*long, envious sigh*

[rj_anderson]

I just finished reading Solstice Wood, and not only was I delighted to discover that it was a sequel to Winter Rose (the only post-Riddle Master McKillip book I currently own, and which I had to re-read about three times before I understood it, but it was worth it) but it just reminded me that I would give my eye teeth to write as beautifully as Patricia McKillip.

Yes, I know that her plots are nigh-on incomprehensible on first reading (and sometimes on the second as well) and her characters' passions always seem to be separated from the real world by a pane of beautifully etched glass. But the way she describes things, the way she turns the ordinary into poetry and evokes the numinous in a way that so many other fantasy writers don't or won't or can't -- the sheer beauty of the way she sees the world, whether it's our world or an imagined one, keeps me reading.

I have one more of hers to get through, Alphabet of Thorn. I have to concentrate fiercely when I'm reading McKillip, and it stretches my brain sometimes trying to make sense of what's going on. And I know a lot of people don't like that -- I wouldn't normally care for it myself. But she had me at Riddle Master and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, and she's had me pretty much ever since.

I will never plot like McKillip, to be sure, and I'm pretty sure that's a good thing. But to master the kind of sumptuous, evocative language she uses and make it part of my own authorial toolkit -- even if I only use that tool now and then -- yes. Yes, I would like that very much.

Comments

[claritylit.livejournal.com]

Ooh, The Changeling Sea is one book I will never, ever get rid of, unless I wear my copy out.

[sannalim.livejournal.com]

I read Riddle-Master of Hed when I was a junior in high school and it made my head spin. I'm pretty sure I read The Forgotten Beasts of Eld at some point during college. I do remember looking at the cover many times before I actually picked it up and read it. I'm afraid that the head-spinny-ness of the plots has, despite the beauty of the language, deterred me from reading other McKillip. :\

[kerravonsen]

While I adore Riddle Master and The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, I just can't cope with the "nigh-on incomprehensible"ness of the plots of later books, I've given up. I think The Forgotten Beasts of Eld manages to strike the perfect balance between numinous writing and having a comprehensible plot. Oh, and Fool's Run works too.

Should I try again?

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I'm reading Alphabet of Thorn right now and quite enjoying it. It's complex, but doesn't seem quite so opaque as some of her others. I liked In The Forests of Serre too, as I recall.

[rose-in-shadow.livejournal.com]

Patricia McKillip always seems to be on my "to be read" list, but I have yet to get to her.

By the way, I heard about this website (CHristians and Harry Potter (http://www.christnhp.org/)) is on the look-out for essays. I thought of many of your essay-entries, though without your tag list handy, I couldn't think of a specific one :D.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Hey, you beat me to reccing this link to RJ. :-)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the website rec -- doesn't look like there's much there at the moment, but perhaps it will fill up in time...

[jenosopher.livejournal.com]

The Changeling Sea is one of the most perfect books in my library. My other favorite is In The Forests of Serre.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I liked Serre a lot, too. I don't recall warming to Changeling Sea at all when I read it the first time, but perhaps it's time to read it again.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

::scratches head:: Actually, Alphabet of Thorn is the only book of hers I've yet read, but I found it fairly straightforward. Now you've got me intrigued to try some others.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I'm finding Alphabet fairly straightforward as well -- to my surprise and pleasure.

Off Topic

[(Anonymous)]

RJ, I hope you don't mind that I came over here to make this comment. I wanted to let you know how much I agree with your comment on Mark Bertrand's blog a couple days ago.

No, Mark, I'm definitely not suggesting that anyone should recreate Lewis, or Narnia, or Aslan in particular (and in fact I would highly recommend that Christian fantasy authors stop attempting it, and find their own tales to tell -- perhaps then I can stop cringing reflexively whenever I look at fiction in Christian bookstores). I was using the Aslan reference simply as shorthand for "Where is a novel that will make me feel the protagonist's closeness to God and the reality of God Himself in all His greatness and glory, as opposed to merely evoking vague religious sentiments on the one hand or promoting a shallow perception of God on the other?"

I thought it was abundantly clear that you were not wanting "another Aslan" but a true look at God through story. Great. Really great. Would that more authors aspired to showing Him and not religious trappings.

Becky
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/

Re: Off Topic

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I appreciate you stopping by to say so -- and relieved that my comments were not completely opaque to everyone, as I was beginning to fear. :)

[zakhad.livejournal.com]

You're right, she can be really hard to read; I turned one back to the library (titled something about a cygnet?) that I could not get through before the due date. I have her "Harrowing the Dragon" out from the library - it's short stories. I had to skip one so far due to just not being able to parse it. (I'm on story four.)

I have the Changeling Sea and the Riddlemaster trilogy. All fantasy should be this good.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I couldn't get into The Sorceress and the Cygnet (or The Cygnet and the Firebird, the sequel) either. I didn't know she had a short story collection: I'll have to check that out.