The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson

The story relies little on plot and focuses principally on Demane's inner conflicts, as he wrestles with, among other things, his romantic attachment to the guards' Captain, Isa, a demigod himself who is alternately tender (he literally sings in lieu of speaking) and bloodthirsty, entertaining the men by thrashing opponents in fights, sometimes to the death. To reach this goal, though, the caravan must pass through the Wildeeps, a sinister forested country where to stray one step from the main road means certain death at the teeth and claws of some fell beast rumored to be the spawn of the darkest witchcraft. Now considered a sorcerer by the men he protects, Demane is working with a group of caravan guards guiding a pompous merchant, Master Suresh, across a storm-wracked landscape where, reportedly, such riches await them upon their destination in Olorum City that Suresh is prepared to pay each man in his company enough to set them up for life.

Our protagonist is Demane, a demigod descended from a race of higher beings who have abandoned earth for the stars. It's as if Wilson set out to create as vivid and richly textured a world as he could imagine, only to make it as inaccessible and uninviting a place for us to visit as it could be. But while it never for one moment lacks for ambition, The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps buries the grandeur of its creative vision beneath a murky narrative and prose often stylized to the point of obscurantism. Given that Wilson earned both a Nebula and World Fantasy nomination for his 2014 novelette 'The Devil in America,' it is understandable that expectations were high. But the advance hype surrounding Wilson's story is, regrettably, unmatched by the final product.

It should be thrown with great force.Īll right, that may be overly dramatic. It is not a story to be tossed aside lightly. Tweets by launch title among Tor.com Publishing's late-2015 novella (or short novel, depending on how finely you choose to split hairs) line, Kai Ashante Wilson's The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps calls to mind the possibly apocryphal review Dorothy Parker is said to have bestowed upon a book by no less than Benito Mussolini. Book cover artwork is copyrighted by its respective artist and/or publisher. All reviews and site design © by Thomas M.

The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson