The Book of Atrix Wolfe

Rating:
Summary: Cinderella versus the Wild Hunt
Review: A bare outline of the plot and characters of "The Book of Atrix Wolfe" might deceive you into thinking that this book is yet another modern retelling of an old fairy tale. Here is the beautiful princess, forced into a life as a scullery maid by a powerful mage, who also turns her father into a deadly were-stag with a "black moon rising from his burning horns". Here also is the mage-prince who eventually recognizes the princess for what she is in spite of her formidable disguise, and returns her to her loving mother.

The sleeping beauty on the Kinuko Craft cover may do justice to the loveliness of the princess-turned-scullery-maid (at least prior to her transformation by the mage), but it doesn't capture her incredible will to survive after she is torn from her parents and dumped, naked and alone, into an alien universe. Yes, she ends up as a scullery maid, thought to be mute and retarded by her fellow kitchen workers. Yes, she scrubs pots from dawn to midnight. But the prince's kitchen turns out to be lively and warm, and filled with an eccentric hierarchy of cooks, sauce makers, plate washers, mincers, pluckers, boners, choppers, and spit-boys. McKillip goes into loving detail over the making and serving of food fit for a King's table, and when the princess Saro finally leaves the washing cauldron to fulfill her destiny, I for one felt a faint tinge of regret.

Who would have thought that a medieval kitchen could be a more interesting place to linger than a fairy forest where "water flowed, silver and sweet as honey among ancient roots"?

"The Book of Atrix Wolfe" stands many fairy tale truisms on their heads, including the character of the evil, all-powerful mage. In this story, the mage Atrix Wolfe creates the deadly Hunter that almost destroys the prince's family, but he does so with the intention of stopping a war. The Hunter himself is Death, but even he is not precisely evil. The prince rescues the princess, but only after she steals his book of spells in an attempt to teach herself how to read.

Patricia McKillip may have started out with a fairy tale in mind, but what she wrote was ornate, fascinating, and completely her own.

Rating:
Summary: An Uncommon Fantasy
Review: As other reviewers provide summaries, I will not repeat them. Ms. McKillip doesn't write as many authors of this genre do. Instead of a more plot-driven story, her writing focuses more on developing imagery through colorful descriptions. Additionally she doesn't provide a "paint-by-number" story telling. The plot, while usually fascinating and original, is almost secondary to the world she reveals in her books.
That said, when I first read this book 4 years ago, I was used to the more plot-intensive fantasy stories with or without magic and sword-wielding hero(ine)s. While I quickly fell under the spell of Ms. McKillip's story-telling, I had many questions at the end of the book. I felt some dissatisfaction because I wanted fuller descriptions/explanations about some of the characters' motivations. In fact, not much happens after the initial spell-making.
I recently picked up this book again and, this time, found it more meaningful. It was like experiencing a vivid dream while awake. I felt as if I had somehow stumbled into a slightly more sophisticated version of a fairy tale. As long as you don't expect a typical fantasy read, I strongly recommend this book to experience something different in this genre.

Rating:
Summary: Charming but not engaging
Review: Character development and plot take second place to the creation of a mood of magic and mystery. There are all the elements of classic fantasy: a great mage, a novice, an enchanted scullery maid, a bewitching queen. The occasional touch of humour deftly lightens the tone. I think that this book achieves what it sets out to achieve; for that reason I don't really want to criticise it for failing to engage my interest. It is simply not to my taste, rather than due to any fault of the book.

Where this book really comes alive for me is in the descriptions of the food. I would gladly eat any of the food prepared in that kitchen. If I owned this book, I would mark all those passages and re-read them often.

If atmosphere and evocative mood are what you look for in a book, give it a try; if you prefer real, well-developed characters and compelling plots, I suggest you try something else.

