DRC Review: The Book of Atrix Wolfe: 30th Anniversary Edition by Patricia A. McKillip, forward by Kathleen Jennings
Release date: 25 February 2025
Rating: 5/5
Synopsis: In this classic fantasy novel from the late World Fantasy Award-winning author Patricia A. McKillip (The Forgotten Beasts of Eld) , the human world and the realm of faerie dangerously intertwine through chaotic magic. Told in McKillip’s stunning prose, The Book of Atrix Wolfe is the spellbinding legend of a reluctant mage, a powerful wizard, a beleaguered heir, fae royalty, and a nearly invisible scullery-maid.
When the White Wolf descends upon the battlefield, the results are disastrous. His fateful decision to end a war with powerful magic changes the destiny of four warlike Kardeth, resilient Pelucir, idyllic Chaumenard, and the mysterious Elven realm.
Twenty years later, Prince Talis, orphaned heir to Pelucir, is meant to be the savior of the realm. However, the prince is neither interested in ruling nor a particularly skilled mage. Further, he is obsessed with a corrupted spellbook, and he is haunted by visions from the woods.
The legendary mage Atrix Wolfe has forsaken magic and the world of men. But the Queen of the Wood, whose fae lands overlap Pelucir’s bloody battlefield, is calling Wolfe back. Her consort and her daughter have been missing since the siege, and if Wolfe cannot intervene, the Queen will keep a sacrifice for her own.
Review
I often hear or see readers bemoan the overabundance of series in today’s fantasy market, and sometimes I recommend Patricia McKillip’s books quicker than the complaint finishes its articulation. In my opinion, McKillip holds the master spot in the standalone fantasy category, even though she did write a few series. Not a single McKillip title boasts the length of a tome, yet every world in each book feels like it’s hundreds of pages long. I’ve not finished all of McKillip’s backlist, but I’m very happy that her books are getting some special treatment, though I’d like to see a very nice hardcover collection of them with nice edges and beautiful artwork (that’s not stock). If you haven’t read a Patricia McKillip book yet, I highly recommend you pick all of them up, starting with The Forgotten Beasts of Eld and go from there.
True to form, The Book of Atrix Wolfe possesses a short page length yet a fantastic plot full of fully fleshed-out characters and complicated, yet sympathetic villains. We start the book on the even of a pivotal battle for the land, with a wise mage making a significant error in judgment and the consequences spanning multiple realms and generations of the inhabitants.
McKillip’s true strength likes in the deftly immersive fantasy worlds she builds, and the fae realm of the forest pulls the reader in so well the world seems to go dark no matter the time of day to match it. Characters provide similarly ethereal encounters, with no small part going to any one of them. Even the most inconsequential characters in the story must have close attention paid to them, for they may end up the accidental heroes. And though McKillip’s books bear character names in the titles, those characters may be the ones who cause the problems instead of the ones to save the day.
I’m always surprised when I mention McKillip to other fantasy readers for standalone recommendations; many fantasy fans I encounter have never heard of her. Her wonderful debut, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, celebrated its 50th anniversary last year in 2024 and got its own special hardcover release, but it didn’t really seem to feature much on socials or bestseller charts, despite the fact that EVERY SINGLE white-haired, dragon-riding FMC in today’s popular fantasy and romantasy is based in some way, shape, or form on McKillip’s Sybel.
As a bonus, fantasy readers looking for stories with no explicit language or sexual content will find extra joy in The Book of Atrix Wolfe, for it contains none.
My thanks to Tachyon Publications via NetGalley for the DRC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.
I own not one but two copies of this book, including the new 30th Anniversary Edition, so I really do love it.
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