Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction

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who has lived her entire life among magical ani-
mals and the consequences when a new person en-
ters her life.
The Riddle Master trilogy followed, consisting
of The Riddle-Master of Hed(1976), Heir of Sea and
Fire(1976), and Harpist in the Wind(1979). The
premise is that following the disappearance of all
the wizards in the world, what magic remains is
trapped in riddles. The young protagonist solves a
riddle and finds himself caught up in momentous
changes. The middle volume is a quest story that
ends in disillusionment, and the conclusion pre-
sents the ultimate battle for the future of the pro-
tagonists and their world. McKillip had by now
attracted a considerable audience for her adult
fantasy, but except for three interesting but low-
key children’s fantasies, she devoted most of her ef-
fort for the next few years to science fiction,
producing three unmemorable novels. The best of
the fantasies from this period is Stepping from the
Shadows(1982), in which a woman discards her
elaborate fantasy world as she matures, only to dis-
cover that elements of that imaginative creation
are intruding into her new reality.
She returned to adult fantasy with The Sorcer-
ess and the Cygnet (1991) and its sequel, The
Cygnet and the Firebird(1993). Several disparate
characters are trapped in a series of interconnected
magical realms and must solve various puzzles in
order to find their way home. What appears ini-
tially to be a clever but simple fantasy eventually
evolves into a much more ambitious examination
of the way we perceive reality and share it with
others. Something Rich and Strange(1994) is a vari-
ation on the standard mermaid romance, with two
lovers separated by the spirits of the ocean. McKil-
lip had by now mastered a lyrical style that marked
her prose as distinctive and unusually rewarding.
McKillip’s recent work continues to mix new
and traditional plot elements and is invariably
noteworthy for both the quality of the prose and
the sophistication of the plotting and characteriza-
tion. The Book of Atrix Wolfe(1995) is a story of re-
demption. A man who brought catastrophe on his
people languishes in exile, living among the wolves
and waiting for a chance to correct his error. A
family curse takes a very unusual form in Winter
Rose (1996), and the only survivor of a mass


slaughter seeks to discover the truth about his past
in Song for the Basilisk(1998).
The Tower at Stony Wood(2000) poses an in-
teresting problem for its hero, a knight who discov-
ers that the new queen is not a human being but
an illusion spun by the land’s enemies. Ombria in
Shadow(2002), which won the World Fantasy
Award, similarly involves court intrigues, in this
case a struggle between the apparent heir to the
throne and his stepmother, a conflict into which a
sorceress and various ghosts intrude. In a moment
of carelessness, a knight kills a chicken in In the
Forests of Serre(2003), which annoys a witch. To
avoid the consequence of her unpleasant plans for
revenge, he escapes into another reality. In Alpha-
bet of Thorn(2004), arguably her best novel, a
scholar’s life is changed when she happens upon an
enchanted book.
McKillip often avoids the usual melodrama of
modern fantasy altogether, and even when she does
invoke evil sorcery, physical combat, and other vio-
lence, it is generally held at arm’s length. She has few
rivals for the depth of her insight into the way her
characters act and feel and even fewer for the quality
of her prose. Notable short stories include “The Har-
rowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbalath” (1982), “The
Troll and the Two Roses” (1985), and “The Witches
of Junket” (1996). She is long overdue to have her
better stories collected in book form.

McKinley, Robin(1952– )
Robin McKinley made a very auspicious debut with
Beauty(1978), a retelling of the story of the Beauty
and the Beast that deals with the theme on a very
mature level. The author’s fondness for and familiar-
ity with classic fairy tales is evident throughout her
early work in particular, and the stories collected as
The Door in the Hedge(1981), ostensibly for young
readers, are all variations on classic fairy tale themes.
Despite its original marketing, it attracted a consid-
erable number of adult readers, which may have in-
fluenced McKinley’s subsequent career, as it has
been geared almost entirely for the adult market.
Her next two novels, The Blue Sword(1982)
and The Hero and the Crown(1984), are set in the
same fantasy world. In the former a young woman
abandons the kind of behavior usually expected

236 McKinley, Robin

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