Song for the Basilisk
#3924.02 adjusted 4.01 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1998 Reading commitment Low Patricia A. McKillip Last reviewed 2026-09-29
Overview
Patricia A. McKillip's 1998 novel follows Caladrius, called Rook, the sole survivor of his house's massacre, raised by the bards of Luly on their northern island and haunted by fragments of fire and death. Grown, he leaves the island to learn who destroyed his family and finds his true name, Griffin Tormalyne, and his enemy, Arioso Pellior of the house of the Basilisk, tyrant of the city of Berylon, into whose household he enters as a music tutor while the city's musicians hatch plots of their own. A Mythopoeic Award finalist and a separate world from McKillip's other universes in this canon.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Song for the Basilisk (1998) core · 4.02 (2,790 ratings); Ace Books, September 1998. A separate world from McKillip's other universes in this canon.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Song for the Basilisk? Song for the Basilisk's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Song for the Basilisk finished? Complete (1998).
- How much reading does Song for the Basilisk take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~314 pages).
- How is Song for the Basilisk ranked? #392 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,790 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #392?
Ranked #392 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.02 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (2,790 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #391, War for the Oaks (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #392 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 1999: nominated: Song for the Basilisk; Finalist.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.02 across 2,790 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: Song for the Basilisk (Patricia A. McKillip) accepted 2026-09-29
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-29
Rule: Core Canon = Song for the Basilisk (1998) only, standalone.