29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, February 7, 2002
Patricia McKillip at her worst is far better than usual fantasy writing, and here she is in fine form. Three-dimensional characters, flowing plot, flowery prose all meld together into a satisfying novel.
Gloom and shadow fall over the city of Ombria as its ruling prince lies dying, leaving four people in the palace: Kyel, his child-heir who is traumatized by the loss of his family and friends. Lydea, the prince's mistress from a tavern, who genuinely mourns him. Domina Pearl (also called "Black Pearl"), an ancient, hideous, deathless, inhuman woman who seeks to control Kyel for her own power over Ombria. And Ducon Greve, the prince's silver-eyed nephew, whose father is a mystery and who expresses himself through charcoal drawings.
When the prince dies, Kyel becomes the new prince -- but not before Domina Pearl throws Lydea out of the palace, and she flees to her father's grimy tavern -- only to find that she longer belongs there, but that she never belonged at the palace either.. Ducon is asked by nobles to try to overthrow the Black Pearl, but his sole concern seems to be for Kyel's safety, and he cannot act if it could hurt his young cousin. And in the "undercity," the sorceress Faey (who is definitely not human) is hired to "undo" Ducon -- except her waxling Mag (a living creature formed from wax) doesn't want Ducon to be killed.
But the political strife is only a portent of things to come. It's all linked to strange, ancient events that start with "perilous times, a desperate city, the ruling house in chaos, in danger." It's all linked to Ducon, Domina Pearl, Mag, a locket of blood and rose petals, a children's tale, and the shadow.
Like many of her recent books, this book focuses on several individuals whose lives interconnect within the main plot. As for the plot itself, well, expect the unexpected. In some ways it resembles "Song for the Basilisk," a prior book of McKillip's, with its mingling of magic and politics; also, Domina Pearl is in some ways reminiscent of the Basilisk, with her aura of quiet, stifling malevolence. But while the plotline of "Basilisk" was politics fueled by magic, it's the reverse here, magic fueled by politics; also, while the Basilisk was the figure on the throne, Domina Pearl is the power behind the throne. The "shadow city" is freshly created and beautifully explains certain plot points.
Like Morgan of the Riddle-Master trilogy, Ducon Greve is a quiet person who doesn't particularly want to get involved in earthshaking events, but has to anyhow. Lydea's growth is also well-done, as she tries to help Ducon and Kyel. Mag is a little more difficult to connect to at first, as she seems to think in a manner entirely differently from Lydea and more like (but not exactly like) Ducon. As the book unfolds, we do see more of her emotions and feelings. Faey is one of the most original characters -- we're never entirely sure what she is or what her motivations are, aside from herself. But that never makes her unsympathetic or hard to connect to.
McKillip's writing is, as always, lush and detailed without being smothering. Her dialogue ranges from beautiful and poetic to downright funny in a few places, down to Kyel playing with his little puppets. And we have yet another gorgeous Kinuko Craft cover (look carefully for the black pearls in Lydea's hair).
This will probably be one of the best fiction releases all year, a tale of power-seeking, magic, the cycles of history, ghosts, shadows, and underground sorcery. A treasure.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
more lucid dreaming, March 28, 2002
Reading Patricia McKillip is akin to lucid dreaming; I am aware that the world is not real and is not functioning according to everyday logic, but people and events form oddly beautiful and meaningful patterns. I slow down, reading individual words instead of compressing them into sentences and paragraphs; McKillip's language is half the pleasure of her books.
The other thing I love about McKillip is how little her books resemble cookie-cutter "fantasy" dreck. While her books are all reminiscent of each other, they are all individual. And they are not like anything else I've read. "Ombria in Shadow" is no exception.
Ombria is an ancient city; its past lies buried underground, layers of buildings and previous incarnations of the city shrouded in darkness. Aboveground, the city is troubled. The prince has died, leaving his five-year-old son Kyel Greve under the control of Domina Pearl, a woman who is steadily running Ombria into the ground for her own purposes. She is opposed by the prince's mistress, Lydea; his bastard nephew, the artist Ducon Greve; Mag, the "waxling" servant of a mysterious sorceress who lives in the underground city; and various coalitions of nobles who know nothing of the magical forces also working in Ombria.
Magic and legends of a shadow city weave in and out of the political story. I am still not sure how everything connects, particularly since none of the characters completely understands what happens towards the end. I am not terribly convinced by the explanations given to Ducon and Mag, and the last chapter left me thoroughly confused. However, while the story leaves a lot to be desired on the everyday level, the end *feels* right.
I just wish it made sense, too.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but... (warning: spoiler), April 22, 2004
I haven't read every McKillip book, but I've read a lot of them, and like some reviewers, I felt unfulfilled by this one. Despite the artistry of her words, I was just unfulfilled. After wondering about it, I finally realized why. McKillip's characters experience suffering and pain, just like you and me, and the richness of that pain experience -- how it deepens who they are and how they interact with others -- is part of their attraction. Perfect examples are in "Riddlemaster", "Atrix Wolfe", "Forests of Serre" and "Basilisk." Just about every book she writes, characters persevere through suffering, and their images seen through the lens of that suffering are strong and always hopeful.
That is what is lacking in this book (and here comes the spoiler). Most of the characters whose suffering the reader has grown to care about forget their suffering. Totally forget, as if it had never happened. No one learns or grows from the experience, no one is strengthened by it. To me, this cheapens what they experienced. It even lessens the hope we should (in classic McKillip) feel for them at the end -- for if no one remembers persevering through a painful past, how does anyone mature towards a hopeful or loving future? What would Morgan of Hed (Riddlemaster) or Ronan of Serre (Forests of Serre) have been like if they had completely forgotten their suffering? (...)
Despite her marvelous (as usual) prose here, I will not be buying this one in hardback.
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