Rating: 
Summary: Wolfe's winning streak continues
Review: I loved THE KNIGHT. This may seem hardly surprising, given my well-documented worship of Wolfe's oeuvre, but the truth is that my expectations had been lower than usual this time around because I honestly wasn't sure about the choice of subject matter. Consider: the book follows a young teenage boy from present-day America who wanders into the woods and emerges in a strange mystical otherworld, and after being enchanted by a fairy queen is transformed into a adult man of Schwarzenegger-like proportions. Upon reading the synopsis, I wondered if THE KNIGHT would be the book that heralded the decline of Wolfe's powers. But that was silly of me, and I should have had more faith, because I can now say with almost perfect certainty that THE KNIGHT is not going to be at all what you'd expect. The book reuses a lot of Wolfe's favorite tropes, especially the trick of the unreliable narrator and the picaresque narrative structure. In THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN, Severian had perfect memory but lied to the reader to make himself sound better. In SOLDIER OF THE MIST, Latro tried to be honest with the reader but was cursed by Hera to forget everything that happened more than twelve hours previous. Here in THE KNIGHT, the narrator, who assumes the knightly name Sir Able of the High Heart long before he's earned a claim to the title, is unreliable because he has the mind of a pubescent boy and doesn't always know what's going on around him. His adventures seem unfocused, guided only by auctorial caprice, with characters and plot threads appearing and disappearing seemingly at random - but put the emphasis in both those clauses on *seem*, because it's a Wolfe novel, which means that everything is connected to everything else with Swiss-watch precision; it's just that the onus is on the intelligent reader to parse the plot and figure out what's really going on, because the truth is hinted at only obliquely. Though much will not be apparent until the second book, the careful reader will find his effort amply rewarded with fresh insights into the characters, the plot, and the world. It's obvious that with the book Wolfe is consciously returning to fantasy as it was before Tolkien and his legions of imitators; Wolfe's taking it back to Malory and Lord Dunsany and the other old masters of fantastic fiction, both in terms of form (the dreamlike, hallucinatory progression of events) and content (the magical creatures have more to do with Norse and Celtic myths than standard-issue generic elves, dwarves, and dragons). The setting Wolfe creates, a place called Mythgarthr, is fascinating: heavily influenced by the Norse view of the world, Wolfe posits a seven-layered reality where vertical travel (up a mountain, for instance, or down to the bottom of the ocean) can transport a person from one world to the next. In an oblique way, Wolfe is working along the same lines as authors like George R.R. Martin or China Mieville; it's just that he's trying to reform the fantasy genre by looking to its mythological roots rather than turning to real-life history (Martin) or importing ideas from horror and SF (Mieville).
Rating:
Summary: A boy becomes a man but is still a boy...I'm so confused!
Review: Are you tired of generic fantasy? If you are, and you saw a book titled <b>The Knight</b> in your bookstore travels, would you pick it up? Maybe, but probably not. However, you then glance at the author's name, and you see "Gene Wolfe." If you're a big fantasy or science fiction fan, that name may be enough to make you pause. You've heard so many raves about this man's writing that you look a bit closer. You read the dust jacket. What's this? A story about a young man in his teens "transported to a magical realm" where he is transformed into a man and works at becoming a knight? What is this? Do they seriously expect us to buy a book so mundane? Given all of that, <b>The Knight</b> has a lot going against it. But it has one major thing going for it that gets past all that: Gene Wolfe. I have never read any of Wolfe's books, but he has such a reputation among the SF crowd that I decided to give this book a chance. Am I glad I did. <b>The Knight</b> takes all of the cliches of the sword & sorcery genre and turns them on their heads. The boy, Able, does not turn into the manly hero overnight, as normally happens. He does not meet the normal wizards and other bad folk that lesser writers employ as villains. Able is on a quest for a magic sword, which he must steal from a dragon. However, he refuses to wield any sword until he wins this one, and he does not become a master swordsman in one fell swoop. In fact, he gets by on a little luck and a lot of help from his friends, especially a dog that is not really a dog. This, coupled with the wonderful Wolfe prose that I've heard so much about makes this book a real winner. The book is written in first person, a letter or story written to his older brother in the "real" world. It's unclear when Able wrote this, but he obviously hasn't grown up too much, or at least he hasn't gained much skill in writing. He goes back and forth at times, omitting important details other times. He gets petulant, and the point of view is obviously that of a boy trying