McKillip, Patricia A. - Od Magic

[oyceter]

In the kingdom of Numis, all magic must be learned at Od's school of magic and used for the king; outside magic is thought of as a potential threat to king and country. There are rumors of Tyramin in the Twilight Quarters, a street performer who is allegedly capable of real magic, and Od's school has just acquired a new gardener with some strange powers.

I liked this book, and it's a McKillip, but I didn't like it half as much as I've liked some of her others. The imagery and the magic is still in place, but the theme is a little obvious, and I felt that there were a few too many supporting characters. I liked all of them, except I thought it was rather funny how the dust jacket focused on Brenden Vetch, as he was the least memorable character for me. I liked the often lost princess Sulys and Tyramin's daughter Mistral, but I felt too often that the story was going off in too many different directions, and the convergence at the end was a little too neat.

I feel a little bad saying this, because it was still a very enjoyable read, and I really loved some of the images of magic, particularly the hidden magics of other people and how they relate to small women's magics that are unnoticed and deemed powerless. I rather wish that I got to spend more time with Sulys and Mistral, though, because I liked them. And Yar the wizard.

Anyway, good, but I didn't like it as much as Winter Rose or Alphabet of Thorn.

Links:
- oursin's review
- rilina's review
- jinian's review

Comments

[oyceter]

Yeah... it was fun, but I actually sort of wish McKillip had cut out the Brenden Vetch storyline, because I completely forgot about it for large chunks of the time.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

It was extra confusing for me, because she spent so much space on his brother and ex-girlfriend that I really expected them to turn up again. Particularly his brother; Brenden goes to the same city where he is, thinks about him several times including considering trying to find him, and then, nothing. I don't demand everything be tidy in a story, but it just seemed odd to spend all that time and then do nothing with it.

[oyceter]

Yeah... I felt like Brenden basically completely drops out of the story halfway through and then makes a miraculous reappearance at the very end, which seemed at odds to how much focus was on him in the beginning.