Blue-Footed Musings

Below is a list of Barbara Michaels novels. I cobbled the list together from information I found at several websites. It looks as though Barbara Mertz published about a book per year under this pseudonym, for a total of twenty-nine. It’s an impressive list, especially considering that she had other pseudonyms.

I’ve created this list for myself, just in case I feel like reading them all. Each book takes me one or two nights to read, time that I would probably otherwise waste watching TV. I like being able to say I’ve read all of any author’s work. It gives me a feeling of having accomplished something.

Oh, I know there are many other readers who would sneer at my choice. I know a thing or two about literary snobs, in part because I am one. Though I myself often ridicule the genre, and sometimes (more gently) the author, I have been enjoying my Barbara Michaels binge. Nothing makes me happier than light reading by an author who seemed to look upon the world in much the same way as I do. It’s not literary. It’s not deep. It’s just escapist reading. Anyone who looks down on escapist reading should remember that, as C.S. Lewis told Arthur C. Clarke, “The only people who object to escapism are jailers.” Escapism is what we need when we’re watching so many things in this world go wrong. Escapism is what we need when we’re confronted with our own powerlessness. Escapism is what we need when we just can’t get out of a bad mood. Escapism is necessity, now more than ever. I have found the form of escapism that works for me right now. I only hope that everyone else can, too!

List of Novels by Barbara Michaels (those I’ve read are in bold)

• The Master of Blacktower (1966): B+
• Sons of the Wolf (1967): B+
• Ammie, Come Home (1968): B+
• Prince of Darkness (1969): F
• The Dark on the Other Side (1970): B+
• The Crying Child (1971): B+
• Greygallows (1972): B+
• Witch (1973): B+
• House of Many Shadows (1974): B+
• The Sea King’s Daughter (1975): B+
• Patriot’s Dream (1976): C+
• Wings of the Falcon (1977)
• Wait for What Will Come (1978): B
• The Walker in Shadows (1979): B-
• The Wizard’s Daughter (1980): A-
• Someone in the House (1981): B+
• Black Rainbow (1982): B
• Here I Stay (1983): C+
• The Grey Beginning (1984): A-
• Be Buried in the Rain (1985): B+
• Shattered Silk (1986): A
• Search the Shadows (1987): A
• Smoke and Mirrors (1989): B+
• Into the Darkness (1990): B+
• Vanish with the Rose (1992): B-
• Houses of Stone (1993): A-
• Stitches in Time (1995)
• The Dancing Floor (1997): C+
• Other Worlds (1999): B

P.S. I’ve been keeping this list up to date, so there are quite a few more titles in bold than there initially were. As of 7/28/18, there are only 11 that I haven’t read.

P.P.S. As of 2/25/2021, there are only 6 that I haven’t read.

P.P.P.S. As of 6/6/2021, there are only two left.

P.P.P.P.S. On 1/3/2022 I finished the last one (The Walker in Shadows).

P.P.P.P.P.S. On 10/19/2025 I added the grades and links to my reviews. Two titles are lacking grades, probably because I’d read them already and didn’t feel like rereading them at the time. Of those graded, only five got A-level grades and were thus judged worth rereading someday. They were The Wizard’s Daughter (1980), The Grey Beginning (1984): A-, Shattered Silk (1986): A, Search the Shadows (1987): A, and Houses of Stone (1993): A-. On my shelves I see all of them except The Wizard’s Daughter. Though I gave it an A-, I don’t remember it as being particularly good, so I think I can live without it. Oddly, I still have a copy of The Crying Child. I’m not sure why I kept it. I guess I’ll have to read it again someday. Oh, no! 😉