The Knight
by Gene Wolfe
Tor, 2004, ISBN 0-765-30998-0
A book review by Elisabeth Carey
A teenager staying in his family's hunting cabin stumbles out of our world and into a strange and magical world, where after some unsettling experiences he is transformed into a physically adult man of heroic proportions, and sets out to be a knight. After this, of course, he has even more unsettling experiences. As he copes with fairies, dragons, giants, a talking cat, and the Valfather's lost dog (who also talks, and no, the dog and the cat do not like each other), and other magical creatures, his life gets steadily more complicated, and is not simplified by the fact t hat no one believes, or even takes literally, his explanation that despite appearances, he's still just a boy.
This is a rich, complex, absorbing Wolfian fantasy, and it's only the first half of The Wizard Knight. More Wolfian goodness to look forward to.
Highly recommended.
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