"The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps" by Kai Ashante Wilson (BR)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Friends this is it! With this book, we hit BINGO!!!

So, who's going for it?

Please remember you do not need to be playing with us to joing the buddy read, mark spoilers and report Chapters so we can all follow along!

[Meredith]

I'm definitely joining, starting in a couple days.

[Kaa]

I just re-read Sorcerer this afternoon. I loved this book the first time I read it, and it is still a favorite. In particular, I really like the use of language and voice. Looking forward to hearing what anyone else thinks!

[Anna]

I remember struggling with this one, but I loved the other novella in this world. It's possible it was because of timing, I was desperately trying to read all the things before Hugo voting closed, and I think this was one of the ones I rushed through.

[Gabi]

Kaa wrote: "I just re-read Sorcerer this afternoon. I loved this book the first time I read it, and it is still a favorite. In particular, I really like the use of language and voice. Looking forward to hearin..."

I guess you just convinced me to join!

ETA: The pictorial and hacked language of the narration took me some time to get into the story, yet it is intriguing (chapter 1)

[Gabi]

Finished! It was 3.5 stars for me rounded up, cause it's clearly not the author's fault, that my English isn't suffice for colloquial narration.

What I really loved was the way the words not exactly told a story, but much more painted an artwork (should have kept this book for the TBR challenge prompt).
What I missed was partly a coherent story line.

[Bobby]

I'm about to pick it up from the library today! I kind of bit off more than I could chew, so I might not start it right away, but very soon.

[Ariana]

I just finished this, and I thought it was kind of amazing.
I listened to the audio, and the narrator (same as Murderbot!) did a really great job. I'm sure I would have had a harder time getting into it if I was eye-reading because of all the unusual language.

(view spoiler)[Mostly I didn't mind the jumping around in time, it just felt like a rich tapestry of narrative. Except at the very end, which felt very abrupt and hard to parse.

I still thought it was really beautiful.
(hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Ariana I agree! I thought it was rich, sweet, funny and novel. But that end...

[Gabi]

;) Am I the only one who loved the novel for the end?

[Meredith]

Just finished. I enjoyed the layers of language, the down to earth conversations among the brothers, Demane’s lyrical narrative and interactions with Captain, and all the stuff that went unsaid for much of the story. It took me a bit of effort to get into the rhythm, and I did go back at one point and re-read the beginning because I was confused. For the most part I let it kind of wash over me and just followed where it lead.

[Kristin B.]

I literally just started this, so nothing here should be a spoiler.

I came to check out this thread because I already kind of want to throw this book against a wall. I'm reading it on my library app, so that would involve throwing my phone, so I'm refraining for the moment.

What is with the anachronisms in the language? (I get that they aren't technically anachronistic since it isn't historical fiction of our world, but that's how they feel.) First page starts off with some lovely, flowing classical type language. Then all of a sudden "Who here has balls?" Don't get me wrong. I love me some crass, modern language. But it feels so out of place. Then on the next page, "Tomorrow dawn, this caravan hits the fucking road" In that one the style changed mid-sentence.

I assume you get used to it?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Kristin B. wrote: "I literally just started this, so nothing here should be a spoiler.

I came to check out this thread because I already kind of want to throw this book against a wall. I'm reading it on my library ..."

I pictured it like dwarves that sound Russian or Scottish, or elves that speak with Royal Pronunciation or the French seductress from Mesopotamia or whatever. Those don't make any damn sense either, they're all over the map, all over the timeline in what makes the accent and yet we're all like "oh yeah, sure, everyone knows the dwarves migrated from late 20th century Glasgow, duh."

Thinking of it like an accent written into the book, and a commentary on what is and is not "allowed" in fantasy made it fun for me.

[Kristin B.]

I like it. I think I shall picture them kind of like modern speaking Dothraki. :)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

XD

[Kaa]

The author wrote an article a couple years ago where he talks about the use of dialect in fiction. He describes some of the choices he makes in writing dialogue, and makes some comments about this book specifically: https://www.tor.com/2016/11/02/the-po...

For me, the use of dialect and code-switching added a lot to the characterization and world-building in the story. It conveyed a lot of information about social differences and relationships in a really unique way.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

This is a really great article, I love his insight. Great find, Kaa!

[Kristin B.]

Finished the book just now.

