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A review by galatea13
Riddle-Master by Patricia A. McKillip
5.0
This book moved me immensely. Patricia McKillip uses language beautifully and deliberately, and her love for her characters and the world she's created come through very clearly. I can't help but fall in love with her characters, too, and root for the same characters she's obviously rooting for.
My heart broke a little at the end of this trilogy, and I cried through the last few chapters. I think I'll need to take a few days to recover from the shock of it before I start reading something new. I became very attached to the characters; I'll miss them.
One theme I've noticed running through McKillip's novels is the idea of Naming, (which is also a theme in LeGuin's Earthsea books, another new favorite series of mine) - the importance of knowing one's own true name, of giving a name to others, then both understanding and accepting the weight and responsibility that come with those names. It's something we all struggle with in our own ways. Morgon and Raederle are powerful characters because they are very human in their griefs, their joys, their loves, and hates. Their struggles may be larger than life, but the emotions they struggle with, and the existential dilemnas, are something I was able to relate to with every sentence and every page.
My heart broke a little at the end of this trilogy, and I cried through the last few chapters. I think I'll need to take a few days to recover from the shock of it before I start reading something new. I became very attached to the characters; I'll miss them.
One theme I've noticed running through McKillip's novels is the idea of Naming, (which is also a theme in LeGuin's Earthsea books, another new favorite series of mine) - the importance of knowing one's own true name, of giving a name to others, then both understanding and accepting the weight and responsibility that come with those names. It's something we all struggle with in our own ways. Morgon and Raederle are powerful characters because they are very human in their griefs, their joys, their loves, and hates. Their struggles may be larger than life, but the emotions they struggle with, and the existential dilemnas, are something I was able to relate to with every sentence and every page.