Fantasy Book Club Series discussion

Have you finished reading Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip, book 3 in the Riddle-Master trilogy? Tell us what you thought of it, and of the series as a whole.

Spoilers allowed here!

My comments from a couple years ago when I read this:
9/10
This book is filled with lyrical and poetic prose that almost obscures the intricate plot and its mostly satisfying conclusion. I have to say I am a plot-driven reader—McKillip’s writing is lovely but I had to concentrate on reading slowly so I could savor the writing but more importantly, so I would not miss the plot developments that I might otherwise have inadvertently skimmed over.

This book is the conclusion of the Riddle-Master trilogy. I wish I had kept track of the riddles that Morgon had wrestled with throughout the trilogy. A classic fantasy in many ways, yet McKillip avoids some obvious tropes and turns a couple others on their heads.

The relationship between Raederle and Morgon could have used more development—there seemed to be important aspects that were unexplored and/or unexplained.

A strong point of the series, especially emphasized in this book, is love of the land, something we need more of in our world.

Kathi wrote: "My comments from a couple years ago when I read this:
9/10
This book is filled with lyrical and poetic prose that almost obscures the intricate plot and its mostly satisfying conclusion. I have to ..."

Yes, I agree. She didn't spoon-feed readers at all, and some passages were confusing! I have read this trilogy several times, and I still enjoyed it, though. I have always liked her books.

To keep things simple for myself, (I'm really tired 😴), below is the bulk of the review I had written:



I think this was my favorite of the three.

The storyline throughout this whole trilogy is like one huge riddle. The MC, Morgon, (also known as the riddle-master), has his work cut out for him in unraveling the riddles of his life, the land, and other characters' motivations. The author's language, while very beautiful, is sometimes a study in ambiguity. At times I had to read some sections more than once to exactly determine what the heck just happened. And I have read this series before! I still have always loved her work. Most of her books I've read multiple times, as a matter of fact.

I really like the MC. His compassion for Deth was terrific. In spite of his faults, he has a very decent personality. The concept of the land-rulers was cool, too. Land-rulers basically become one with their land, even down to the rocks and roots, in order to care for it. It's kind of like a magical stewardship. I enjoyed reading about each distinct land-ruler.

If you are a Patricia McKillip fan, this is recommended reading!