“The Tower at Stony Wood” by Patricia A McKillip

Recommended to me by: a Yuletide story

I’m a longtime McKillip fan for the RiddleMaster of Hed series and Forgotten Beasts of Eld, and I thought I had read everything she wrote, including this one, but the characters didn’t sound familiar at all, so I got it from the library.

I vaguely recognized some of the scenes, and once I got to the ending I remember being disappointed by it before. I didn’t deeply engage with the characters or their motivations. I did read it all the way through – the writing is lovely.

I think part of the problem is that the main characters are young privileged heterosexual men in a monarchy, with women playing supporting roles. I’m not the target market for that anymore. A quick read that passes the time, but not one I need to return to.

Available at bookshop.org.