_The Wizard_ by Gene Wolfe - too much like previous Wolfe

Elaine Thompson · 04 Nov 2005, 19:55 · from rec.arts.sf.written.2005.mbox

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From: Elaine Thompson <Elaine at KEThompson.org>
Subject: Re: _The Wizard_ by Gene Wolfe - too much like previous Wolfe
Date: Fri, 04 Nov 2005 11:55:03 -0800
Message-ID: <9oenm15gtl149lt4p1oehgpj1e813evutv at 4ax.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
References: <1131110580.237908.247530 at g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>

On 4 Nov 2005 05:23:00 -0800, "JavaJosh" <javajosh at gmail.com> wrote:

>_The Wizard_ is volume two of "The Wizard Knight" saga. It trades
>engenue magic for the magic of erudition - a dissapointment since
>Wolfe's work is repleat with the latter, short on the former, and all
>things being equal innovation would be preferred. Indeed, the plotting,
>pacing, and most importantly the voice returned to Severian and Silk in
>force.
>

I remember reading at least two of the Torturer books, but remember
absolutely nothing about them except that I eventually realized I
wasn't getting anything out of the reading.  So I couldn't identify
the voice issues you have.

snip

>These Wolfian revelations seem to all take on the same pattern - the
>protagonist is in one place, and another major character enters with
>some urgent information, and is interrupted by the entrance of another
>major character who begins to confess something, when the protagonist
>must call for a fourth major character to confess something of his own,
>but as soon as the fourth character enters, the protagonist quite
>coldly states that they wish to kill the first character, but that it
>must wait, and finally the protagonist leaves the room to go do
>something, with all 4 major characters presumably staring at each other
>wondering what the hell just happened. Mix in a lot of metaphysical
>confusion and even issues of mundane identity and you get a bitter,
>choking draught of a scene.
>

snip

>It may occur to someone reading this to deride me for my lack of
>comprehension and inability to either anticipate these episodes, or
>failing that, understand them after the fact. 

No.  I don't remember being bothered by them as much as you although I
certainly found them odd.  Not standard novel technique.  Which leads
to what *I* thought Wolfe's sources were.

I had tried several Wolfe books but kept bouncing off.  I only picked
these up because several people (here and elsewhere) said they were
more accessible.  They were.

snip

>
>I'm not sure what Wolfe's sources were for this - probably Lord
>Dunsany, which I haven't yet read. 

I have and I didn't get Dunsany echoes much in the reading.  I got
Malory echoes.  In both characterization - or lack of - style, the way
events get half started then dropped/interrupted and something else
goes on...  The non-standard-novel stuff.

Although it's been a *very* long time since I've read Malory.

-- 
Elaine Thompson <Elaine at KEThompson.org>

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