Summary
Corleu of the Wayfolk stands out from his kin due to his blond hair and obsession with his people's myths, according to which a war was once fought between the Cygnet, the Gold King, the Blind Lady, the Dancer, and the Warlock, resulting in the Cygnet's victory and the others' exile. These characters are now commemorated in the constellations and the patron signs of the regional hold settlements. Today, the sign of the Cygnet is borne by Ro Holding, and the remaining signs by the other holdings under its rule.
When Corleu and his companions, including his beloved Tiel, are bespelled and trapped in a timeless swamp, his knowledge enables him to cross into the parallel world where the mythic figures exist and seek help. Meeting a tinker who is actually the fearsome Gold King, he is tasked with seeking the Heart of the Cygnet, which he is told might release his people from their limbo. The King's true motive is to free his ancient allies and turn the tables on the Cygnet in their age-old war.
With the aid of the sorceress Nyx Ro, estranged heir to Ro Holding, whom he must keep ignorant of his goal, Corleu begins his journey. He encounters the Fire Bear in its lair, catches the Blood Fox by its shadow, and evades a female warrior, Meguet, whose fate seems bound with his. At each step of the journey another legendary character is awakened; the Blind Lady, the Dancer, and the Warlock.
The Ro clan works against the questers, aware that if the Gold King prevails and the Cygnet falls, the balance keeping peace among the holds will be upset, and all who live will be doomed. Their efforts are continually countered by the wily king, and all the players gather for the endgame in a final confrontation at Ro Holding, Nyx's home.
Reception
Sybil Steinberg in Publishers Weekly notes that "[w]ith strong, archetypal characters and a powerful command of symbolism, McKillip ... depicts the human conflict between the desire for power and the need for love. Inspired imagery and a perfectly paced plot mark this fantasy as one of the year's best." [2]
Kirkus Reviews calls the novel "a subtle, well-crafted tale redolent of magic and mystery, in which mythic figures are made flesh, and mortals are conscripted for an otherworldly contest. ... The prose is rich, without wordiness; the background mythology (only hinted at here) is original, tantalizing, and convincing. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, McKillip knows what so many other fantasy writers do not, or have forgotten: less is more." [3]
Jackie Cassada in Library Journal praises the book for its "imaginative worldbuilding, strong male and female characters, and an intense (though sometimes esoteric) style." [4]
Delia Sherman in The New York Review of Science Fiction calls it "[b]eautifully written ... lyrical and humorous ... rich, evocative prose." [5]
Barbara Rickards in Magill Book Reviews writes that "McKillip has created a world where passing time, real and imaginary, encircles itself, like the age rings of a tree. ... This is a tale spun with stunning and powerful imagery [that] will keep the reader enthralled, and not even Corleu will be able to break the spell McKillip casts." [6]
Grace Baun in School Library Journal notes that the book "is not a simple novel" and that "[t]he intricately woven plot laced with surrealist qualities will appeal to mature fantasy lovers." [7]
The book was also reviewed by Tom Whitmore and Carolyn Cushman in Locus no. 363, April 1991, Andy Sawyer in Paperback Inferno no. 91, August/September 1991, Jim England in Vector no. 163, October/November 1991, Baird Searles in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine v. 15, no. 14, December 1991, Alan Stewart in SF Commentary no. 71/72, April 1992, and Jessica Yates in Vector no. 171, February/March 1993. [1]
Newton's Cannon (1998) is a science fantasy novel by American writer Gregory Keyes, the first book in his The Age of Unreason series. The protagonist for the novel is Benjamin Franklin; other key characters to the novel are James Franklin – Ben's brother, John Collins – Ben's friend, as well as Adrienne and King Louis XIV – the Sun King.
Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction is an anthology of original science fiction stories edited by Robert Silverberg, first published in hardcover by Avon Eos in May 1999, with a book club edition following from Avon and the Science Fiction Book Club in July of the same year. Paperback and trade paperback editions were issued by Eos/HarperCollins in May 2000 and December 2005, respectively, and an ebook edition by HarperCollins e-books in March 2009. The first British edition was issued in hardcover and trade paperback by Orbit/Little Brown in June 1999, with a paperback edition following from Orbit in July 2000. The book has also been translated into Spanish.
The Incorporated Knight is a fix-up fantasy novel by American writers L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp, the first book in their sequence of two Neo-Napolitanian novels. Chapters 1-5 first appeared as L. Sprague de Camp's short stories "Two Yards of Dragon", "The Coronet", "Spider Love" and "Eudoric's Unicorn" in Flashing Swords!, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Year's Best Fantasy Stories in 1976-1977. The complete novel was first published in hardcover by Phantasia Press in August 1987, and in paperback by Baen Books in September 1988, with a trade paperback edition, also from Baen, following in 1991. An E-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form.