(view spoiler)[I'm having a hard time trying to decide how I feel about this one. It was kind of all over the place for me. The characters and world building were stupendous! The strange mixed style dialogue got better, but still messed me up sometimes. The fantasy writing was great but with random science tossed in like panaceaic endosymbionts, genomes and such. Which I like, but it felt so strange here.

Then there's the fact that I feel like I haven't read a happy ending in forever, and I really wanted Demane and Isa to have a happy ending. (hide spoiler)]

I think I'm going to let this one sit in my brain a bit before I decide on a rating.

[Rachel]

I wish he had done this interesting code switching thing with a ...meatier plot?

Also not sure about the jumping around OR the end.

I guess I liked the land of milk and honey or whatever it was called better

[Meredith]

Kristin B. wrote: "Finished the book just now. ..."

On the ending, I agree, (view spoiler)[ I keep trying to think of a way that it is happy for Demane and Isa and I can't quite make it work. (hide spoiler)]

[Bobby]

So I just finished the First of Seven, and I actually really like the dialect. I've never encountered that kind of thing in a fantasy world. I am enjoying being able to have a clear understanding of the accents and slang being used, especially because it's so different from other high fantasy books.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Bobby wrote: "So I just finished the First of Seven, and I actually really like the dialect. I've never encountered that kind of thing in a fantasy world. I am enjoying being able to have a clear understanding o..."

Yeah! I enjoyed that a lot. And I liked, as Kaa's article said, that it's not tied to intelligence or morality or anything--it's just class, and even within that are distinctions based on where the characters grew up. Nuanced but in a way my city-connected American self is familiar with. It was surprising and then pleasing to hear people talking like I hear people talk.

[Kristin B.]

Meredith wrote: "Kristin B. wrote: "Finished the book just now. ..."

On the ending, I agree, [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Oh, I already worked that out. :) When Demane became the Stormbird he ascended and spoke to Aunty. Isa and Demane both have the blood of special ancestors. So, I believe they will both ascend. At the beginning there was something about the protector of the Wildeeps ascending, so when Demane is done with that, he will get to be with Isa (and Aunty) again. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Canon accepted!

[Meredith]

I like it!

[Bobby]

I finally finished it last night. It was such a short book you would think I would have finished it much earlier, but I had it in print from the library, and I usually have much less time to read in that format.

Like others, I was frustrated with the ending, but I still gave it 5 stars, because I loved the world building and characters so much.

End of book spoilers: (view spoiler)[I really liked the part near the end where Demane is basically part of the Wildeeps now and can't leave. It really made the title have meaning, and I wasn't expecting it. It felt like such a legendary moment, and now I really want the author to return to the Wildeeps with Demane a big part of it.

I know people have been saying they couldn't find a way for the Captain and Demane to live happily ever after, and neither can I, but for a different reason. I think it's very possible for the Captain to be alive, because the very end is Demane throwing his spear and the Captain accepting that he will either die or be saved. That tells me it's about a 50/50 chance. However, Demane is stuck in the Wildeeps, and the Captain is responsible for the brothers, so there is no way he would leave them behind, not to mention his contract with the merchants. So I'm hoping the Captain lived, but even if he did, I don't think he will be staying with Demane. (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

That's a good point, too, Bobby. Glad you finally got to it and enjoyed it! I do want to know more about what happens after and what (view spoiler)[ made Demane so sad. Does he master the wildeeps? Is Captain injured? Is he stuck in the other "world?" Is he planning to leave? Are the Wildeeps safe now for tourists? (hide spoiler)]

[Meredith]

I agree with you Bobby, (view spoiler)[ I think Demane has to stay in the Wildeeps now. It was foreshadowed in one of the Epigraphs early on. (hide spoiler)] Allsion, (view spoiler)[ maybe the Wildeeps will be nicer now with Demane there. (hide spoiler)]

[Leticia]

I'm trying to finish this, the part with the Gods and sci-fi is really interesting but usually rushed up while other boring stuff goes on for ages.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Leticia wrote: "I'm trying to finish this, the part with the Gods and sci-fi is really interesting but usually rushed up while other boring stuff goes on for ages."


I found this a rather boring book, too. I didn't like the writing style, and I found like there was more potential for an interesting world than what we were actually given...

But I mainly pushed through for one reason, and then the ending annoyed me.

[Anna]

We now also have a BR for A Taste of Honey, find it here.