https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/

Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.
--
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On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:41:37 PM UTC+10, James Nicoll wrote:
> https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/
>
> Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.

Well, damn! "The Riddle Master of Hed" is one of my all time favourite series. Time for a re-read.

-Moriarty

I first heard of her in late 1975 or 1976, given the date of a certain Avon edition. See here:

"ID this pre-1980 novel - woman with menagerie?"

https://groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.sf.written/c/fXWXVfYfVMA/m/-Uzf600FBAAJ

Since my memory wasn't quite clear, I confused the style of the cover artist - Gervasio Gallardo - with Brian Froud's style.

But, somewhat ironically...

"Other books include non-SF children’s book The Night Gift (1976); adult contemporary novel Stepping from the Shadows (1982); shared-world novel Brian Froud’s Faerielands: Something Rich and Strange (1994), a Mythopoeic Award winner..."

About her non-SF novel, The Night Gift:

"What does it mean to give love, and to receive it? No one can answer. For the answer can only be lived. And sometimes, the living takes sharp and unexpected turns.

"It seemed so simple to Barbara, Joslyn and Claudia -- the idea that they would make beautiful a room in an old abandoned house for Joe Takaota. He was Barbara's brother, and he had tried to take his life because, he said, 'It's so ugly.' If they could give him a beautiful place, now that he was coming home from the hospital, maybe he would be all right. They worked on it at night, and soon each found the room invading her life in ways she had not expected..."

http://patriciamckillip.com/
(her site)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pbcEwY9LoM
(interview - 3:05 minutes - this seems to be the only such video)

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/patricia-a.-mckillip.html
(PW reviews)

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/patricia-a-mckillip/
(Kirkus reviews)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25.Patricia_A_McKillip
(reader reviews)

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/patricia-a-mckillip/
(book covers)

http://patriciamckillip.com/novels/
(bigger book covers, from newest to oldest)

On 2022-05-11, Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:
> On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:41:37 PM UTC+10, James Nicoll wrote:
>> https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/
>>
>> Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.
>
> Well, damn! "The Riddle Master of Hed" is one of my all time favourite series. Time for a re-read.
>
> -Moriarty

Indeed.

McKillip has been one of my very few "automatic buy in hardcover" for
decades. I think the only ones remaining whose automatic buys haven't
been converted to e-books are Kay, Cherryh, and Brust. The reasons
differ, but for McKillip, her lyrical prose (especially in her
mid-career books) is something I can't imagine savoring as much in
electronic form - I want to have a physical book in my hands for her.
I will miss her new books.

Chris

On 11 May 2022 14:16:13 GMT, Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:

>On 2022-05-11, Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:
>> On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:41:37 PM UTC+10, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/
>>>
>>> Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.
>>
>> Well, damn! "The Riddle Master of Hed" is one of my all time favourite series. Time for a re-read.
>>
>> -Moriarty
>
>Indeed.
>
>McKillip has been one of my very few "automatic buy in hardcover" for
>decades. I think the only ones remaining whose automatic buys haven't
>been converted to e-books are Kay, Cherryh, and Brust. The reasons
>differ, but for McKillip, her lyrical prose (especially in her
>mid-career books) is something I can't imagine savoring as much in
>electronic form - I want to have a physical book in my hands for her.
>I will miss her new books.

I think I burnt out on Cherryh. Love her style but just lost interest
in The Perils of the Paidhe.

On 2022-05-11, J Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 11 May 2022 14:16:13 GMT, Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:
>
>>On 2022-05-11, Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:41:37 PM UTC+10, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/
>>>>
>>>> Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.
>>>
>>> Well, damn! "The Riddle Master of Hed" is one of my all time favourite series. Time for a re-read.
>>>
>>> -Moriarty
>>
>>Indeed.
>>
>>McKillip has been one of my very few "automatic buy in hardcover" for
>>decades. I think the only ones remaining whose automatic buys haven't
>>been converted to e-books are Kay, Cherryh, and Brust. The reasons
>>differ, but for McKillip, her lyrical prose (especially in her
>>mid-career books) is something I can't imagine savoring as much in
>>electronic form - I want to have a physical book in my hands for her.
>>I will miss her new books.
>
> I think I burnt out on Cherryh. Love her style but just lost interest
> in The Perils of the Paidhe.

I completely understand. Cherryh is the author with the most books on
my Favorites bookcase (3 times the second place author), but the
_Foreigner_ series isn't all that close to having a representative
there. I buy her in hardcover to reward her for all her past works
(and because I'm somewhat of a completionist); her modern work is just
a well-crafted pleasant read.

Chris

On Wed, 11 May 2022 12:24:19 -0400, J. Clarke
<jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 11 May 2022 14:16:13 GMT, Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:
>
>>On 2022-05-11, Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:41:37 PM UTC+10, James Nicoll wrote:
>>>> https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/
>>>>
>>>> Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.
>>>
>>> Well, damn! "The Riddle Master of Hed" is one of my all time favourite series. Time for a re-read.
>>>
>>> -Moriarty
>>
>>Indeed.
>>
>>McKillip has been one of my very few "automatic buy in hardcover" for
>>decades. I think the only ones remaining whose automatic buys haven't
>>been converted to e-books are Kay, Cherryh, and Brust. The reasons
>>differ, but for McKillip, her lyrical prose (especially in her
>>mid-career books) is something I can't imagine savoring as much in
>>electronic form - I want to have a physical book in my hands for her.
>>I will miss her new books.
>
>I think I burnt out on Cherryh. Love her style but just lost interest
>in The Perils of the Paidhe.

A while back, I read the volumes I had not previously purchased (10
onwards). I stopped buying them when I burned out on them.

Each review noted that this was a incredibly detailed soap opera [1],
but a well-written soap opera and very smooth reading.

V10 starts with the kid one month from his 9th birthday. It took six
books (IIRC, might have been nine) to get to the birthday itself. One
month.

[1] A small joke on Amazon's claiming they were "space opera".
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

> On 11 May 2022 14:16:13 GMT, Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2022-05-11, Moriarty <blues95@ivillage.com> wrote:
>>> On Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 12:41:37 PM UTC+10, James Nicoll
>>> wrote:
>>>> https://locusmag.com/2022/05/patricia-a-mckillip-1948-2022/
>>>>
>>>> Noted fantasy author Patricia A. KcKillip has died.
>>> Well, damn! "The Riddle Master of Hed" is one of my all time
>>> favourite series. Time for a re-read.
>>>
>>> -Moriarty
>> Indeed.
>>
>> McKillip has been one of my very few "automatic buy in hardcover"
>> for decades.

I bounced off The Riddle Master of Hed on first read but have since
enjoyed it. Complete escapism. I liked that there was little to date it
and the emphasis of the world building seems to be on the concepts of
place in the world and duty with relationships based on respect and the
necessity of interdependence, the land heir position assigned by magic
being memorable. There is a distinct solemnity adding to the suspense
and once I realised there was to be no rules nor warning of outrageous
magic, I accepted that as well. Of course I was interested in the plot
but perhaps the real pleasure was from the mood she created and the
character of the protagonist.