A review by mcnevinh
The Wizard by Gene Wolfe
5.0
Five stars. I reread paragraphs, and chapters, immediately after finishing them, for their sheer beauty and surprise. Gene Wolfe is definitely coming with me to the desert island; I would want either this, or The Book of the New Sun (including its end coda, The Urth of the New Sun.)
But how to explain this one? It feels like living inside Myth. The story is told in the form of an endless letter to the main character's brother, after the hero--Sir Able--has disappeared from our world. A line of dialogue or description can change one's entire sense of what is transpiring. Heroism can suddenly appear a monstrous as he describes what happened. He'll come to major events and say, "I don't want to talk about that." Mysteries transform into still other mysteries, and into dazzling revelations, with masterful finesse. And brief recognitions can reframe the book's universe.
There are clearly people, like me, who will absolutely love this duology. Others will hate it for many of the same reasons. I understand why they would. I'm not saying they're wrong, but I do expect to reread this myself, probably more than once.
But how to explain this one? It feels like living inside Myth. The story is told in the form of an endless letter to the main character's brother, after the hero--Sir Able--has disappeared from our world. A line of dialogue or description can change one's entire sense of what is transpiring. Heroism can suddenly appear a monstrous as he describes what happened. He'll come to major events and say, "I don't want to talk about that." Mysteries transform into still other mysteries, and into dazzling revelations, with masterful finesse. And brief recognitions can reframe the book's universe.
There are clearly people, like me, who will absolutely love this duology. Others will hate it for many of the same reasons. I understand why they would. I'm not saying they're wrong, but I do expect to reread this myself, probably more than once.