The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip

It was later voted #22 in their 1998 poll (for books published before 1990). The novel was voted #13 in Locus' 1987 'All-Time Best Fantasy Novels' reader poll. He also comes to know personally the land rulers of Ymris, Herun, Osterland, and Isig. As Morgon and Deth travel the length of the realm, they are repeatedly attacked by the shapechangers, and Morgon learns more and more perilous knowledge concerning the three stars and the great powers which come with them. The High One's home, located in the far north on Erlenstar Mountain, is seldom visited. When Deth finds Morgon again, after he has regained both, Morgon resolves to travel to question the High One about the shapechangers. Shipwrecked, Morgon loses his memory and the power of speech. En route, the ship is sunk by mysterious shapechangers. When Deth, the High One's harpist, discovers this, he explains that another king, Mathom of An, has pledged to marry his daughter Raederle to the man who wins that crown from the ghost.Īccompanied by Deth, Morgon sets forth to claim his bride. He explain that he won it in a riddle-game with the ghost of the cursed king Peven of Aum he would have died had he lost, as had many who took up the challenge. Morgon's sister Tristan discovers that he keeps a crown hidden under his bed.

The prince, inexplicably, has three stars on his forehead. The titular Riddle-Master is Morgon, the Prince of Hed, a small, simple island populated by farmers and swineherds. Riddles, typically questions about obscure pieces of lore, feature significantly, as well as shapeshifting magic. A collection of the complete and long out-of-print Riddle-Master trilogy, a modern-day fantasy classic, offers a new introduction by the author and brings. The seldom-seen High One presides over all. In a fantasy world, the ruler of each land has a mystical awareness of his or her land called the land-rule. The novel and trilogy utilize themes from Celtic mythology. McKillip and the first book of her Riddle Master trilogy. The Riddle-Master of Hed is a fantasy novel by American writer Patricia A. Map of Hed and its neighbors drawn by Kathy McKillip.

The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip