The Wizard Knight, by Gene Wolfe ***1/4

In general, I enjoyed this series quite a bit. It's a pretty easy read for Wolfe in some respects, although I actually find all of his stuff relatively easy to read - it's just that while I'm reading it I know I'm not picking everything up. Reading this is no exception, but since the narrator in this book is not an intellectual, the words read pretty simply. In that sense the book reminds me of Wolfe's Latro In The Mist series, because that narrator was also a simple guy who wrote in similarly simple-ish sentences. Latro... was more of a puzzle, though, whereas this is really just a fantasy. It may be the straightest fantasy Wolfe's ever written, and it even has variations on a couple of the standard fantasy conventions, as well as some of the standard fantasy characters. Yet somehow in Wolfe's hands none of these things are dull or obvious or clichˆ©. It's actually kind of impressive to me that he can do it, and at the same time it proves that clichˆ© is about context and use, not about the elements themselves. [Note: "Straightest" for Wolfe is still confusing with multiple layers of meanin.]

Additionally, I remain impressed by Wolfe's control of his narrators, and thereby the delivery of information that sets up the world, story, etc.. One of the most fascinating elements in this book is the fact that at the very beginning Wolfe provides a cast of characters, but not as they often appear in other books, where it's an omniscient list - here it's a list created by the narrator, from the narrator's perspective, with a note from the narrator about how to use the list. And although the narrator then tells us not to sit there and read through the list, Wolfe knows that we might a little bit, so he frames the information about the various characters accordingly. The narrator suggests that we check the list if we're confused or if he drops in a name and we aren't quite sure who it is from the story, but I see other names there as well, and in some cases the definition of a character will actually lead me to still other characters in the list. So as I'm reading, I come across a name and reference the list, often seeing other names on the list that I don't know yet, which in a way give me insight into where the story is heading, though Wolfe is in control of the information in the list, so he only gives away what he wants. It's just another instance of how Wolfe is such a master of the manner in which he delivers the story, adding layer upon layer of abstraction and interior connections, etc. I enjoy these games of Wolfe's, and I even enjoy writing about these games Wolfe plays, because the sentences explaining the layers become almost absurd themselves!

The series is divided in half as two books, The Knight and The Wizard, both of which are pretty long - together they form what is a hefty time investment, on par with that of other Wolfe series that I've read. For the most part, both books were of equal quality, though the first is a bit more emotionally interesting for me while the second has a bit more direction and feels more cohesive overall. There is a change that takes place at the end of the first book/ beginning of the second that alters the emotional content and makes it a bit more distant in some ways, but it remains a more emotional book than almost everything of Wolfe's I've read thus far.

Wolfe is clearly aging well. This isn't his best book, but it's a very successful one, and in some ways it's more successful than some of his others because it feels inclusive. Wolfe's work can feel elitist at times, which is fine, but I think this could be successfully read by teenagers. Wolfe does with his books what I try to do with music - create works that can be enjoyed on multiple levels, and encourage repeated readings, though repeated readings are not necessary to enjoy the book. A lot of music doesn't become interesting without multiple listenings, and that annoys me. I want people to enjoy the first time, but I don't want it to be about shock, and I don't want my work to be a story that, once known, no longer holds interest. I want people to be able to listen in multiple ways on multiple occasions, INCLUDING the first one, hopefully finding new things each time. Wolfe does that with his books, and this one at least as well as any work I've read of his.
(Winter 2006)

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