hard to be a man. Lesser writers would use this as an excuse for bad writing, but Wolfe's intentions are clear, winking at the reader and showing us that he is definitely doing this intentionally. Able is an unreliable narrator, seeming not to know when he's forgetting some of the more interesting stuff. Wolfe captures Able beautifully, making us care about what happens to him despite him being fairly unlikable. He can treat people horribly, often without realizing it. This is especially true of two of his "slaves," Fire Aelf women who revel in trying to entice him into forgetting all of this Knight business and instead have fun with them. While he is successful in resisting them, in doing so he often treats them worse then even slaves deserve. He also forgets about his "dog" Gylf at times, even when Gylf has been away for very long periods of time. In fact, the only two people he treats with much respect at all are the two knights who assist him on the road to knighthood: Sir Garvaon and Sir Ravd. Ravd teaches him what knightly qualities are, including what it takes to actually be a knight. Garvaon begins to teach him swordcraft. The minor characters are great, even though we have to peer through Able's narrative to see them. Garvaon and Ravd are honorable men who have an illustrious shine put on them by Able's words, but even the lesser characters are distinctive and well-characterized. Gylf is one of the best, when he's willing to talk that is (he won't talk if anybody else is around). He has a small sense of humour and is very plain, but he is vicious when his master needs protecting. It's unclear what he truly is, though he is definitely a creature from a different realm (there being seven, one on top of another, in the mythos Wolfe creates), but beyond that we don't know. Wolfe keeps him simple but mysterious, and I hope we find out more about him in the second book. For a book like this, there is surprisingly little action in it. With the exception of one battle (and even that is truncated), there is very little description of the various battles in which Able is involved. Instead, Able tells all of these stories in hindsight, giving us the effect of them without the actual battle scenes. I don't know whether Wolfe is showing us how these scenes are ultimately uninteresting or if it's a conceit of Able's narration, but I found it intriguing how the text shies away from the subject. Garvaon's sword lessons are told in great detail, but these are mostly dialogue between the two characters so it's quite different. Instead, we get a lot of characterization, philosophy, and weird images. Some of Able's dreams will have to be read more than once to even begin to understand what they mean, and some of them may not be explained until the second book. Wolfe succeeds in making the book impossible to put down despite the lack of action. Ultimately, <b>The Knight</b> is a rewarding read for those tired of the typical fantasy hack-n-slash festivals. Wolfe takes everything you thought you knew and turns out a thoroughly unpredictable read that will keep you going well past your bedtime. Don't let the generic title and plot description fool you. This is one of the greats. David Roy
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully done!
Review: Wolfe's first major fantasy novel (split in two with the second half being the upcoming The Wizard) reads like a man reporting his dreams. Wolfe does his usual writing trick of starting each chapter as though it were the beginning of a new book, which can cause some minor (and in some of his books, major) confusion but it works well with this book. And what a book! The lead character isn't always a nice guy but you're pulling for him all the way. The story itself is somewhat familiar but Wolfe's way of telling it sure isn't. If the second book holds onto the quality of this one, this will be a fantasy series on the level of Peake's Gormanghast or Tolkien's Rings Trilogy. It's that good. Buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't beleive the negative reviews
Review: The book of the new sun is one of my favorite books of all time. I used to carry it around even when I wasn't reading it just to look at it sometimes and hold it. When I started on the Long Sun series I liked Patera Silk but had trouble with the story and only got through the first two books. About the time the Knight came out I had started reading George r.r. Martins Ice and Fire series and like another reviever has already mentioned it is a fantastic series. I could not stop reading it so I waited on the Knight. I feel that in the Knight Wolfe has succeded in what he set out to do. I think the negative reviews are from people who just do not like Wolfe's style. And I really do not understand how anyone cannot follow the story. It is very clear and simple. This may be Wolfe's most accesible story and it is to me his funniest. This book is a masterpiece and on the same high level as The Books of the New Sun. Highly Recommended!!! Wolfe, Martin and Tolkien the holy trinity of imaginative fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: None
Review: this book is very creative. I have never read a book in the format gene wolfe has written this novel in. I really enjoyed this book, but I just wish the ending was better.
