Customer Reviews

Castleview

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This isn't Wolfe at his best. The story is at times maddeningly confusing. It appears to be a mishmash of Arthurian legends, fairy folklore and vampire stories all set in small town America. The characters often seem to act in a contrived manner and for a short novel is has an extensive cast. But it's still Wolfe. The book has some interesting ideas and wonderful images and his prose is always a pleasure to read.

It moves along at a fair old clip and the second half is practically frenetic. This both serves to draw the reader in and then to leave them even more bemused when they have a moment to cogitate on what just occurred.

Definitely worth a read but would not recommend this to a first time reader of Gene Wolfe. The Book of The New Sun series or Soldier in the Mist would be better starting point.

That seems to be the byline on this one. I even bought a book of Arthurian legend but it didn't help much. Yet even without understanding exactly what happened this book kept me on the edge of my seat. A very good ride, even if you don't know where you are going.

This book, more than any other, taught me to enjoy the journey with Wolfe and quit rushing to find out what happens in the end.

Castleview was a pretty quick read, but not an easy one. It seemed to be a little darker than most of Wolfe's work with an almost horror element at times. There were plenty of unexplained occurrences during this strange clash of mythologies in the small town of Castleview Illinois. The action appears to have taken place, for the most part, in a short amount of time when characters from, but not limited to, the Arthurian Legends and Norse Mythology appear to invade the town performing all sorts of strange acts upon an unusual cast of characters.

Overall the pacing on this novel felt a little strange. All in all it was an enjoyable read that will almost certainly warrant another look since, as with many Wolfe books, this one had many subtle events, hints, myths and story lines happening which I am sure that I did not catch the first time through.

What a disappointment! I had just finished reading Gene Wolfe's monumental duology, "Shadow and Claw" and "Sword and Citadel," arguably one of the most erudite, complex and unique fantasy tales ever written, only to have my expectations dashed by this piece of juvenile prose filled with poorly drawn characters. The premise was of some interest but the story could have been so much more compelling and enticing if it were not so shallow in style. Don't bother reading this one.

Castleview is filled with interesting characters. It is
fast paced and full of action. To understand all the
references to Arthurian legend will take rereading
and much research but the book is very enjoyable
even if you don't get all the references.

What happened in this book? I would love to be able to discuss this book with another reader. I have read it three times (a real endorsement), and each time I think I have a better understanding of the book's purpose and plot. It is as fascinating as a crossword clue you can't >quite< solve. Read it!

I first read Castleview fifteen years ago and to this day it is one of my favorite novels! It was fast paced, puzzling, hilarious, exausting and the most fun I've ever experienced reading a book. I'm buying a copy for my nephew.

In this frustrating and ultimately not-worthwhile book, Wolfe takes an incredible premise (an Arthurian castle that appears on the outskirts of a middle America town, but is only visable to certain people) and totally ruins it.

Having read a great amount of Arthurian literature (both modern and classic - like Malory, de Troyes, and von Eschenbach), I can honestly say that the plot is incomprehensible. Very few characters have any parallel to Arthurian figures (other than an occasional name), and most of them behave in a completely bizarre fashion.

I slugged my way through every last agonizing page in hopes that the end might clear up the mysteries of this book... only to be disappointed again. My only guess is that Wolfe wrote this book while on drugs, his publisher agreed to publish it based on his prior reputation alone, and that anyone who claims to have enjoyed it is a diehard Wolfe fan that won't admit that this book is a total failure.

Gene Wolfe's CASTLEVIEW is the second of his turn of the 90's trilogy of fantastical fiction novels. The first, THERE ARE DOORS, was a rather confusing but ultimately comprehendible book, but with CASTLEVIEW the reader has no idea what's going on.

CASTLEVIEW is perhaps the most infamous of Gene Wolfe's novels. Wolfe has always like to present puzzles to the reader, and every book he's written is filled with mysteries, allusions, and inside jokes. The answers to these are usually to be found after some diligent reading and research, and in any event the main plot can always be followed. In CASTLEVIEW, even the plot is totally baffling. Apparently it has something to do with magical creatures and characters from folklore, especially King Arthur and company, plaguing a modern town outside of Chicago. That's really all one can say for certain after reading the book. The entire point of the book is an enigma, and it doesn't appear that Wolfe has included the key anywhere in its 200+ pages. My personal hypothesis right after reading the book was that 50 pages or so fell out of my copy during the printing process, so that I missed the part where everything comes together. However, I read the same copy everyone else did, and no one's ever shown it was incomplete.

Ignoring the fact that the book goes right over the heads of its audience, CASTLEVIEW is not one of Wolfe's stronger works. I was annoyed by the speed in which Wolfe introduced new characters, so that it was difficult to follow who's who. Chapters end abruptly on some mysterious development which may create suspense but which irks the reader. Ironically, the teenagers are the only characters which are portrayed realistically, and the adults are somewhat two-dimensional, which is the opposite of how these sorts of things normally turn out.

Gene Wolfe is truly one of the finest writers in the English language. His four-volume work The Book of the New Sun is legendary, and his latest work The Book of the Short Sun is filled with moments of sublime beauty and poignant emotion. I would most certainly recommend that one read Wolfe's "solar" works first (starting with the BotNS), his magisterial novel PEACE, and just about everything else he's every written before coming to CASTLEVIEW. I do recommend CASTLEVIEW, and reading the book sure does explain why so many Wolfe scholars are beating their heads against the wall on this one. Save CASTLEVIEW for last.

This book was recommended to me by Library Thing. I wanted a little diversionary reading, checked around about Wolfe and found him very highly rated.

I only wish I had read these reviews first. ARG! This guy might have some great stuff, but I will never know because of Castleview. A total mess, completely incomprehensible, with many loose ends left untied.

What happend to Sally's sister, among many other loose ends...

I kept plowing through this thing thinking somehow, somewhere, it will begin to make sense.

Arg and double arg!