I wish I had liked it more. The trilogy as a whole is very satisfying – there is magic that almost shimmers from the pages, everything is misty and dreamlike, and the characters are wonderful.

I really loved Morgon and Raederle in this book. (No, Morgon, Raederle is not going to any safe place and away from you, please understand this already.)

“If you had your way, I would be sitting in a farmhouse in Hed shelling beans and waiting for you, just as I have waited for nearly two years.”
“You don’t shell beans.”
“I don’t. Not unless you are beside me helping.”

- - -

“Are you planning to argue with me for the rest of our lives?”
“Yes,” she said stiffly.

- - -

“You are so unreasonable sometimes that you remind me of me.”

There are many book couples out there that I want to hug. Dear Morgon and Raederle, I’m adding you to the list. You had scary adventures while learning how to be together – so patiently, so impatiently, with so much love. Why couldn’t the whole book be about that? Well, it wasn’t to be. Instead, I got a plot that managed to be messy, exciting, and boring at the same time. Around halfway through, the book veered of into the realm of mindfuckery way too many times. Also there were too many moments of “oh, no, x is in danger… x found some magic power that was hidden before, now x is fine”. I saw the final plot twist before Morgon did ;), so the ending felt anticlimactic, despite being beautifully written. I was left wanting more. ( )

The lyrical language gets in the way of the plot sometimes, but it still felt unique and satisfying. ( )

I recently finished rereading [The Riddle-Master of Hed] trilogy by Patricia McKillip. It's been decades since I last read these little novels. They remain favorites from my youth. When I spent a semester in Costa Rica in the 1980s, the only books I brought to sustain me were this trilogy for my fantasy selection and David Brin's [Startide Rising] and [The Uplift War], which felt like a duology at the time.

I worried that rereading this high fantasy trilogy would tarnish the sheen of fond remembrance. No such thing! I still savored the lyrical prose, the imagery and metaphors, the characters, the world-building, all of it. I thought then and still think that these would translate well to the cinema given the advances in special effects that really bring magic alive on the screen. But of course, I'd hate to see how Hollywood would butcher the story.

In the first book, we're introduced to Morgon and the people and places of the High One's realm. Over the course of a year, Morgon discovers he's tangled up in a destiny that goes far beyond his peaceful, agrarian life in Hed, or even his college years studying with the Riddle Masters in Caithnard. In the second book, [Heir of Sea and Fire], we're introduced to Raederle. It's spring again, and no one has seen or heard from Morgon or Deth for a year. Raederle sets out to find out what happened to Morgon, accompanied by his sister Tristan and Lyra, the land heir of the kingdom of Herun, who had met Morgon two years ago and is haunted by his refusal to accept her help and his possible death.

[Harpist in the Wind] is the third book of the trilogy, in which the meaning of Morgon's destiny as the Star-Bearer is revealed, the shapechangers are at last identified, and all the realms of the High One are swept into a war of the living and the dead, the ancient past and the present. It is the prophesied ending of the age of the High One. Along the way, we meet wizards, magical creatures, riddles, harps, forests, marshes, mountains, and all sorts of people.

These books remain charming classics for me. They were a perfect bedtime read--comforting and familiar and uncomplicated. ( )

Read as part of 'Riddle Master - The Complete Trilogy'. See the 'Riddle-Master of Hed' entry for edition information. ( )

I'm so glad I did a reread of the whole series. It, once again, took me totally away into a different world, a world that felt so real and so magical and mysterious. I don't read much fantasy but this seemed different from the usual. The magic is in the minds of the characters and how they connect to others and the world around them. The writing is evocative rather than explanatory and I loved being pulled into it.It's funny, I tried another McKillip after reading these all those years ago and didn't like it at all. I think with this series she just found the right tone.