The Book I was first introduced to Patricia McKillip through Ombria in Shadow, both of which (author and book) were suggested by a friend. In doing so, the friend gave me both my favorite author and my favorite book. In Ombria in Shadow, the ruler of Ombria has died and his great-aunt, Domina Pearl wastes no time in taking over as his young son's regent. Lydea, his mistress, must find a way to protect the poor prince, Kyel, even though she's been kicked out of the palace with only the clothes on her back. With the help of Mag, a mysterious girl who serves a sorceress known as Faey, and the bastard son of the ruler's younger sister, Ducan, Lydea unravels the mystery of the shadow Ombria and reaches out from her lowly position as an innkeeper's daughter to protect not only the prince, but Ombria itself. The story itself is an unexpected, imaginative, engaging tale. Unexpected and imaginative in that it's a unique world and the events that happen fit perfectly within this tale but are not events I've encountered elsewhere. McKillip takes some very familiar basic elements and turns them into something never seen before. Her ending, even more unexpected than the rest of the story, leaves you wondering what really happened, but doesn't leave you disatisfied. This book must be reread because there's no way to get it all in one sitting. It's one of those books, the ones that are so richly layered in language and content that rereading it again and again reveals something new every time. It is well worth the price of even a hardbound or quality paperback, editions I do not buy too often because of the price. TheAuthor Patricia McKillip was born was born February 29, 1948 - which makes her a leap year child - in Salem, Oregon. Her her mother and older sister Carol still live near the Oregon coast, while her four other siblings are scattered along the Pacific Northwest. She has also lived in Germany and England where her father (an Air Force officer) was was stationed in between 1958 and 1962. She attended San Jose State earning her B.A. in 1971. In 1973 she earned her M.A. in English Lit. from San Jose State University and published her first two books, The Throme of the Erril of Sherrill and The House on Parchment Street, both of which she wrote when she was supposed to be studying. Her next book, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, won the 1975 World Fantasy Award. Her first few novels, including The House On Parchment Street, The Forgotten Beasts Of Eld, and The Riddle-Master Trilogy, were published as young adult novels. She has also written science fiction both for adults and young adults: Fool's Run, and the Moon-Flash novels. In recent years, she has concentrated mainly on fantasy for adults, with such works as The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Something Rich and Strange, which was illustrated by Brian Froud, and which won the 1994 Mythopoeic Award, and Winter Rose, a very loose retelling of the Tam Lin ballad, which was nominated for a 1996 Nebula Award. She currently resides in Roxbury, New York (USA). In addition to writing, McKillip also plays the piano, and her love for music has shown up in some of her books, including Fool's Run and Song for the Basilisk. She loves cooking, the seacoast, and likes long walks on the beach.