When Ombria’s prince, Royce Greve, breathes his last—in palace rooms high above the city—he leaves his young son and mistress at the mercy of his ancient and powerful great-aunt, Domina Pearl. Meanwhile, in a dreamlike underworld peopled by Ombria’s ghosts, a sorceress weaves her spells and brews her potions, never revealing her real face—or true heart. And somewhere in between, the struggle to rule the whole of Ombria—both its light and shadows—will rest in the hands of those whose fractured lives align like the lost pieces of a magical puzzle….
Ombria in Shadow
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As Ombria in Shadow demonstrates, World Fantasy Award winner Patricia A. McKillip (author of Riddle-Master, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, and other novels) ranks with Ursula K. Le Guin and Jane Yolen as one of the great fantasists of the 20th century--and the 21st.
The Prince of Ombria lies dying, and already his sinister great-aunt, Domina Pearl--called the Black Pearl--is seizing power. The Prince's heir is a child, a boy too young to oppose her, and the Prince's nephew is a powerless bastard, an artist preoccupied with sketching the decaying city. No one lives who may stop the Black Pearl's ascent to the throne, or so it seems. But beneath the streets of Ombria lies a second, shadow Ombria, a buried city inhabited not only by ghosts, but by a powerful, mysterious sorceress and her creation, a girl sculpted from wax. But the sorceress is a woman of uncertain allegiances, and her beautiful young assistant has become fascinated by the Prince's bastard nephew--and has caught the malevolent eye of the Black Pearl. --Cynthia Ward --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
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.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
While the ruler of the ancient city of Ombria lay dying, his mistress, frozen out of the room by the black stare of Domina Pearl, drifted like a bird on a wave until she bumped through Kyel Greve's unguarded door to his bed, where he was playing with his puppets. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
While the ruler of the ancient city of Ombria lay dying, his mistress, frozen out of the room by the black stare of Domina Pearl, drifted like a bird on a wave until she bumped through Kyel Greve's unguarded door to his bed, where he was playing with his puppets. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
From reading this book one can tell that Patricia A. Mckillip is a very good author. Her use of literary devices are spectacular and the story is quite in-depth. I did enjoy this book, but I was very confused throughout most of it. It's somewhat thought provoking yet too far out to actually relate to. Something was lacking as well, I'm not quite sure what it was. Perhaps it's that in the beginning of the book there wasn't much plot development. Although regardless of that it still feels like there is something missing.
All in all, I don't regret reading this book. I was just bothered by how some aspects of it are nearly incomprehensible.
By J. Greenwood
Format:Hardcover
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.
By polkadots
Format:Paperback
I would actually give this book 4.5 stars if I could, but since that's not an option, 4 stars is better. I do agree with some of the other reviews saying that there is something missing from the book. It just...I want to know more! And that's a good thing! I find myself thinking about this book constantly. It's very thought-provoking, because you don't REALLY understand what's going on sometimes, and I've had to read parts over because I just flew by readung it the first time. It's a VERY interesting book. It's definetly not just any fantasy. When I was reading it, and after I finished, this book feels very much like a dream. It has that dream-quality, where it just kind of floats by, and after you've woken up, you don't really remembered what happened.
It is a very good book, if you want something a little different, with intresting characters (for some reason, I particularly liked Ducon. I think it had something to do with the hair! He was just a cool character, in my opinion) I think no matter how many times you read this book, you'll still want more.
It is a very good book, if you want something a little different, with intresting characters (for some reason, I particularly liked Ducon. I think it had something to do with the hair! He was just a cool character, in my opinion) I think no matter how many times you read this book, you'll still want more.
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4.1 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Surely you Expected no Reward for Loving"
Like all of Patricia McKillip's books, "Ombria in Shadow" is a dreamy, intricate tale, made memorable by her distinctive poetic prose. Read more
Published on Jan 25 2004 by R. M. Fisher
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, readable fantasy
A good chef can make wonderful pastries from ordinary ingredients. That's how McKillip writes: she starts with the evil queen, a half-hidden mage, a city on the edge of shadow, and... Read more
Published on Dec 23 2003 by wiredweird
3.0 out of 5 stars
nice book, though not her best
first of all i've got to say that i did enjoy most of the parts in this book, just as in books i've read by patricia mckillip, she draw a picture of a beautiful world, occupy with... Read more
Published on Dec 1 2003 by A. Dan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Woah...
Since "The Book of Atrix Wolfe" left me a little cold, I was leery of reading another McKillip book. I'm so glad I picked up this one, though! Read more
Published on Sep 26 2003 by Kieri
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and enchanting...
As always, McKillip's prose is exquisite, particularly suitable to this fairy tale that also pays homage to many elements of the gothic literary tradition. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2003 by Jennifer Jackson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and enchanting...
As always, McKillip's prose is exquisite, particularly suitable to this fairy tale that also pays homage to many elements of the gothic literary tradition. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2003 by Jennifer Jackson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and enchanting...
As always, McKillip's prose is exquisite, particularly suitable to this fairy tale that also pays homage to many elements of the gothic literary tradition. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2003 by Jennifer Jackson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and enchanting...
As always, McKillip's prose is exquisite, particularly suitable to this fairy tale that also pays homage to many elements of the gothic literary tradition. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2003 by Jennifer Jackson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing and enchanting...
As always, McKillip's prose is exquisite, particularly suitable to this fairy tale that also pays homage to many elements of the gothic literary tradition. Read more
Published on Sep 4 2003 by Jennifer Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanted Illusion
Very enchanting indeed :). Where did Ms. McKillip get the inspiration? There are so many items in the story itself I want to have i.e. the fan. Read more
Published on July 28 2003 by Spy Groove
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