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163rd out of 226 books
—
259 voters
Wizard of the Pigeons
Seattle: a place as magical as the Emerald City. Subtle magic seeps through the cracks in the paving stones of the sprawling metropolis. But only the inhabitants who possess special gifts are open to the city's consciousness; finding portents in the graffiti, reading messages in the rubbish or listening to warnings in the skipping-rope chants of children. Wizard is bound t...more
Mass Market Paperback, 214 pages
Published
January 1st 1986
by Ace
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Living on the streets of Seattle is a man called Wizard who talks with mummies and tells the Truth to those who sit beside him on the bus. But when he and other magic users are threatened by the amorphous gray Mir, Wizard must decide if he can and will use his powers to go to war. Wizard of the Pigeons is an urban fantasy that calls to mind Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint in both setting and style: realistically-rendered Seattle is filled with clever, cute bits of magic from treasure-filled junk...more
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A lovely magical book. I don't remember all the details as I read it a long time ago but I do remember that it was pretty fantastic. I loved the feel of the story, the way it made the city of seattle another character , and the strange and individual ways the magic was present in the main characters (cassie and her jumprope songs, the black wizard (forgot his name) and his music, and the main protagonist wizard (forgot his name also) and his power of persuasion.
I also remember that I always pict...more
I also remember that I always pict...more
I adore this book and if you find it, but it immediately. It took me years to obtain a copy after re-reading my library's copy obsessively. At any rate, this is an early work of urban fantasy that has withstood the test of time. The book focuses on a series of magic workers who live in Seattle. Wizard, the main character who is among other things obliged to look after the pigeons, has cobbled together a relatively plesant and comfortable existance living on the margins of life in Seattle. Eventu...more
It takes a while to really get going, but when it does it's good. I especially loved the strange, complex character of Cassie, and the tenuous rules and networks built around the wizard community.
Felt more like a novella than a novel, and I really wish it weren't a stand-alone book. Too many good ideas to cut it off so short, and leave so much unresolved.
I also disagree with the reading the one spoiler reviewer had: there is definitely a real fantasy world here, it's just a very hard one to ac...more
Felt more like a novella than a novel, and I really wish it weren't a stand-alone book. Too many good ideas to cut it off so short, and leave so much unresolved.
I also disagree with the reading the one spoiler reviewer had: there is definitely a real fantasy world here, it's just a very hard one to ac...more
...Wizard of the Pigeons is a novel with many layers. Do you choose to see Wizard as a Vietnam veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome or a figure not unlike Merlin? It is a story of unrequited love, a magical quest or facing a dark past? Is Seattle magical or mundane? Is the city sheltering him or is he protecting the city? Lindholm leaves the reader a lot of room to interpret the story but nonetheless manages to write a conclusion to the story that makes all the elements fall int...more
This is probably my favourite book by Megan Lindholm/Robin Hobb, and certainly in the top five of my favourite fantasy books. It's a beautiful, detailed book, but such a simple story. The Wizard lives on the streets of Seattle, and a grey mist, an evil presence, MIR, has come for him. The Wizard has to find the strength to battle MIR, but also to battle himself, his past - in Viet Nam, and what he became there, and toaccept and settle into his present, as a homeless man, as the Wizard of the Pie...more
This requires rather more from the reader than most fantasy - it is in the "magical realism" category, where the reader needs to bear in mind the possibility of a wholly magical world - or that the story is happening in the mind of a mentally damaged ex-soldier, now a drop-out - or something in between! The story is told slowly, but with some subtlety. I would normally look for something a little faster-paced, but this is pretty good!
On the one hand, I love low-profile wizards in love with their city: Hellblazer's Constantine or Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift are some of my very favorite characters. On the other hand, the first few pages available on Amazon feature clunky&unnatural dialog and a wizard who doesn't seem all that likable. So I dunno. If I find this book before Think Galactic meets and discusses it, I'll read it; if not, I'll drop this.
