Wolfe, Gene. The Knight.

WOLFE, Gene. The knight. (Book One of The Wizard Knight.).Tor. 527p. c2004. 0-755-34701-6. $7.99. SA

Blending Arthurian legend and Celtic lore, Wolfe twists elements of the two into a refreshing fantasy. Detailing the life of a young boy who is transported from the modern world to one of medieval design, the novel opens as the main character writes to his brother Ben, explaining how (when he was a teenager) he was kidnapped by Aelfs while wandering in the woods near Ben's cabin. He details waking up in a different world, alone in a cave. The only other person he sees is an elderly woman spinning thread who gives him a new name, Able of the High Heart. With few remaining memories of his life in the modern world, the newly named Able leaves the cave in an attempt to find his true home. He then meets Bold Berthold, who claims that Able is his brother and welcomes the teen with open arms. While living with Bold, Able assists a knight in his travels and decides that he wants to become a knight as well. In performing squirely duties for Sir Ravd, Able inadvertently falls victim to the charms of Disiri, the Moss Aelf Queen, and in a night, Able is physically transformed from a teenage boy to a hulking, physically strong adult. To become a worthy knight, Disiri tells Able that he must wrest the noble sword Eterne from a dragon and thus, he begins his true quest while adapting to his new body and his new world.

This novel is the first of a two-part saga that continues with The Wizard. Although it is lengthy, the chapters, like short vignettes, and the first-person narration move the story along briskly as Able faces new adventures and establishes his identity. Wolfe's imaginative world, which consists of seven different planes of existence, is an intriguing place, and readers will relish Able's adventures. Able also provides a glossary of characters, places, and unfamiliar terms for his brother, Ben, at the beginning of the novel that serves as a handy point of reference for readers. Highly recommended for fans of epic fantasy and especially for those readers who enjoy brave knight tales and the world of the Faerie. Ginger Armstrong, Prin. Lib. Assoc., County PL, Chesterfield, VA