Spencer Dimmick

Spencer Dimmick
The Knight
Gene Wolfe
Fantasy
Just Right
Page 66

1. Right now, Sir Able of High Heart, a knight and this story's main character, is speaking with a peasant boy named Toug and his father, named Toug as well. After having spent the night in a fisherman's hut, he is attempting to leave the land that he is in now to travel abroad. He is speaking to the Tougs for information on how to leave. For example, he asked them if the forest was safe to travel through at night, and apparantly it was a good thing he did. They told him that giants are abroad, so he decided to stay where he was for a little longer.

2. I am slowly developing a venemous dislike for this tale. It lacks any sense of plot direction whatsoever, leaping pell-mell here and there at what seems to be only at the author's whim. For example, one moment he is traveling with a knight and his squire, and within a page he has found an elfin woman that seems to have no link to the plot beforehand. There also is no plot depth or character depth for that matter. There is only a paltry sum of words describing the main character, and even less for all the others. If this book needed to be rated, I would give it a 2 out of 10.

3. Hmm. If there is a theme to be found in this chaos called a story, I suppose it would be loyalty. No good person in the tale has betrayed another, and to show that I bring up the point of Svon, Sir Ravd's squire. Though he is threatened by robbers to betray Sir Ravd and kill Sir Able, his loyalty causes him to instead tell the whole story to Sir Ravd and Able. I would say that that demonstrates loyalty.

4. My favorite character right now is Disara, the Mossmaiden, and a trickster of the forest. She is a very sly character, using the others for her own gain, but also displaying loyalty where it is needed. For example, She helps find Sir Able a place out of the rain, but she is also using him for protection against any possible attack.

5. My least favorite character would be the Elder one of the Tougs. So far he hasn't said anything, but he has managed to cultivate an aura of cowardice that I don't like at all. For example, he lets his son speak to Sir Able when they meet, but he refuses to meet his eyes or lower his spear. That planted the seeds of dislike I have for him.

6. With the way this story has gone so far, there seems to be no way to tell what's going to happen next. Perhaps Sir Able will find a way to leave: that seems to be the underlying purpose. However, with the way the plot has been hopping around already, I can't make you any garuntees. I'd just guess that he'll fight a bunch of monsters, emerge victorious, and somehow save the day. Call it a hunch, as that's usually how this kind of story goes.