Yet another brilliant work by McKillip. ( )

Patricia A. McKillip's The Book of Atrix Wolfe is a unique story that centers primarily around an old and (incredibly) powerful mage named Atrix Wolfe, a mute scullery maid who the kitchen workers call Saro, and a teenage mage in the making, Talis. As a brief overview, without giving too much away, I will say that ths one-of-a-kind novel begins on an open field in the midst of a war between House Kardeth and House Pelucir. This is also where we first meet Atrix Wolfe, who is known as, perhaps, the most powerful mage in the world. In a moment of emotion and desperation, and in a time of cruelty and death, Atrix Wolfe gathers his energy and power to put an end to the rampant suffering and horror that surrounds Hunter's field. Little does he know, what he unleashes on that dark night is something terrible; something beyond his comprehension; something that will haunt him and everyone involved forever.

That's when the story flashes forward 20 years, and we meet young Talis, who is currently taking residence in Chaumenard to learn the art of sorcery. He also happens to be the son of the king Pelucir, who died on that tragic night on Hunter's field. After being called back to his home of Pelucir by his Brother, he leaves the mage's school; though not alone -- he takes something strange with him. An odd unmarked book he found one night; a book with no name or label, just vaguely written spells that seem to hold some sort of power. Little does he know, this is a book written by the one and only, Atrix Wolfe. A book which holds words of secret, and undesired meanings; A book that in itself, bears the scars of what happened on that fateful night. A book that holds a terrible power -- a power that could respark the horrible entity that ended the battle on Hunter's Field; a power that will change Talis's life and disturb the already haunted ruins of Pelicur once again.

Lastly, this is also where we meet Saro, a strange young Scullery made who works and sleeps in the kitchens of Pelicur. For Saro, her only language lay within the scrubbing of a pot or the stirring of a cauldron. For her, she has no words -- no voice -- the only thing she truly has is her job in the kitchens, and that job defines her completely. While she does respond to her name, which was given to her by the kitchen staff, "Saro", meaning, "someone's sorrow", she has never spoken since they found her on that horrible night; found naked, lost amongst a pile of wood. Though Saro is simply the pot cleaner, a girl who is rarely noticed -- she holds a strange secret past -- one that no one is aware of, not even herself. Though to the kitchen staff, her existence is simple; she never speaks, and all she knows of life and the world is her large washing cauldron, inside she is alive, aware, simply lost within her forgotten past. A past that will soon be revealed by Talis and Atrix Wolfe, who's lives all seemingly intertwine as the plot pushes fourth.

To say the least, Patricia McKillip is one talented and highly skilled author! Her writing style is both unique and genuinely her own -- it's deep, poetic, artistic, dream-like, etheareal, emotional. Her use of words is absolutely stunning, and she relies heavily on her atmospheric style to carry her story (and it works). I found this novel to be stylistically beautiful, and I found myself on numerous occasions re-reading what I had just read, only to think "wow.." Some moments were just so good, I had to re-read them. Not many authors do that to me.

Aside from the beauty of the writing itself, I also quite enjoyed the characters, which were all unique and interesting, especially Saro. While Atrix Wolfe and Talis were both great and compelling characters, and I certainly cared about what would happen to them; she was by far my favorite (despite the fact that she never spoke a word until the end of the book)! Some of the most touching and heart-breaking moments revolved around her, and the way McKillip portrayed her character as a mute -- speaking the language of the pots, understanding cleaning, food, everything else was drowned out sound, trying to choke up word..struggling.. etc..it was just so interesting. Her interaction between the kitchen crew..what they thought of her, getting an in depth feeling of what was going on in her mind, how she felt..how she saw things..her frustration.. I just can't praise this character enough. She's probably one of the most memorable characters I've read in a long time.

Though I enjoyed most aspects of this novel, especially her poetic, dream-like style, at the same time, I felt that in some areas it actually took away from the story itself -- detaching the reader from certain happenings. For instance, some of the action scenes didn't quite feel right in the way they were written -- almost as if they lacked a much needed intensity. Some were so metaphorically driven, it felt almost as if I were reading a poem rather than an actual moment of danger. Though I generally like this type of writing (hell, I'm a poet), I believe it would have been more affective if the action scenes were toned down a bit, written in a more straight forward fashion rather than the mist-like quality that filled most of this novel. Also, for whatever reason, in the beginning of the book, I had a hard time (for a short period) telling the characters apart. I didn't quite know who was who. Regardless of this, I felt the writing style helped far more than it hurt, and because of this, I was mesmerized and entranced from beginning to end.

