Patricia A. McKillip

The Riddle-Master of Hed

In seeking the answer to the riddle of the three stars on his forehead and the three stars on the enchanted harp and sword, Morgan, Prince of Hed, goes ultimately to the High One, himself.

The Riddle-Master of Hed  (Riddle-Master #1)

Christine

Rachel Kanyid

I would rate this book 3.5 stars, most likely.. It's good, and I like the underlying story, but the flow is very confusing and hard for me to read. Hopefully I will be able to finish the series without getting frustrated with the way it is written and give up.

So glad I re-discovered this childhood favorite: I had completely forgotten I'd read it, but it burrowed itself deep into my subconscious imagery and reading it again made me realize where all those images and ideas came from. It's McKillip's debut and has a few tiny flaws, but overall it's just such a magical, mysterious tale - and the cliffhanger ending means I definitely need to continue the trilogy soon! Favorite aspect: how caring the characters are, there's just so much love in this book.

The pros and cons:
✅ Fantasy classic with timeless appeal
✅ Beautiful and mysterious world full of history, lyrically described
✅ Trekking through nature, wonderful for nature-lovers
✅ Gentle, mostly pacifist harpist as a hero, great secondary characters
✅ Makes you dream and wonder
🆗 "Riddles" aren't normal riddles, but mysteries with lessons attached that you can memorize
🆗 Dream-like, not "gritty"
🆗 Cliff-hanger ending
🆘 Often very confusing, don't expect to understand what's going on

The Riddle-Master of Hed

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