The Book of Atrix Wolfe
A novel by Patricia A. McKillip

This book was, and in some ways still is, an unknown to me. I had not heard of Patricia McKillip before this book was recommended to me. I had no idea what the plot was about, for the back cover of the borrowed paperback depicted only the rest of the art featured on the front (though it is quite the detailed picture.) And here I sit, having read the book, ready to write a review... and I have no idea what to say. I don't even have a parenthetical aside to add (insert gasps from the audience here.)

Okay, picture this: A brave, young warrior, out on a quest to find the magical talisman with which he can defeat the evil dragon sorcerer and save the princess, his one true love, and prevent the destruction of his beloved land. Got it pictured? Of course, that has absolutely nothing to do with this book, but doesn't it sound like a nice story (if, albeit, a tad unoriginal)?

Back to the story at hand: In the prologue, we read about how Atrix Wolfe, one of the most powerful mages in the land, goes against all he has learned and uses his great power in order to prevent a war... an action that has unforeseeable consequences. Cut to 20 years later (isn't technology amazing? What takes 20 years in the time of the book, only takes a matter of seconds for the reader, the exact amount of which is determined by the speed of one's eyes as they move from the end of one page to the beginning of the next -- unless, of course, breaks were taken in the course of said action, thus causing the calculation of that period of time to become much more complex), where the reader is introduced to Talis, a young mage who has a connection to the events that transpired 20 years previously. Talis, with the help of Atrix Wolfe and a few others, must unravel the mystery of the darkness that was awoken that fateful night, and reunite a broken family.

However, there isn't much mystery there. The reader knows everything that is going on well before the characters do. But there is more of an underlying problem, at least in this humble reviewer's opinion (Hey, I am the most humble person I know!) That being, there isn't even all that much plot. McKillip does an excellent job of descriptions -- of feelings, ideas, events, scenery, etc. -- but her descriptions are often fairly intricate and detailed when they don't need to be. Basically, the story drags on. The events that transpire during the course of the book could have easily been told in half the time (and not just be removing every other letter.... though that would make for an interesting book).

But going from plot point to plot point is not McKillip's style of writing. She uses very pretty language -- "vivid" is a word that springs to mind -- that is quite poetic at times. Her writing is such that one must read every word (occasionally more than once) in order get the full feeling of what she is trying to convey, and while I can appreciate such writing, it is not the easiest thing to get through.

The bottom line: was this a good book? If you like a story full of imagery and imagination, where the use of language is more important than the plot it describes, then yes, I think you would like it. However, if you are like me (though I realize that it is a rather scary thought to think of there being multiple me's out there), and want things to happen in a book, you might get rather bored. I can respect the thought and writing that went into this book, and I know that many people enjoy this type -- it's just not my cup of tea (that brown stain on page 124... that was my cup of tea, but that's another issue altogether).

RE-READ FACTOR: Well, during the course of reading the book, yes, for I did have to go back and reread several sections, where I had missed a key description or idea. But as for reading the book again, now that I've finished... probably not.

SEQUEL FACTOR: Everything finished up nicely in the book, so a direct sequel is not warranted. However, the characters could easily be revisited, if McKillip wanted to... the door wasn't closed completely on that. But is should have been.

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: There are two main female characters in the book: the mysterious Queen of the Forest, and Saro, a young kitchen girl, who herself is connected to events. Both are integral characters in the story, and not in a "Oh, please come rescue me" type of way.

-- K. Burtt

The Book of Atrix Wolfe, published by Ace Books, is currently available in paperback.

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