Like the royal tutor (a key figure), the novel ‘wavers between history and magic,’ and the ornate, occasionally mannered prose conceals both wit and intelligence.”—The Washington Post Book World
“An intriguing and compelling portrait of a city born of light and shadow, whose citizens may discover the means to cross the borders between the real and the merely possible. The author’s graceful prose and remarkable depth of characterization bring to life a tale of love and loyalty that transcends time and space.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“This is absolutely the most pleasing book Patricia A. McKillip has written in years…a swift-moving journey through a maze of truth, loss, secrets, bravery, temptation, obsession, magic, and ultimately, love.”—SF Site
“A swift, dark dream of a book…Masterfully turning old fairy tales on their heads as she pits the horrors of unchecked avarice and spells-for-hire against those very different forces, keen wits and steadfast love, McKillip maintains a delicate balance throughout Ombria in Shadows.”—Locus
“A ghostly tale of human emotions gone astray in a city that lives and dies in endless cycles…fine prose.”—Publishers Weekly
The Barnes & Noble Review
Patricia A. McKillip, author of award-winning novels such as The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and Harpist in the Wind, has written her best novel in years. Ombria in Shadow is a surreal mixture of fantasy, romance, and fairy tale where the lines between reality and myth become blurred in the shadows of an ancient city.
Ombria is a place heaped with history -- and secrets. There is a buried city beneath it inhabited by ghosts, accessible only through magical passages and long-forgotten doorways. When the Prince of Ombria dies suddenly, his wicked great-aunt Domina Pearl seizes power by becoming regent to the prince's young son, Kyel. Minutes after the prince's death, Domina kicks Lydea, the prince's longtime mistress, out into the streets to die. But she is saved by a strange girl named Mag, a supposed waxling created by a powerful sorceress who lives underneath the city. With the help of Mag and the prince's bastard nephew, a strange, silver-eyed man obsessed with drawing, Lydea tries to save Kyel and somehow defeat Domina.
Reading Ombria in Shadow was an absolute delight. Not just a haunting bittersweet story with truly captivating characters but a beautifully designed book as well. The cover art by Kinuko Y. Craft makes this a book lover's treasure. Paul Goat Allen
Harking back to some of her earliest works (namely The Forgotten Beasts of Eld), McKillip offers up a ghostly tale of human emotions gone astray in a city that lives and dies in endless cycles. Greed, despair, grief and avarice have all taken their toll on the once-beautiful city of Ombria, but it is the death of its prince that pushes it over the edge into darkness and shadow. Several key players participate in this particular procession of dying and rebirth: Kyel Greve, the new prince-to-be who is too young to rule but old enough to feel the despair of those around him; Lydea, the dying prince's lover who feels the weight of the city resting on her shoulders; Ducon Greve, the bastard prince who sees and feels the change happening but is in no position to alter the coming darkness; Domina Pearl, the sorceress who is pushing the city even further on its path of destruction; and Mag and Faey, two mysterious women who hold some of the past, present and future of Ombria inside them. In tone more gothic horror than straight fantasy, this somber novel lacks a clear protagonist, each character being more intent on finding his or her own path than fighting any clear battle. But the fine prose is nothing less than what one would expect from a World Fantasy Award winner, while the detailed portraits of the dying city coupled with the gloomy attitude of its citizenry are quite chilling. (Jan. 8) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
The Prince of Ombria lies dying. His aunt, called the Black Pearl, is poised to take over, and very few can oppose her: Kyel, the child-heir; Ducon, the Prince's bastard nephew, more interested in sketching than in ruling; and Lydea, once mistress to the Prince and now a lowly barmaid. But there is another Ombria, existing in the shadows beneath this one, inhabited by a sorceress and her human child-servant Mag. The sorceress knows a secret about Ombria, but she has no interest in the affairs of the world above, until the Black Pearl dares to interfere in her own life. This hallucinatory novel is almost impossible to summarize, but it is wonderful, and fans of historical fantasy will love it. For all fantasy collections. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Berkley, Ace, 298p., Root
Veteran fantasy author McKillip will please her many fans and win new ones with this haunting Gothic fantasy. During the past decade, she has produced half a dozen fantasy novels, each in the same small format with sumptuous jacket illustrations by Kinuko Craft. Here she draws readers into the crumbling, brooding port city of Ombria, whose young prince, Royce Greve, has recently died, leaving his vulnerable young son, Kyel, in the dubious care of the malignant regent Domina Pearl. Kyel's survival becomes the focal point of intrigues in the corrupt and decadent city
— Walter Hogan
The death of Ombria's prince places the city and its child-heir in the hands of a ruthless regent. Only the late prince's former mistress, a bastard nephew, and a sorcerer's apprentice stand between the machinations of the ageless and apparently deathless Domina Pearl and the true heir to the city. In her latest novel, award-winning fantasy author McKillip (The Tower at Stony Wood) creates an intriguing and compelling portrait of a city born of light and shadow, whose citizens may discover the means to cross the borders between the real and the merely possible. The author's graceful prose and remarkable depth of characterization bring to life a tale of love and loyalty that transcends time and space and belongs in most fantasy collections. Highly recommended for both adult and YA readers. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
