Law of the Wolf Tower (original 1998; edition 2000)

Wolf Tower
by Tanith Lee

I enjoyed this book when I read it—it got a little star in my book notebook which is the equivalent of about a four star rating—but now that I’m thinking about it later, I’m realizing that this was essentially an apathy rating. I wasn’t blown away by it but it was solidly good. There were a few quibbles I had.

First, Claidi’s voice seemed a little unsettled to me, like the author wasn’t quite sure how old she was or how old the readers were. Sometimes it seemed very young adult, sometimes a couple of years younger. I suppose you could make a case for that given that Claidi was both very protected and forced into adulthood. However, it felt less like a device and more like an actual problem.

Second, what with the beautiful gardens and the Waste and the balloons, I kept making these connections to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was extremely distracting. I was expecting the whole way through for it to suddenly fall into some sort of back-story for the Oz books. When it didn’t, I was just confused. Now, granted this may be the fault of my mind making connections where it shouldn’t. But really, when you start talking about an oasis in a desert called the Waste and then add in balloonists, I start to get suspicious.

All in all, I enjoyed this, despite these issues. I’ll be interested to see where the series (four books) goes.

Recommended.
( )

Wolf Tower
by Tanith Lee

I enjoyed this book when I read it—it got a little star in my book notebook which is the equivalent of about a four star rating—but now that I’m thinking about it later, I’m realizing that this was essentially an apathy rating. I wasn’t blown away by it but it was solidly good. There were a few quibbles I had.

First, Claidi’s voice seemed a little unsettled to me, like the author wasn’t quite sure how old she was or how old the readers were. Sometimes it seemed very young adult, sometimes a couple of years younger. I suppose you could make a case for that given that Claidi was both very protected and forced into adulthood. However, it felt less like a device and more like an actual problem.

Second, what with the beautiful gardens and the Waste and the balloons, I kept making these connections to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was extremely distracting. I was expecting the whole way through for it to suddenly fall into some sort of back-story for the Oz books. When it didn’t, I was just confused. Now, granted this may be the fault of my mind making connections where it shouldn’t. But really, when you start talking about an oasis in a desert called the Waste and then add in balloonists, I start to get suspicious.

All in all, I enjoyed this, despite these issues. I’ll be interested to see where the series (four books) goes.

Recommended.
( )

While Tanith Lee writes both fantasy and scifi I would have to say that
my favorite genre of hers is fantasy.
She has a unique voice when she weaves classic fairy tales into her
Own unique works.
The wolf tower series is no different. A delight to read a keeper to the collection! ( )

Interesting to see Tanith Lee write for a younger audience. I wanted to love this book more than I did. It was an okay and diverting read, but there were parts where my interest lagged or I got annoyed with it.

Told in the form of diary entries, we learn the story of Claidi, an orphan and slave in the House and Garden. The House and Garden is kept meticulously beautiful, tended by slaves and featuring lions on jeweled leashes, fabulous rose gardens and green-haired nobles in beautiful clothing. Life is not so pleasant for a slave, though, especially young Claidi who is servant to a bad-tempered and spoilt princess.

Everyone has been told that there is nothing outside the House and the Garden except for the cruel and awful Wastes, but one day a beautiful golden-haired prince in a fantastic balloon appears over the Garden. The balloon is shot down, but the prince, Nemian, presents the House's old matriarch, Jizania Tiger, with a special flower before he is imprisoned.

Jizania Tiger gives Claidi the tools to free the beautiful prince and escape! but she must do so in secret. Jizania Tiger tells Claidi that her mother was a princess of the House, banished to the Waste for loving a servant, which would make Claidi royalty, but is it even true? Claidi, who has been threatened with a whipping for displeasing her master, and is captivated by the Prince Nemian's golden-haired beauty, naturally agrees.

Outside the House and the Garden Claidi finds many surprises. Firstly, the land outside is vast and not at all like the "Waste" she was expecting. Secondly, Prince Nemian may be handsome, but she is quick to pick up on his less-than stellar personality. They travel from place to place, exploring the strange world they find themselves in. There were times when I felt the diary format was a real hindrance, since the reader is that much more removed from the action. And I began to get annoyed with Claidi's ignorance about every little thing, and needing others to explain it to her.

Claidi and Nemian end up with a nomadic group called the Hulta, whom they first think are bandits, but this is really not the case. Their leader, Argul, seems scary to Claidi at first, but she slowly learns that, just as Nemian was not the charming prince he seemed at first, Argul has much more to him, and she realizes she prefers him to Prince Nemian. ( )

An interesting young adult novel. I've just finished rereading it because I couldn't remember what it was about since I read it so long ago.

A young servant is whisked away to a different city, away from the House and only place she's ever known. She learns the hard truth about people and life and her journey is just beginning. Written in first person as if it were a journal. Sometimes the grammar isn't correct, but then again it's written like a dairy so I can't complain too much. Good read for kids. ( )