All in all, this is a great book. From the hypnotic writing, to the great characters, to the unique plot -- this was an enchanting, well acomplished stand-alone fantasy piece. If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind fantasy novel with an excellent story (even mixed with a bit of folklore/mythology), you should definitely pick this up. Though I've only read one of McKillip's novels (SO FAR), I can say that she is a talented writer, and if you're looking for something a bit different stylistically, you'll get it from her. I recommend "The Book Of Atrix Wolfe" to anyone who's looking for a quick (though deep), unique read, that will hold you entranced and compelled straight from the beginning. ( )

I owe Patricia McKillip much. She, along with Susanna Clarke, helped me to fall in love with the fantasy genre again. The Book of Atrix Wolfe, published in 1996, was an important moment in her career; it not only marked the beginning of her partnership with illustrator Kinuko Y. Craft, but also represented the first example of what she has referred to as her "fairytale" books. Aside from the general tone and a few stock characters (the Horned Hunter, the Queen of the Wood), one would be hard pressed to find a strong likeness with traditional folktales.

The title character is a mage, the oldest and wisest in the world, but in spite of his knowledge he has made a grievous mistake. In the harrowing prologue, he shapes a spell that he believes will bring peace to the warring Pelucir, but in the end he creates a being far more terrible than any war, known only as the Hunter.

Twenty years later, Talis Pelucir discovers a book of magic when at the mages' school in Chaumenard. What the words say and what they mean are two very different things, and the spells Talis weaves bring both Atrix and the Hunter back to Pelucir; he also manages to breach the gap between his world and the Queen of the Wood's realm, whose role in the drama soon becomes tragically apparent. The importance of words is emphasized throughout, as in one of McKillip's other novels, Alphabet of Thorn.

Further connections with Alphabet are revealed when we are introduced to the character of Saro, and for me this is one of the high points of the book. Like Nepenthe in the later novel, the child Saro is discovered one day outside of the king's palace and brought in by the castle folk, except that here the changeling is made to work in the kitchen, not the library. And while Nepenthe's world is filled with words, Saro never utters a single one. It is a true testament to McKillip's talent that in a single chapter she is able to fully explore the complexities of both her mute heroine and the environment in which she moves. As for the descriptions of the food the cooks prepare, I have no words. They are simply mouth-watering! I made the mistake of reading the first kitchen chapter late at night, and then had to find something to eat before I could sleep soundly.

What I have not yet addressed is the ending, and it is here that the similarities with Alphabet of Thorn end. At the climax of that book, the seemingly disparate plot lines suddenly come together in a terribly shocking way. Here there are no such surprises, and with the exception of a few minor details I knew the way the book was going to go after the first twenty pages. I could have thought of kinder endings for several characters, and the fact that Talis can go from being passionately in love with one woman to finding hope in another within the course of a few pages is rather unsettling. In spite of many things I liked about this book (not the least of which being Kinuko Y. Craft's typically wonderful cover art), I cannot recommend it as one of McKillip's best. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2008/12... ( )

Patricia McKillip’s The Book of Atrix Wolfe is another of her standard fare — excellent writing, poetic language, atmospheric settings, and interesting characters. It is, in a word, wonderful. The great mage Atrix Wolfe is drawn into using sorcery to help the king of Kardeth defeat Pelucir. Though using sorcery is strictly forbidden in war, Atrix Wolfe believes that it will end the carnage more quickly. But what he makes that night on Hunter’s Field brutally slays every living thing in its path with a ferocity shocking even its maker. It exists thereafter in horrific memory for over twenty years, and the ghosts of that horrible night are not laid. Atrix Wolfe is devastated at what he has done and disappears from the mage world. Twenty years later, a book he wrote is discovered in Chaumenard (how I love McKillip’s place names) by Talis Pelucir, the son of Pelucir’s king who was killed that night on Hunter’s Field. Talis returns to the castle at Pelucir where his older brother Burne rules. The book has a strange power that leads Talis down dangerous roads as he seeks to eradicate the evil that still haunts Hunter’s Field.

Intertwined with Talis’ story is that of Saro, the waxen-faced, slow-witted scullery maid who works in the great kitchens at the castle. Saro was found twenty years ago outside the castle, a strange child who could not speak. There is something odd about her; she is completely unremarkable and her face seems to shift under your eyes so you can’t remember it. Her life is a pathetic drudgery; she scrubs pots all day in the kitchens and speaks no word to anyone. But when she is forced to take Talis’ tray up to the haunted keep where he works, she begins to awaken. Something in Atrix Wolfe’s book calls to her and when Talis goes missing, she sees visions of him in her scrubber’s cauldron. The truth of who the Hunter is and what really happened that night on Hunter’s Field falls into place with a startling intensity. Saro truly is “someone’s sorrow,” as the kitchen workers call her.

The story is slow in some parts but I savored the beauty of the writing. McKillip is an amazing writer and knows how to conjure a mood with fewer words than any other fantasy author I know. This story is no exception. It’s well worth your time, and I suspect the strength of the writing will sustain many rereads. Recommended. ( )