The Wizard is a charming, riveting, emotionally charged tale of wonders, written with all the beauty one would expect from a writer whom Damon Knight called "a national treasure." If you've never sampled the works of the man Michael Swanwick described as "the greatest writer in the English language alive today," the two volumes of The Wizard Knight are the perfect place to start.
I know a lot of people can't get into Wolfe, but I can't see any Watchers not enjoying this series.
Last edited by [Syl] on Wed Apr 26, 2006 5:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Amazon's got a good deal if you buy both. You won't be disappointed.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
I picked up these two books today. Won't get to them for a bit, though, as I have just started King's very long Dark Tower series. But am looking forward to them. They look good.
I stared reading The Knight this morning, and so far it is a first rate read.
Spoiler
A little boy is being raised by his brother, here in our world. They go to their cabin in the woods for a weekend. The big brother's girlfriend calls, he goes to see her, leaving the little brother at the cabin. The kid wanders off on a hike, and wanders over the boundary into another world. Something happens in the transition that messes up his memory, so he's not sure what his name was i nthe other world, or what the name of the town had been where he had lived.
This other world has a flavor of Norse myth. There are multiple worlds, Frost Giants, elves, etc.
An elfen queen gives the kid a nice, new body that would do justice to an NFL offensive lineman -- but he is still a little kid on the inside. And he decides that he wants to be a knight.
And all of this is just in the first few chapters!
(Syl, I spoiled all of this just in case, but most of it is on the book jacket and in the description of the book at Amazon. If you want to unspoil it, it's fine with me.)
Whew. I finally finished The Wizard yesterday. Man, what a book. I think I have to proclaim this my favorite Wolfe series ever (which would by virtue bring it on level with the the Chronicles). I'm not saying best, just favorite. It doesn't have the stunning complexity of the Urth books, but I think that works in its favor for me.
At first, I was pretty dispirited not having Sir Able around other than a narrator, but the alternate PoVs really helped me come to understand and like some characters that I'd more or less written off. Later I was constantly wishing for more description of his adventures in Skai, but I think it was for the best.
There's more than enough mysteries for the Wolfe fan to unravel, though they're not so complex that it takes more than the two books to figure them out. You won't need an OED to unravel a lot of the words used or the places and people named, though I imagine it would be incredibly useful to have a plethora of mythological references to look for things (while most is Norse, like the obscure Forsetti, some, like Kulili or Parca, is no).
My dream is to get enough support for a dissection of this series some day.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
I have both books and have started reading The Knight--about a 1/4 through it. I love it so far. Wolfe always blows me away with his writuing style. He manages to fill the pages with various images, fantastic elements and interesting characters without bogging the reader down with overwritten prose.
As I said I'm still early on in the Knight. I love how Wolfe turns Able into a man and knight without eliminating his boyish attitude. He is doing his best to imitate Sir Ravd, but sometimes comes off as a boy who is suddenly granted super powers (which I guess is true!) He seems to be particulary good at ordering people around, whereas Ravd shows patience and humility that can only be gained with age.
So far, so good!!
Proverbs for Paranoids #3.
If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers.
While I don't think The Wizard/knight Duology was Wolfe's best wrok by any means (that honor goes to his Book of the New Sun IMHO) this was a real well executed series. Wolfe is a master, and the strength of his prose is undeniable. In any case I reviewed both of these novels, if any are interested here:
Must. Restrain. Self. Do. Not. Buy. Wizard. Knight. Single. Volume. Edition. Argh!
I'm pretty close to giving in on this one - why oh why can't I wait until I actually have time to read it? And at the very least I'll have to install a new shelf to hold the bloody thing - have you seen the size of it?
I wasn't even aware that it comes in a single volume. I have only seen it as two separate books?
I was even wondering lately if Tor has worked out a new strategy of trying to get extra money from avid readers by splitting novels in half and publishing them both as hardcovers, between Wolfe's Wizard Knight and Carey's The Sundering.
I must have it. My hardbacks have been thrashed, between carrying them on and off two ships, sitting in my trunk, etc. I still need to pick up Strains, as well. *sigh*
(*looks at the money in his wallet he won from poker the other night*)
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
I've just rented The Wizard Knight out today, just minutes ago in fact. Looks long... but I heard Syl talking about Wolfe with passion about a year back, and I promised him I'd give Wolfe a go...
If you think it's daunting now, wait until you start reading it. Believe me, though, it's worth it.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
hmm... couldn't really get into the book... didn't like it that much... I only read the first 50 pages; So I can't make a completely fair judgement on it... but the narrative really got on my nerves for the short time I read it... the way it was written, as though it was a letter to a friend annoyed me... so I found it hard to get into... i might give it another go... but for now, David Eddings calls to me.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
Believe me, though, it's worth it.
