note broke...
Transmutations - 3.5 stars - interesting but odd
The Lion and the Lark - 4.5 stars - A fairytale retelling that was lovely
The Witches of Junket - 2.5 stars - A story of an oddball coven of witches dealing with an ancient evil awakening off their shore.
Star-Crossed - 3 stars - follows one of the watchmen in Romeo and Juliet trying to uncover what happened after the lovers and Paris are found dead
Voyage into the Heart - 2 stars - I wasn't sure what was happening here at the end. Did the mage turn into a unicorn?
Toad - 2 stars - I feel like this had potential but it felt rushed.
February 5, 2022
This collection of fifteen short stories was a bit disappointing. All of them have the usual fairy tale feeling, mysterious magical atmosphere and beautiful writing that the author is known for, but I enjoyed some stories more than others and a lot of them felt incomplete. Most of these stories felt like ideas that weren’t fully fleshed out, which is a shame because I loved a lot of these ideas.
So far, I’ve read “The Riddle Master of Hed”, “The Forgotten Beasts of Eld”, “The Changeling Sea” and “Winter Rose”. This book was the one I liked the least. Short stories are hard to pull off and need to rely on strong themes and writing in order for me to enjoy them. I wonder if the other books of short stories by this author are similar to this one. I want to eventually read all of her works, but I might leave those for last.
This book includes the following stories: The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath; A Matter of Music; A Troll and Two Roses; Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son; The Fellowship of the Dragon; Lady of the Skulls; The Snow Queen; Ash, Wood, Fire; The Stranger; Transmutations; The Lion and the Lark; The Witches of Junket; Star-Crossed; Voyage into the Heart; Toad.
“A Matter of Music” was really long and somewhat boring. Now I worry that I will not like the novel the author has about bards since I wasn’t much of a fan of this one.
"The Fellowship of the Dragon" and "Lady of the Skulls" had amazing concepts, but they felt unfinished. I would have preferred a novel dedicated to each of those stories.
My favourites were “A Troll and Two Roses” and “The Stranger”. “The Stranger” reminded me a bit of “The Changeling Sea”. The story “Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son" was the most fun.
Since I have been reading this book slowly for a few months I already forgot some of the stories, which means they didn’t leave a big impression on me.
Overall, this was enjoyable, but not the best work I’ve read from the author.
So far, I’ve read “The Riddle Master of Hed”, “The Forgotten Beasts of Eld”, “The Changeling Sea” and “Winter Rose”. This book was the one I liked the least. Short stories are hard to pull off and need to rely on strong themes and writing in order for me to enjoy them. I wonder if the other books of short stories by this author are similar to this one. I want to eventually read all of her works, but I might leave those for last.
This book includes the following stories: The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath; A Matter of Music; A Troll and Two Roses; Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son; The Fellowship of the Dragon; Lady of the Skulls; The Snow Queen; Ash, Wood, Fire; The Stranger; Transmutations; The Lion and the Lark; The Witches of Junket; Star-Crossed; Voyage into the Heart; Toad.
“A Matter of Music” was really long and somewhat boring. Now I worry that I will not like the novel the author has about bards since I wasn’t much of a fan of this one.
"The Fellowship of the Dragon" and "Lady of the Skulls" had amazing concepts, but they felt unfinished. I would have preferred a novel dedicated to each of those stories.
My favourites were “A Troll and Two Roses” and “The Stranger”. “The Stranger” reminded me a bit of “The Changeling Sea”. The story “Baba Yaga and the Sorceror's Son" was the most fun.
Since I have been reading this book slowly for a few months I already forgot some of the stories, which means they didn’t leave a big impression on me.
Overall, this was enjoyable, but not the best work I’ve read from the author.
September 19, 2025
A good collection, but not quite as enjoyable as Dreams of Distant Shores. When there are more stories, there's a greater risk of an imbalance, and while I don't think any of these are bad, they didn't land for me as often (or as much) as I would have liked. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Star-Crossed and what it had to say about Romeo and Juliet (a play I've always had mixed feelings about; I'm more of a Hamlet and King Lear fan). And while I didn't completely love the way The Snow Queen resolved, I kind of wish it was a novella or a novel, because I was (and still am) enamored with the world in that one. The Lion and the Lark was sweet and surprisingly funny, as were many of the others. A few were slightly incomprehensible (but in a good way?). Overall worth reading, but of the two McKillip collections I've read thus far, this was definitely the weaker one. So far nothing has surpassed The Gorgon in the Cupboard for me in terms of her short fiction, but I'll read more and we shall see...