Conan of Venarium is a fantasy novel by American writer Harry Turtledove, edited by Teresa Nielsen Hayden, featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in hardcover by Tor Books in July 2003; a regular paperback edition followed from the same publisher in July 2004.
Kellory the Warlock is a fix-up fantasy novel written by Lin Carter, the third book of the Chronicles of Kylix series. Its seven episodic chapters were originally written as short stories, but only one, "In the Valley of Silence," had been previously published. The book was first published in hardcover by Doubleday in April 1984. It was reissued in hardcover and trade paperback by Wildside Press in October 2007, and in trade paperback and ebook by the same publisher in April 2016.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2001 is an anthology of science fiction short works edited by Robert Silverberg. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by Harcourt in April 2001.
The Long Look is a fantasy novel by Richard Parks, both his first novel and the first volume in his series The Laws of Power. It was first published in hardcover by Five Star in September 2008. It has appeared as an ebook in 2011 and a trade paperback in October 2018. The book placed twelfth in the 2009 Locus Poll Award for Best First Novel.
The Throme of the Erril of Sherill is a fantasy novella for juvenile readers by Patricia A. McKillip, as well as a subsequent collection containing the novella. The novella was first published in hardcover by Atheneum in 1973. It bears the distinction, along with The House on Parchment Street, of being one of McKillip's first published books. The novella was later gathered together with the author's short story "The Harrowing of the Dragon of Hoarsbreath" into a paperback collection, also titled The Throme of the Erril of Sherill, issued by Tempo Books in January 1984. The collection was reprinted in February of the same year.
Harrowing the Dragon is a collection of fantasy short stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in November 2005, and in trade paperback by the same publisher in November 2006. The first British edition was issued in ebook by Gateway/Orion on December 17, 2015.
Wonders of the Invisible World is a collection of fantasy short stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by Tachyon Publications in October 2012. The title of both the collection and the first story in it derive from the 1693 book of the same title by Cotton Mather.
Dreams of Distant Shores is a collection of fantasy stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in ebook by Tachyon Publications in May 2016, with the trade paperback print edition following from the same publisher in June 2016.
Fool's Run is a science fiction novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover by Warner Books in April 1987, with a paperback edition issued by Questar/Popular Library in February 1988. The first British edition was published in paperback by Orbit in June 1987, with a hardcover edition following from Macdonald in August of the same year. The novel has also been translated into Italian.
The Bards of Bone Plain is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in December 2010, with a book club edition issued simultaneously with the Science Fiction Book Club and a trade paperback edition following December 2011. The first British edition was published in ebook by Gateway/Orion in December 2015.
The Changeling Sea is a fantasy novel for juvenile readers by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover by Atheneum/Macmillan in October 1988, with a paperback edition issued by Del Rey/Ballantine in December 1989. It was subsequently reissued in paperback and ebook by Firebird/Penguin in April 2003. The first British edition was published in hardcover by Oxford University Press in September 1991, with an ebook edition following from Gateway/Orion in December 2015.
Kingfisher is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in February 2016. The first British edition was published in ebook by Gateway/Orion in June 2017.
Something Rich and Strange is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip written for Brian Froud's Faerielands series under the inspriation of Froud's fantasy artwork.. Its title is derived from a line in Shakespeare's The Tempest. The book was first published in hardcover by Bantam Spectra in November 1994, with a trade paperback edition following from ibooks in October 2005. It was later incorporated into the author's collection Dreams of Distant Shores, issued by Tachyon Publications in ebook and trade paperback in May 2016 and June 2016, respectively.
Moon-Flash is a science fiction novel for juvenile readers by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover by Atheneum in August 1984, with a paperback edition issued by Berkley Books in October 1985. It was subsequently combined with its sequel The Moon and the Face in an omnibus edition, also titled Moon-Flash, issued in paperback and ebook by Firebird/Penguin in March 2005.
The Moon and the Face is a science fiction novel for juvenile readers by Patricia A. McKillip, a sequel to her earlier novel Moon-Flash. It was first published in hardcover by Atheneum in September 1985, with a paperback edition issued by Berkley Books in October 1986. It was subsequently combined with its prequel Moon-Flash in an omnibus edition, also titled Moon-Flash, issued in paperback and ebook by Firebird/Penguin in March 2005.
Stepping from the Shadows is a novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover by Atheneum in 1982, with a paperback edition issued by Berkley Books in August 1984.
The Cygnet and the Firebird is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip, a sequel to her earlier novel The Sorceress and the Cygnet. Despite a mixed reception, it was nominated for the 1994 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. It was first published in hardcover by Ace Books in September 1993, with a paperback following from the same publisher in September 1995. The first British edition was published in paperback by Pan Books in July 1994. It was subsequently combined with The Sorceress and the Cygnet into the omnibus collection Cygnet, issued in trade paperback by Ace Books in March 2007. It has also been translated into French.