Rating:
Summary: Wolfe does it again
Review: Once again Gene Wolfe has created a masterpiece.
This is the best series to hit the stands since George R.R. Martin strated his "A song of Ice and Fire" series.
It is a very original creation incorporating the idea's of Nordic mythology and todays Fantasy.
The most important aspect of this book, to me at least, is that Wolfe does not assume that his readers are idiots. He does not spell everything out, so you actually have to think for a couple of seconds and come up with your own conclusions.
This style is completely contradictory to other lame fantasy series that have flooded the market, such as Jordans and Goodkinds. Who spend more time talking about what people are wearing then actually advancing the plot.
Summary: A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing work of fiction
Review: This review is one of the simple ones to write, as it can be summarized in one sentence: The Knight is one of the best books of modern fantasy written. Period. Without giving away too much of the plot-- as with good liquor, the plot is better when it's distilled at its own pace, I feel it sufficient to state that the story (written in the first-person perspective) involves a 'boy', from America he who ends up somewhere else (Mythgartr) by a manner he's not familiar for reasons of which he's unsure. As he 'grows', he's embued with preternatural, near-Herculean strength physically, but still maintains the perspective of a youth. It's a magnificient tale: much closer in scale to the legendary Tristan/Tristam and written by a master's hand, I await the second, and concluding, book with high hopes, and the highest of expectations. Marvelous! Simply marvelous!
Rating:
Summary: If you can't appreciate this, it's your loss
Review: Gene Wolfe is one of those few writers that has a small obsessed crowd completely obssessed with him, devouring every sentence like it's his last...and the rest of the world professes that they don't understand him, that he doesn't write comprehesibly, that his stories make no sense and all the good parts hinted at are left out for no apparent reason. This book in appearance and name and blurb has everything to pull in the high fantasy readers, those that devour the 700 page books that are the 5th in a meandering series and have no promise to an end and are filled with pointless action and stupid dialogue. Those books are fun to read when you don't feel like thinking, but you get nothing out of them... Any one of those readers who will pick up this book will feel lost by a hundred pages or be utterly confused, since everything they're used to reading and what is said in the blurb is not to be seen. It's hardly a difficult book, it's extremely simple to read, with simple vocabulary, so I don't see how they get lost. If you have read Gene Wolfe before, you know he has written some of the most gorgeous and intricate novels ever. This is, in my opinion, of the same calibre, with simple writing, because of course it is the letter of a very young man. We need the second part to open up the loose ends of the first. The main character is supposed to be very inconsistent with his actions, and somewhat unlikeable, he's a child in a man's body dealing with adults in a world he doesn't understand...but he's trying, and he's got such a strong will. Those that trash it, for bad writing, or loose plot, or inconsistent characters that come and go at odd intervals with no explanations, well think of real life. If you want nobility and perfection and heroism, you know where to find it, if you just want to be spoonfed, you know what to read ... In The Knight, everything is there, everything is explained...it only needs to be said once. and it's all there. You missed it, and it's too bad...Book Two will be gorgeous no doubt...probably more confusing, and that's what's so engaging, that I know there are answers, but they're hidden. The Knight is doomed to be plagued with a thousand reviews that trash it, and a few that praise it to no end...for the few of us love him, we couldn't care less what other people think...I'm done with this bad rant! Hehe, I love this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly Written
Review: I only want to echo what others have said about this book, it does not flow at all. I struggled to make it through the first 100 pages and then finally gave up.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: The Knight is a pleasure to read. The protaganast is vastly different than those of the Sun books, but I very much enjoyed his narration (which, as is often the case in Wolfe's work, takes the form of letters written after the story has happened). Yes, the hero is supossedly a boy who is magically transformed into a grown man of epic scale...but if you accept that at face value you are missing a lot of the depth of the book. Wolfe's exploration of different levels of existence and memory is fascinating. Throughout it all runs a delightful heroic fantasy romp written with the skill and intelligence that sets Wolfe apart from all the pulp fantasy so common nowadays. My only complaint is that I have to wait a year to see how the story ends.
| 