The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath: 4.5 stars
A Matter of Music: 3.5 stars
A Troll and Two Roses: 4.5 stars
Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son: 4 stars
The Fellowship of the Dragon: 4 stars
Lady of the Skulls: 5 stars
The Snow Queen: 4.5 stars
Ash, Wood, Fire: 3.5 stars
The Stranger: 4 stars
Transmutations: 4.5 stars
The Lion and the Lark: 4.5 stars
The Witches of Junket: 4 stars
Star-Crossed: 4.5 stars
Voyage into the Heart: 3.5 stars
Toad: 4 stars
The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath: 4.5 stars
A Matter of Music: 3.5 stars
A Troll and Two Roses: 4.5 stars
Baba Yaga and the Sorcerer's Son: 4 stars
The Fellowship of the Dragon: 4 stars
Lady of the Skulls: 5 stars
The Snow Queen: 4.5 stars
Ash, Wood, Fire: 3.5 stars
The Stranger: 4 stars
Transmutations: 4.5 stars
The Lion and the Lark: 4.5 stars
The Witches of Junket: 4 stars
Star-Crossed: 4.5 stars
Voyage into the Heart: 3.5 stars
Toad: 4 stars
March 1, 2021
If you've read McKillip, you've probably come here for the lyrical, dreamy writing - and that you'll get, occasionally to the point of incomprehensibility. Overall, her writing is gorgeous, and her worlds are interesting to explore, even in such small settings as short stories. The ones that work the best for me in this collection are the ones that hearken to her favorite full-lengths in style and ideas.
My favorites? "A Matter of Music" is classic McKillip and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I also loved "Lady of the Skulls" and was amused that the subject is a trope I took on as a writer long ago, and she took it and made it everything I wish I'd thought to write. I *love* reading things like that, because they inspire me to become better at my craft! "The Stranger" was compelling, and I was also entranced by the weaving exploration in the story, as I am a fiber artist and I've felt those sorts of emotions about capturing colors.
Least favorites: "Ash, Wood, Fire" and "Transmutations" - both were frustrating, because they never gelled properly, and were difficult to follow.
I wouldn't recommend this for a first time reader of McKillip, but if you are a fan, there are some jewels in here.
My favorites? "A Matter of Music" is classic McKillip and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I also loved "Lady of the Skulls" and was amused that the subject is a trope I took on as a writer long ago, and she took it and made it everything I wish I'd thought to write. I *love* reading things like that, because they inspire me to become better at my craft! "The Stranger" was compelling, and I was also entranced by the weaving exploration in the story, as I am a fiber artist and I've felt those sorts of emotions about capturing colors.
Least favorites: "Ash, Wood, Fire" and "Transmutations" - both were frustrating, because they never gelled properly, and were difficult to follow.
I wouldn't recommend this for a first time reader of McKillip, but if you are a fan, there are some jewels in here.
April 9, 2025
Over a decade of writing is gathered on these pages, stories of men and women attempting to best the ancient power of dragons and overcome powerful curses in search for treasure or love, alongside fairy tales retold and magical beings blending the modern with the fantastical. McKillip brings readers new and old a pleasing anthology of immersive pocket realms, delightfully mesmerizing as always. Where does the soul of man belong amidst such enchantments...
July 12, 2025
Like a lot of anthologies, some stories strike you as inexplicable or not for you and others will be amazing; and probably both are subject to change if you returned to reread it in the future.
I do love the way music is often an essential element in her stories. It makes me realise how often music is missing from other fantasy stories.
4 stars
I do love the way music is often an essential element in her stories. It makes me realise how often music is missing from other fantasy stories.
4 stars
May 27, 2018
The title story of this collection is my favorite. The Stranger was my second favorite. This was my first time encountering anything by McKillip that was more strange than wonderful. The Toad, for example, was weird and kind of moralistic. But it's McKillip. So obviously I loved it.
July 27, 2023
I usually like McKillip's work, and I love short stories, so I thought this would be a good choice. Not so much! She's trying too hard to be lyrical, and in the process, most of it has become incomprehensible. I resent the loss of time I spent with this book.
August 12, 2018
Just as good the second, or third, time through.
August 11, 2019
3.5 ✨
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