elliottback's review
5.0
Obtuse boy thrown into a wild land fantasy complicated by a world-in-worlds scenery populated by complex mythical creatures and spirits. Read at your peril, as you won't be stopping anytime soon!
nayneyneigh's review
2.0
To paraphrase the words poetic of Sir Able of the High Heart: "Look, they've got tits!"
This is another example of Gene Wolfe being Gene Wolfe, however this novel lacks the purpose behind the fragmentary, labyrinthian narrative, such as is present in his magnum opus, Book of the New Sun.
On the other hand, I listened to the audiobook and missed a ton of shit and the book might actually be really good.
I dunno.
This is another example of Gene Wolfe being Gene Wolfe, however this novel lacks the purpose behind the fragmentary, labyrinthian narrative, such as is present in his magnum opus, Book of the New Sun.
On the other hand, I listened to the audiobook and missed a ton of shit and the book might actually be really good.
I dunno.
drusca78's review against another edition
2.0
Mi s-a parut prea intortocheata. Mi ar fi trebuit sa am un dictionar explicativ sa pot aprecia la valoarea ei aceasta carte.
cheezvshcrvst's review against another edition
5.0
This 5 star review is that of a reread (a reread that remembers little but recalls much of the overall story and that of the sequel, The Wizard.) Look, we get it, this one is overwhelmingly vague and nebulous. Lots happens and yet, arguably, not much actually occurs in the sense that the very superficial plot is… what? It’s there: boy suddenly a man seeks to prove himself a knight worthy of the respect and stature afforded a hero of the realms of man, elf, god, etc. The story is a confusing, near-garble of allusions to multiverse traversal (you got that, right?), explorations of sexual exploitation/the cringe that is a coming of age story entirely reliant upon sex as both catalyst and justification, and something supposedly epistolary to an unseen and not-yet-revealed brother from our world. Wow. If this was a more straight-forward story, it would be an epic and mind boggling amalgamation of genre-defying gender examination and spit-in-the-face of the hero myth tropes. Well, guess what?, this is a Gene Wolfe novel: it’s non-linear, there’s lies and omissions in the narrative with many carefully woven-in references and metaphors that serve as both character development and relationship growth, and there’s often something sinister masquerading as a friend or companion even as the very real friends and companions seem to be anything but helpful or useful. You’re not getting anything easy here. You’re not smart for “getting it.” The Knight leaps and bounds in mystery and misdirection, much as in any Wolfe novel or short story, but it’s strength is in its love of the story it is telling: a critique of the coming of age hero myth. Because, yes, those stories are toxic, violent, and unnecessarily self-gratifying. Will our hero, the boy-man Able, be more than that? And why or how is he in this world? Equal turns captivating and baffling, The Knight holds up as a worthy classic of contemporary fantasy. Just try not to take yourself more seriously than you have to, and you may enjoy a dragon-slaying adventure.
jdashcastillo's review against another edition
4.0
alright, this was gonna be a 3 til the end brought it up a bit, it does pale in comparison to the (mis)adventures of Severian, especially right after but it’s stands well on its own. Norse mythology inspired with literally everything, an MC you can actually believe with everything and don’t have to second guess, morally a good person and also not as challenging a read as BoTNS. but there were times where i just felt like why am i reading this but i’m glad i finished it, there were very strong parts for me and the pacing is what you’d expect from a Wolfe novel as well. especially with when you’re dealing with the main character going over the account of their journey. loved it and Gylf and all of Able’s companions along the way. he really felt like a pokémon trainer at one point man. but i’m very excited to see how the wizard finishes this duology.
whytrytohide's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
l_m_the_bookwrym's review
3.0
Good story, hard to follow in places, but a nice read, even if you arn't normally a reader of this genre you may enjoy it.
thinde's review
4.0
This story sometimes seemed a little too dense, but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to learning more about Able and his dog[?] Gylf.
The protagonist, Able, had a chunk of memory stolen... yes, a well used trope. This, when added to a complex multi level set of worlds, with associated collections of beings of escalating power, creates a complex and often confusing setting. We don't often get bogged down however, since Able's personal ethos and commitment pulls the reader through, like the hope of salvation.
The book doesn't have the mesmerising feel of the New Sun series, but the reinterpretation of Norse mythology is more than interesting enough to willingly embrace. I've already queued up the sequel to read.
The protagonist, Able, had a chunk of memory stolen... yes, a well used trope. This, when added to a complex multi level set of worlds, with associated collections of beings of escalating power, creates a complex and often confusing setting. We don't often get bogged down however, since Able's personal ethos and commitment pulls the reader through, like the hope of salvation.
The book doesn't have the mesmerising feel of the New Sun series, but the reinterpretation of Norse mythology is more than interesting enough to willingly embrace. I've already queued up the sequel to read.