Gene Wolfe continues to write superb prose
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I like Gene Wolfe's novels. I wasn't too sure about how to approach this one; I told myself I'd outgrown sword and sorcery. But I needn't have worried. I think it's great stuff.
I'm not powerfully fond of stories which make use of talking animals - which is what we see in this work - but Gene Wolfe is such a good writer that we can allow him some liberty.
I look forward to reading the sequel, The Wizard.
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A fascinating and 'addictive' read!
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I've always wanted to get into SF and Fantasy reading to escape, but always had difficulty, because the worlds and 'things' are so difficult to imagine - how ever hard one tries... I would rarely finish a book in these genres as a consequence. However, having first been drawn to this novel 'The Knight' by the beautiful cover of the Orion paperback edition (cover art wonderfully done by Laura Brett, who utilises the colour green in a way I've never seen before!) upon starting, I soon became riveted! It is so well written! I felt completely and totally transported and immersed in this, that I just HAD to purchase the sequel 'The Wizard' without waiting! (this is also a first for me, as I do not normally take to sequels, trilogies, sagas etc.) I also went out of my way to purchase the Orion edition using the beautiful artwork of Laura Brett once again, and also because, although the print is quite small, it is very easy on the eye.
The chapter 'Disiri' in particular, is one of the most fascinating and magical portions I have ever read in any book! The aroma and atmosphere of the mossy green foliage of the forest in the half light was so vivid and captivating - I believe I was really there - if only for a moment - or was it a year - I found it so enthralling! There is also another wonderful outstanding chapter, when 'Idnn' is attempting to persuade Sir Able to marry her - he pointing out all the impossibilities of this, but she protests with many humorous arguments, and sort of 'barters' with him over this. There is also some beautiful gems of prose and passages here, that many would only expect to find in the 'classics'; one for example is at the beginning of chapter 62 'The Armies of Winter and Old Night advanced across the sky, monstrous bodies lit from within by lightnings...'
The last four chapters for me were somewhat confusing, and just a little out of sync from the rest of the novel I felt, and was a little frustrating after I'd followed this adventure so well, and so I only hope that the sequel 'The Wizard' will enlighten me, and all will become clear!
I would have loved more of 'Disiri' and the lovely vivid green forest.
A truly fantastical read!
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A fascinating and 'addictive' read!
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I've always wanted to get into SF and Fantasy reading to escape, but always had difficulty, because the worlds and 'things' are so difficult to imagine - how ever hard one tries... I would rarely finish a book in these genres as a consequence. However, having first been drawn to this novel 'The Knight' by the beautiful cover of the Orion paperback edition (cover art wonderfully done by Laura Brett, who utilises the colour green in a way I've never seen before!) upon starting, I soon became riveted! It is so well written! I felt completely and totally transported and immersed in this, that I just HAD to purchase the sequel 'The Wizard' without waiting! (this is also a first for me, as I do not normally take to sequels, trilogies, sagas etc.) I also went out of my way to purchase the Orion edition using the beautiful artwork of Laura Brett once again, and also because, although the print is quite small, it is very easy on the eye.
The chapter 'Disiri' in particular, is one of the most fascinating and magical portions I have ever read in any book! The aroma and atmosphere of the mossy green foliage of the forest in the half light was so vivid and captivating - I believe I was really there - if only for a moment - or was it a year - I found it so enthralling! There is also another wonderful outstanding chapter, when 'Idnn' is attempting to persuade Sir Able to marry her - he pointing out all the impossibilities of this, but she protests with many humorous arguments, and sort of 'barters' with him over this. There is also some beautiful gems of prose and passages here, that many would only expect to find in the 'classics'; one for example is at the beginning of chapter 62 'The Armies of Winter and Old Night advanced across the sky, monstrous bodies lit from within by lightnings...'
The last four chapters for me were somewhat confusing, and just a little out of sync from the rest of the novel I felt, and was a little frustrating after I'd followed this adventure so well, and so I only hope that the sequel 'The Wizard' will enlighten me, and all will become clear!
I would have loved more of 'Disiri' and the lovely vivid green forest.
A truly fantastical read!
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The tale of a good-hearted person
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I love this writer and this story is superb. I couldn't put it down and even read it while walking my dog. Dragons and knights can be corny but here they are in the hands of a true master. Wolfe is interested in the fantastic and here he imagines what would happen if an ordinary person were guided by fate into a bizarre tapestry of events. He has created an original and enchanting world that is utterly believable because the character is so grounded. Like many of wolfe's characters,it is essentially a journey of self-discovery by a good-hearted and slightly confused and humble young man, who aspires to be kind and brave and somehow gives hope to those who he meets. Read it!
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A dull and worthless Knight
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The fact that this book does not adhere directly to the 'clichés' of fantasy writing is not in itself a virtue, as many fans are quick to suggest. The story actually remains mundane because it avoids many of the magical scenarios which would normally enliven such a tale. The central character is so lifeless and wilfully obscure that my interest in him drained away. He is portrayed throughout as the naïf who moves dully and limply from one uneventful scene to the next. The main character has little wit or insight to make us either empathise or care about him I have no problem with how Wolfe portrays the secondary characters (he is very good at this), but an epic fantasy cannot be sustained by interest in incidental characters The absence of action is seriously detrimental in my opinion. Why should such a narrative shy away from action or moments of conflict when it is these situations which give life-blood to the genre!! The book throughout remains anaemic and thoroughly indifferent to 'adventure' Weird images and cornflake box philosophy don't sustain interest and are best left for 60's alternative cinema. A bit more hack and slash would have enlivened this dull fare considerably. Tolkien could balance characterization and weirdness with moments of epic drama, we don't get one moment of this in The Knight. The comparison therefore is unacceptable, as is that with Malory. Shorn of any religious imperative or motivation, the travails of this character remain uninspiring and uninspired
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