Synopses & Reviews
Pass through fairy tales into the magic of invisible worlds in these opulent stories by a beloved fantasy icon and author of the classic Riddlemaster trilogy. Patricia McKillip has inspired generations of dedicated readers with enchanting tales that are as romantic as they are unexpected. Her lush, mesmerizing narratives are as deliciously bittersweet as the finest chocolate and as intoxicating as the finest wine.
The bewitching wonders offered here include princesses dancing with dead suitors, a knight in love with an official of exotic lineage, and fortunes fool stealing into the present instead of the future. Youll discover a ravishing undine and her mortal bridegroom who is more infatuated with politics than pleasure, a time-traveling angel forbidden to intervene in Cotton Mathers religious ravings, a wizard seduced in his youth by the Faerie Queen returning with a treasure that is rightfully hers, and an overachieving teenage mage tricked into discovering her true name very close to home.
Review
"Lush imagery and wry humor . . . McKillip's rich language conveys real strangeness and power." —Starlog
Review
"World Fantasy Award-winner McKillip can take the most common fantasy elements—dragons and bards, sorcerers and shape-shifters—and reshape them in surprising and resonant ways." —Publishers Weekly STARRED review on Harrowing the Dragon
Review
"Cool elegance." —Chicago Sun-Times
Review
"McKillip's is the first name that comes to mind when I'm asked whom I read myself." —Peter S. Beagle, author, The Last Unicorn
Review
"This brilliant new collection puts on display the audacity, the warmth, the intelligence, and depth of [McKillip's] huge and magnificent talent." —Peter Straub, author, A Dark Matter and Ghost Story
Review
"A casket full of wonders. I think each one is my favorite, until I read the next. McKillip has the true Mythopoeic imagination. Here lies the border between our world and that of Faerie." —P. C. Hodgell, author of the Kencyrath series
Review
"Endlessly astonishing and impressive fantasist McKillip (The Bards of Bone Plain) travels the shadowy twilight realm between worlds and returns with the raw stuff of dreams." —Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW - August 20, 2012)
Review
"I loved all the stories in this collection. . . . Patricia Mckillip is a master at what she does. Strongly recommended." —Locus (September 2012)
Review
"This is one to dip into, savour and place on that special shelf for books to be cherished." —www.StarburstMagazine.com
Review
"Mesmerizing. . . . Any collection of McKillip's short stories will be a valuable asset to any library and a joy to her many fans." —Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW - October 2012)
Review
"A perfect encapsulation of fantasy writing at its most brave and beautiful." —www.io9.com
Review
Endlessly astonishing and impressive fantasist McKillip (
The Bards of Bone Plain) travels the shadowy twilight realm between worlds and returns with the raw stuff of dreams.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Mesmerizing.... Any collection of McKillips short stories will be a valuable asset to any library and a joy to her many fans.”
Library Journal, starred review
Anybody who loves fantasynot just for what most fantasy does, but for what the genre is really capable ofshould definitely pick this book up. Its like a perfect encapsulation of fantasy writing at its most brave and beautiful.”
io9.com
A casket full of wonders. I think each one is my favorite, until I read the next. McKillip has the true Mythopoeic imagination. Here lies the border between our world and that of Faerie.”
P. C. Hodgell, author of the Kencyrath series
This brilliant new collection puts on display the audacity, the warmth, the intelligence, and depth of [McKillips] huge and magnificent talent.”
Peter Straub, author of Ghost Story and A Dark Matter
The lively and enchanting stories in Wonders of the Invisible World certainly deserve all the accolades I can summon.”
Paul Goat Allen, Barnes&Noble.com
I loved all the stories in this collection, and if I still have to tell you to try this out, well, you havent been reading my review.... Patricia Mckillip is a master at what she does. Strongly recommended.”
Locus
Wonders of the Invisible World is a wonderful collection of stories full of wit and insight wrapped in beautiful, effortless prose. McKillips ability to convey so much in so few words is impressive, as is her ability with storytelling, characterization, and thematic elements.”
Fantasy Café
This is one to dip into, savour, and place on that special shelf for books to be cherished.”
Starburst
...shes still one of the best fantasy writers out there.”
Green Man Review
Exquisitely written with destinations beyond your imaginings!”
My Shelf Confessions
"McKillip's is the first name that comes to mind when I'm asked whom I read myself."
Peter S. Beagle, author, The Last Unicorn
Synopsis
STARRED REVIEW] "Endlessly astonishing and impressive fantasist McKillip (The Bards of Bone Plain) travels the shadowy twilight realm between worlds and returns with the raw stuff of dreams."?Publishers Weekly Pass through fairy tales into the magic of invisible worlds in these opulent stories by a beloved fantasy icon and author of the classic Riddlemaster trilogy. Patricia McKillip has inspired generations of dedicated readers with enchanting tales that are as romantic as they are unexpected. Her lush, mesmerizing narratives are as deliciously bittersweet as the finest chocolate and as intoxicating as the finest wine.
The bewitching wonders offered here include princesses dancing with dead suitors, a knight in love with an official of exotic lineage, and fortune's fool stealing into the present instead of the future. You'll discover a ravishing undine and her mortal bridegroom who is more infatuated with politics than pleasure, a time-traveling angel forbidden to intervene in Cotton Mather's religious ravings, a wizard seduced in his youth by the Faerie Queen returning with a treasure that is rightfully hers, and an overachieving teenage mage tricked into discovering her true name very close to home.
Synopsis
Stylistically rooted in fairy tale and mythology, imperceptible landscapes are explored in these opulent stories from a beloved fantasy icon. There are princesses dancing with dead suitors, a knight in love with an official of exotic lineage, and fortunes fool stealing into the present instead of the future. In one mesmerizing tale, a time-traveling angel is forbidden to intervene in Cotton Mathers religious ravings, while another narrative finds a wizard seduced in his youth by the Faerie Queen and returning the treasure that is rightfully hers. Bewitching, bittersweet, and deeply intoxicating, this collection draws elements from the fables of history and re-creates them in startlingly magical ways.
About the Author
Patricia A. McKillip is the author of more than 30 fantasy novels including Harpist in the Wind, The Riddle Master of Hed, and The Sorceress and the Cygnet. She has received the Locus Award, the World Fantasy Award three times, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award twice, and her short fiction has been anthologized in multiple volumes including Full Spectrum, The Green Man: Tales from the Mystic Forest, and The Years Best Fantasy and Horror. She lives in North Bend, Oregon.
Table of Contents
Wonders of the Invisible World
Out of the Woods
The Kelpie
Hunters Moon
Oak Hill
The Fortune-Teller
Jack OLantern
Knight of the Well
Naming Day
Byndley
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Undine
Xmas Cruise
A Gift to Be Simple
The Old Woman and the Storm
The Doorkeeper of Khaat
What Inspires Me: Guest of Honor Speech at WisCon (2004)