Author: Gene Wolfe
Publisher: Tor
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: November 2004
The Wizard is the sequel of my previously reviewed novel by Gene Wolfe, The Knight, concluding Wolfe’s latest offering the two-part Wizard/Knight cycle. After concluding my reading of the The Wizard, and thus Wolfe’s story, I must say it’s very hard to not come away extremely impressed with the series as a whole, in terms of reading enjoyment, continued admiration for Gene Wolfe’s truly superior prose, and the format he chooses to relay the continuing adventures of the series focal character Sir Able of the High Heart. When reading The Wizard, and the series in its entirety, the reader is not just reading a terrific example of an admittedly rehashed concept to take space on the shelves with others that share the same mold, but also reading a novel written by a truly gifted writer who not only obviously understands the past precedence of the concept itself, but in fact relishes in it while weaving the concept and relaying it with original elements in a way very few writers in my opinion could succeed in attempting to at the level Mr. Wolfe successfully achieves. Very few writers truly have such seemingly command of their story’s narration, along with an understanding and confidence in their ability to captivate readers regardless how uneventful a scene may with which can only be described by this humble reviewer as his true mastery of the English language.
Wolfe’s story picks up after The Knight, detailing the chronicles of Sir Able of the High Heart (who we now know is Arthur Ormsby, or more simply Art). In The Wizard, Sir Able has recently returned from another of the realms as discussed in the earlier review of The Knight, Wolfe’s world is separated into 5 overlapping realms, the middle being Mythgarthr, the human realms, and where he arrived from our own “real world”) Skai, the realm that resides above Mythgarth. Skai is the realm that is inhabited by the deities of Wolfe’s creation, and upon returning to Mythgarthr from Skai, we are introduced to a decidedly changed and different Sir Able. His time in Skai was brief yet we find Sir Able, in that time has added some 20 more years in age (from The Knight). He is now no stranger in this new land, Wolfe depicts him as firmly a part and ingrained into the society, with knowledge of the local customs, social etiquettes, and what basically amounts to that this is not merely Sir Able’s present location, but continues the growing trend in the previous novel that this is now his home. Also it is worthy to note, through his past experiences depicted in The Knight and his transformations in The Wizard he is now a full-fledged knight, both in deeds and in character. Along with his status as a knight, Sir Able is given other attributes (as the title would make one think), he is also now a wizard in progress due to being adorned his powers by one of the aforementioned deity denizens of the Skai realm, the deity of the Valfather, the King of all Gods, a gift for his successful quest rendered in The Knight in reclaiming the sword. Armed with these new talents, along with a new means of transportation, a flying horse aptly named Cloud, Wolfe takes the reader on more quests which include adding in The Knight, a political aspect that he brings to us in the form of the workings and present situation concerning the Giants, who are ruled by King Gilling, and his bride Idnn, a human queen. In depicting this matter Wolfe introduces something that was absent in The Knight, which is a rather detailed battle scene. While reading the nature of the scene, it struck me as odd in reference to my reading of the series and its tone thus far, but I have come to a deduced explanation I will get into later in the review, concerning both the battle scene and the inclusion of the political intrigue in The Wizard. In Sir Able’s adventures we are also introduced to the human court, led by Arnthor, where Able becomes both gifted with lordship of a castle, and also finds himself in the subject of the King’s sister (Morcaine) affection, who simply will not take no for an answer. The human court is depicted no less mired in corruption as in Jotunland (the giants), and is also facing eminent war from it borders. In Sir Able’s continuing adventures he attended by the same cast of unique, and well rounded supporting characters, which now include servants to go with his new title and status, along with the familiar continuing companionship from The Knight of Gylf, his dog. Another creature from The Knight we will see is the return of the Dragon, and readers are treated to a continuance to their last meeting at the last novels conclusion. All said, Gene Wolfe successfully puts together, even if just taken for its surface worth a entertaining adventure, that admittedly has some lulls that The Knight didn’t have, but they are hardly apparent in light of Wolfe’s remarkable writing talent, and quality of prose.
I wanted to touch back on some differences in the two novels that were rather obvious to the point in my opinion they had to have purpose in concerns to a writing by Wolfe. As I stressed in my review of The Knight, the narration and scenes depicted relayed to the reader are that of a child, and Wolfe does an absolutely incredible job in that novel representing that fact. Also I noted what I felt was the ambiguous, if not crafty simple portrayal of the presentation of novel, starting with and including the choice of the title itself. The Wizard depicts the views of an adult, a knight in every sense of the word, and although I could admittedly be very incorrect, but The Wizard not only represents the views of a older narrator and how he perceives his surroundings (this is of course a fact), again masterfully depicted by Wolfe, but I also think the second novel in some way purposely represents in some subtle ways the evolution of fantasy itself. In The Knight, we get what amounts to a fairy tale story, one narrator, lived through by a boy, and his adventures in it, told in a very linear, direct manner, without some elements present in it that are in The Wizard, which introduces well portrayed political intrigue, an example of a more graphic battles, parts of the novel not narrated by Sir Able, and the depiction of more intricate concerns that would be a cause of hardship to the adult Able and not a the carefree nature of a child. Like I said, I could be most wrong in my assumption, but this is what seems apparent to me in my interpretation of the reading. In short, it’s rather brilliant.
In closing, I can’t say enough of the overall quality The Wizard just exudes, which describes the series as a whole aptly. It offers a fun continuance of the adventures of its predecessor, while written in absolutely flawless trademark Gene Wolfe prose. This series really should be present in any reader of fantasies home, regardless what branch of the genre the reader claims preference over. Simply a delightful read, one that you can’t walk away with void of admiration for the author.
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