Rating:
Summary: The War of the Words
Review: Combining several "thought" elements together in a single, beautiful tapestery, McKillip takes on the power of words and naming, the meaning of sorrow, man's capability for evil, and the shouldering of responsibility. Following three characters (on a nearly-systematic rotating chapter basis), Prince Talis Pelucir, Mage Atrix Wolfe, and the fey Saro, the reader is taken on a quest to discover the true nature of The Hunter (created by Atrix Wolfe), find the daughter of the Queen of the Forest, and save the kingdom from a second destruction. Along the way, Talis struggles with his romantic feelings for the Queen of the Forest, Atrix struggles against the Hunter who is his "darker" self, and Saro who is mute struggles against language to warn the men of danger. The scenes of Saro in the kitchen are at once heartwarming, enchanting, and impressive (or so says this complete culinary ignoramus!). Not enough time is given to Talis' own magecraft, and Atrix's story tends to become repetitious towards the middle. However, despite some minor quirks, The Book of Atrix Wolfe is a far more enjoyable, followable, and completed story than Winter Rose. Its theme of the power of words is compelling, its comment on the wrongness of inverting the meaning of words intriguing. As always, McKillip's prose alone is worth the price of the book! A good starting place for those interested in her work.

Rating:
Summary: Well...
Review: I thought it was moving too slowly. The constant change of character narrations every few chapters, I didn't mind, but the story didn't seem to be going anywhere for awhile.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting Spell
Review: I was so deeply moved while reading this book. The frase: 'your worst enemy is your own self' is vividly portrayed.
Started by a mistake done by an old powerful mage, Atrix Wolf that ends a war between Kardeth and Pelucir. A mistake which caused the uproar and tragedy in human world and fairy world.
In the face of the destruction he had caused, Atrix buried himself for 20 years until the heir of Pelucir called him back through a book written by Atrix himself right after the war.

The book itself contained spells seemingly harmless enough for a beginner mage. But when Talis of Pelucir tried to study them, there were actually other meanings behind every words written which endangered both his and his brother, the King's life for the true meaning of the words led to a black terror that had only one intention, Death.

The black terror was made by Atrix's spell and by the destructive spell, he torn the world of fairy, separating the Queen of the Woods, from her consort and daughter. By her, Atrix was forced to finish what he had started years ago.

The language is so enchanting, it almost put a spell on your mind. You can also make up some delicious recipes from here. The description itself made me hungry everytime I read about tha chapters concerning the castle's kitchen.

High recommended

Rating:
Summary: You MUST buy this book!
Review: One morning I began reading this book for the first time, over breakfast, I woke from the dream after 247 enchanting pages and felt like crying because the book was over. Then I realized I had been sitting on the couch for 7 hours without moving! I would recommend this book to anyone that remembers how they got lost in the fairytale as a child, it's beautiful!

Rating:
Summary: Not for Me
Review: Patricia A. McKillip, famed author of The Riddle Master Trilogy, comes into her own in this more mature work. In my opinion, the epic style of Riddle Master didn't mesh well with McKillip's dreamy prose. But here, in Atrix Wolfe, it becomes clear that McKillip has found her niche: the short, modern fairytale. But wait!...I never said I liked it.

First, let me say that this book is simply not my type; it didn't capture my interest. But I still feel obliged to give an opinion because there are undoubtedly others out there who share my own interests. I pretty much agree with the review above entitled "Charming but not engaging." The writing here is top notch and the imagery is evocative, but the whole thing seems a little vacuous. I can't seem to get into the story because when I look behind all of McKillip's beautiful prose there really isn't much there. It's a very nice story about mages and princes and enchanted forests, but when all is said and done I didn't feel any real connection with the characters of Talis, Atrix or anyone else.

When I read a book I want my characters to be grounded in some sort of solid reality. In other words I want the reality-the framework and internal logic of the world-to control the characters, not vice versa. The characters should be at the mercy of their environment (even if fanciful, it still has rules!) and they should react and struggle against it. In Atrix Wolfe (as well as in Riddle Master), however, I find myself in scene after scene where the characters themselves are the center of the universe. They possess magical powers far too immense in comparison to their rather puny environment and they control their surroundings seemingly at will. For an example, see the description on page 217 where Atrix Wolfe (via his shape shifting abilities) goes into a pebble and down into the Earth and into an underground stream and pops out of a tree some distance away in order to avoid the enemy. Now I know this is fantasy and fairytale but doesn't that sound a little ridiculous? When characters start popping out of holes in the ground is when I come to the conclusion that an Earth-like setting is a little too small for these guys: there need to be more restrictions. Toward the end of the book I began to think to myself "Well, since apparently ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING can happen in this book, I really don't care what is going to happen."

