Ombria in Shadow

by Patricia A. McKillip

Overview

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….

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780441010165
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/04/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	345,200
Product dimensions:	5.01(w) x 6.95(h) x 0.75(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Patricia A. McKillip is a winner of the World Fantasy Award, and the author of many fantasy novels, including The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy, Stepping from the Shadows, and The Cygnet and the Firebird. She lives in Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

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

 

From the Publisher

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

bn.com

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.

Publishers Weekly

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.

Library Journal