The Book of Atrix Wolfe

fantasy is what you wish reality to be

In response to the above criticisms of an English teacher I have some choice words to say. I am a human being who has a somewhat descent, yet, not so great life. I love to read books not to get a feeling of how well they know their literary terms or the accuracy of their grammar, but more so for the feeling of finding something worth thinking about after I finish a book. The emotions that I conjure within myself are made solely to take away the reality of life and not to bring it to my direct thoughts by criticizing the very reality of punctuation and formation of grammar. Most people these days don't read to enjoy the greatness of how words are formed. Most people read to enjoy a wonderfully thought out story. I admit there are many fantasy writers who are not too great at the art of writing, but many other categories of writing have their flaws also. I applaud McKillips' writing trials and think her to be a fantastic writer. She shows thought and devotion to the love of fantasies. A good storyline is hard to come by anymore. Most of the time contemporary lit is too hung up with literary elements to mean anything worthwhile to people today. I don't care what people may think of me. They can think me naive or ignorant of the English language- that's probably what I am. But I read because I love stories. I read to get the good feelings back into my life and if reading a literary-challenged fantasy novel is what takes me there, then so be it. I am not criticizing the works of English teachers out there, but sometimes the thought is what really counts, not the texture.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Grabs you and holds on

Patricia McKillip has a great grasp of the english language and has a gift for writeing. Building a story of fiction that is beleivable is not an easy task, but McKillip does it well. She brings me into to her work and makes me feel that the characters are real people which gives her writing a uniqueness few have.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An awesome writer

This is the first book I have read of McKillip's and I found her writing, to say in a word, awesome. It is a wonderfull book for thoes who, like I, love not only to read, but write and imagine fantasy stories such as this. I am looking forward to reading more of McKillip's work.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Although I typically read reviews, I rarely leave comments. But,

Although I typically read reviews, I rarely leave comments. But, I really had to comment on the review of "Exasperating, Mediocre, Rarely Wondrous." I agree with "fantasy is what you wish reality to be." You really expressed the flavor of my thoughts. I read because I love stories. This is a beautifully written story, typical of Patricia McKillip, and I enjoyed it very much. I am entertained by her stories. I cannot claim to be well read in general, although I feel that I am so with regard to fantasy fiction--most definitely more so than the average reader. Tolkien without a doubt was a master, however, there are many, many other wonderful and different fantasy writers with different styles. Why do writers have to measure up to the same caliber as Tolkien to earn your respect? We can agree that he is one of kind and there is no other. Do we really need to rip apart a writer and her story because you deem her to be unworthy of and inferior to the the writers you feel are superior? You are entitled to your opinion, but I think it is rather harsh. McKillip's popularity speaks for itself--we can't all be wrong! If you like McKillip--read the book. You won't be disappointed.

Exasperating, Mediocre, Rarely Wondrous

I don't know what it is about contemporary fantasy authors. No, wait. On second thought, I do know what it is: they have this extraordinary contempt, by and large, for classic and modern literature. Because of this contempt, fantasy writers, again, by and large, view themselves and their work as somehow above contemporary or classic literature. Show me a fantasy writer who loves the work of Toni Morrison, Milan Kundera, Peter Matthiessen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walt Whitman and William Shakespeare & I'll show you the greatest living fantasy writer. But they don't exist. No contemporary fantasy author will ever compare to Tolkien, whose writing had its roots in a reverence for writers like Shakespeare, Chaucer and Milton & texts like Beowulf and The Iliad. Nowadays, fantasy writers, one might presume, only read the works of peers in their genre. And that is not only offensive to the legacy of Tolkien, but to the readers buying these books. The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia McKillip achieves nothing at all new for the genre, but, more importantly, it achieves nothing at all new for the art of writing. It may aspire to greatness. And it admittedly has some wonderful stuff in it: the elegant vision of this faerie world, the captivating scenes in the kitchen (including the idiosyncratically drawn characters in those scenes), the character of Saro herself (including the ingenuity of her name as archetype). But the bulk of the novel is poorly written and unimaginative. It's as if someone handed McKillip a list of words (snow, bone, fire, stone, et cetera) and said: 'Only these may be used when describing something in terms of metaphor and simile.' The inclusion of 'hoarfrost' here and there was refreshing. And don't get me started on the desperately vague descriptions of actual sorcery. In trying to describe the actuality of the magic with language, McKillip has done the opposite: she has obscured it from her reader. Her vocabulary is astoundingly limited. Her descriptive sixth sense hampered by a refusal to acknowledge that some events deft description and so should never be described. When are fantasy writers going to learn that in order to write at the same calibre as did Tolkien, they're going to have to get inside the heart of Tolkien and the literature he swore by?

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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