The Book of Atrix Wolfe: 30th Anniversary Edition

I cannot forget that Patricia McKillip is the author who literally introduced me to high quality fantasy books.
Before I discovered Tolkien and Le Guin, before "The Mists of Avalon", it was she who guided me into the world of magic and legends with her Riddle-Master trilogy.

For this reason, I read this copy of "The Book of Atrix Wolfe" with emotion and reverence, and it was truly wonderful to confirm that the magic of her words still has the same hold on me, even after at least 30 years since I last read her works.

McKillip’s specialty lies entirely in her prose: a mesmerizing flow of words that have the flavor of ancient myths, capable of evoking distant yet tangible worlds with an almost poetic rhythm. It’s a refined prose that demands attention and a willingness to embrace all its subtle nuances.

"The Book of Atrix Wolfe" is a book that, like the best fantasy, speaks of magic, deception, revenge, and power. But also of courage and redemption. It is a story rooted in the past, in an ancient war, in a mistake made perhaps with good intentions but one that must ultimately be corrected.

Atrix Wolfe is a powerful mage who, driven by the desperation to end a bloody war, summons a destructive entity. But his spell spirals out of control, bringing unimaginable devastation and loss. Years later, the young Talis finds a magical book that belonged to Wolfe, and unwittingly reawakens that same entity, which now threatens life once again. Joining these figures is Saro, a mysterious mute girl without identity, who may be much more than she seems.

The characters’ stories intertwine in a journey to restore balance between the mortal world and the fae's. The price of magic is often terrible, and only the pursuit of some form of redemption can remedy the loss.

Once again, I let myself be carried away into McKillip’s realms as if on a heroic and wondrous journey, and I have no regrets. Page after page, I rediscovered the power of great literature, capable of teaching something as well as entertaining.

Possibly the most convoluted/confusing of McKillip's books. Well, at least it's up there. And I love it. :-) Definitely darker, too. But lots of fun to read, and the bittersweet ending is satisfying (enough) while still leaving much to mystery. My only complaint is that the girl at the beginning of the book who torments Talis (thus causing him to hide and find Atrix Wolfe's book) and who is descended from Pelucir's enemy in that fated battle, is forgotten entirely after that chapter. I kept expecting her to come back, but she feels like a thread that was inexplicably dropped. Which is *so* unlike McKillip.

Updated review 10 years later (and approximately 20 years after my first read): Agree with past self here. The dropped thread of Talis' school enemy is annoying and surprising in an otherwise delightful and dreamlike book. I was expecting the story to circle back to her. I'm also not sure about the ending. It doesn't feel like an earned or complete resolution for Talis or Saro. I can see why McKillilp chose to end it like that, but also I kind of wish she'd chosen differently.

Overall, absolutely still love it. It feels so dreamlike and magical, and the language is so delicious. I also love how the kitchen feels so solid and real while everything else sort of frays at the edges into dreams. The kitchen was probably my favorite part. I do wish we'd gotten more time at the school of Chaumenard though.

*Thanks to Tachyon Publications for providing an early copy for review.

This was such a wonderfully done medieval fiction novel, it had that fantasy element that I enjoyed from the genre. It uses the world perfectly and had that concept that I was looking for. Patricia A. McKillip writes unique characters and that they worked in this world overall. I'm glad everything worked overall and was engaged with the plot of the book. It had a great atmosphere and wanted to know more about this world.

Un romanzo da leggere se si cerca qualcosa di fuori dal tempo, e il piacere di una lingua che si svoltola come un incantesimo, per qualche ora di lontananza da tutto, sospesi in un modo senza tempo.