This is one of the books that broke out for me - of all the wonderful stories I've read, I would have to say that the compassion, hope and ability to touch the heart deeply, this one stays in my memory as the best book I've read in my life. I'm 55 and have a HonBA in lit - and that's a lot of competition.
I should reread this! I read this when I was 10 or 11 and first getting into fantasy, but I was used to the dragons-and-sorcery type stuff so I didn't really get it. Pretty much all I remember is the main character is a homeless guy who has some small magic powers but makes rules for why he can't use them.
I didn't get the point of this book. I enjoyed it alright. The begining seemed like something I would like but it never seemed to take off. It was too long but as a short story I probably would've really liked it.
Most adored part of this book isn't the history of Wizard, or the Seattle histories woven through (though i like the latter), but the ambiguity of the magic in the world, while remaining structured all the same.
One of my all time favourite authors. An engaging story filled with interesting characters and creative detailed explanations of the world in which they struggle.
Wish more urban fantasy were like this instead of the headless-washboard-abs brigade you see at the local bookshops.....
Nov 12, 2010
Hilary
marked it as to-read
Read this one years ago, remember liking it, haven't been able to find it anywhere to re-read it but here's hoping.
view all 5 comments
I picked this up during my Robin Hobb phase, but quickly realized there were good reasons it was written under another pen name. I am not a particular fan of this genre.
Genius work of art-literature. Subject matter, however, makes it difficult to read.
I just started this book, it is great so far. The wizards in the book are living as homeless people.
Amazing thought provoking I will have much of this whirling in my mind for quite some time Magic in today,, worldd is never what you imagine. ..
Aug 06, 2011
Mai-ana
added it
Not as good as her Robin Hobb stuff.
*note to self. Copy from A.
My introduction to fantasy for grown-ups. Read it when I was 12 despite the title (what? no dragons?) and haven't forgotten about it since. Not sure if it holds up now, but I don't care. Fond memories should be left alone.
Jul 25, 2011
Niall519
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy-high-low-urban-and-horrific
Ah, Megan Lindholm / Robin Hobb... Universally acclaimed for her cheery and optimistic books. ;(
It's well written, but yet another in the author's long line of depressing stories about people living miserable lives. Perfectly serviceable urban fantasy though.
It's well written, but yet another in the author's long line of depressing stories about people living miserable lives. Perfectly serviceable urban fantasy though.
While the bulk of the story is a captivating way of experiencing the magic of Seattle and harsh realities of being a homeless vet the novel is book-ended with a slow opening and a confusing ending. In both cases I found myself rereading passages just to figure out what was happening. The slow start nearly kept me from reading the rest of the book but I am glad I had continued reading.
A strange and rather wonderful book. A man in Seattle is living on the margins as part of the requirements to maintain his wizard powers. He must defend Seattle from a magical attack. Or he's a crazy, homeless guy whose family doesn't want him back.[return][return]I got caught up in each story, and uncomfortable with the portrayal of homelessness.
J'ai moins aimé cet univers un peu fantasmagorique où la réalité et le rêve se mélangent un peu. La logique de cette histoire (qui tient presque plus du conte) m'a échappée même s'il y avait des moments poétiques.
Absolutely one of the best books ever written about Seattle. This is the city that I grew up in, before the tech and the shiny condos and the Starbucks on every corner. First book that I ever read that made me u-turn into the bookstore and buy five more copies to mail to friends.
Warning: it's a heartbreak of read.
Warning: it's a heartbreak of read.
Wow! Really a story about PTSD in a Viet Nam vet who escapes into fantasy land. Wrenching in its revelations about the lack of understanding of this problem in those days, and the pathetic unresponsiveness of the VA. Beautifully written. More reality than fantasy.
The writer who became Robin Hobb.
The writer who became Robin Hobb.
I first read this book in the late 1980's. An excellent example of true urban fantasy... where the city plays a central role. Read the full review here: http://speculativebookreview.blogspot...
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