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than Riddle Master (I have to admit though, not least of all because it is shorter). But its biggest fault is a lack of logical development. There are too many unexplained magical powers and mystical descriptions. When McKillip is given the opportunity in the story to explain certain developments she invariably resorts to a sort of mystical-psycho-babble answer that sounds nice but leaves me feeling empty inside. At least I can say I've given her books a try. Don't get me wrong, I think she is a fine writer. She's just not quite my style.

Rating:
Summary: Not for Me
Review: Patricia A. McKillip, famed author of The Riddle Master Trilogy, comes into her own in this more mature work. In my opinion, the epic style of Riddle Master didn't mesh well with McKillip's dreamy prose. But here, in Atrix Wolfe, it becomes clear that McKillip has found her niche: the short, modern fairytale. But wait!...I never said I liked it.

First, let me say that this book is simply not my type; it didn't capture my interest. But I still feel obliged to give an opinion because there are undoubtedly others out there who share my own interests. I pretty much agree with the review above entitled "Charming but not engaging." The writing here is top notch and the imagery is evocative, but the whole thing seems a little vacuous. I can't seem to get into the story because when I look behind all of McKillip's beautiful prose there really isn't much there. It's a very nice story about mages and princes and enchanted forests, but when all is said and done I didn't feel any real connection with the characters of Talis, Atrix or anyone else.

When I read a book I want my characters to be grounded in some sort of solid reality. In other words I want the reality-the framework and internal logic of the world-to control the characters, not vice versa. The characters should be at the mercy of their environment (even if fanciful, it still has rules!) and they should react and struggle against it. In Atrix Wolfe (as well as in Riddle Master), however, I find myself in scene after scene where the characters themselves are the center of the universe. They possess magical powers far too immense in comparison to their rather puny environment and they control their surroundings seemingly at will. For an example, see the description on page 217 where Atrix Wolfe (via his shape shifting abilities) goes into a pebble and down into the Earth and into an underground stream and pops out of a tree some distance away in order to avoid the enemy. Now I know this is fantasy and fairytale but doesn't that sound a little ridiculous? When characters start popping out of holes in the ground is when I come to the conclusion that an Earth-like setting is a little too small for these guys: there need to be more restrictions. Toward the end of the book I began to think to myself "Well, since apparently ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING can happen in this book, I really don't care what is going to happen."

Overall, I enjoyed this book more than Riddle Master (I have to admit though, not least of all because it is shorter). But its biggest fault is a lack of logical development. There are too many unexplained magical powers and mystical descriptions. When McKillip is given the opportunity in the story to explain certain developments she invariably resorts to a sort of mystical-psycho-babble answer that sounds nice but leaves me feeling empty inside. At least I can say I've given her books a try. Don't get me wrong, I think she is a fine writer. She's just not quite my style.

Rating:
Summary: On Hunter's Field, the Dark Moon Rises...
Review: This is one of the most original books I've ever read! McKillip writes in a style all her own which lends to the story, making it almost impossible to put down! Though some of the descriptions are told in an almost surreal style, the story flows easily and the characters and locations are presented in the utmost colour and detail. A must-read for those who enjoyed her other books, or fans of fantasy in general!

The story follows the chain of events that occur one cold winter night during the bitter siege on the castle of Pelucir, the night that the Great Mage Atrix Wolfe breaks the laws set down by the Mages of Chaumenard and in his attempts to end the war creates a creature of the darkest emotions and most destructive magic...the legendary Hunter. That is the same night when the mysterious being known as the Queen of the Wood's consort and their daughter disappears into the human world by the rent in the realms the Hunter's creation has caused. Now years later, both the horrors of that night and the mage seem to have disappeared into the realm of legend and bitter memory...until the discovery by the Prince-mage Talis Pelducir of a book whose words are not what they appear to be and the attempts of the Queen of the Wood to find her long-lost daughter Saro cause the return of the Hunter and the final confrontation between Atrix Wolfe and the nightmare he has been running from for the last twenty years...