The Wood Wife by Terri Windling

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The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
pub: TOR. 320 page enlarged paperback. Price: $14.95 (US), $21.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-30293-4

check out website: www.tor.com

Terri Windling is a folklorist, editor for TOR books and has discovered numerous fantasy authors she has edited and published over 40 books including ‘Year's Best Fantasy And Horror’ volumes.

She has won six world fantasy Awards and ‘The Wood Wife’ itself won the 1997 Mythopopeic Award. Although she was written children's books and rewritten Snow White for adults, this book is her first solo fantasy novel or should I say mythic/urban fantasy book.

Terri Windling has drawn her inspiration for this book from Brain Froud's paintings. Brian Froud was the artist inspiration behind ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘Dark Crystal’ as well as producing books on ‘Fairies’ and ‘Folklore’ (goto http://www.endicott-studio.com/biofroud.html to find out more).

The book is set in modern North American and follows Maggie Black. An ex-poet, she inherits a house in the Arizona Desert from the Pulitzer prize-winning poet Davis Cooper who has died in mysterious circumstances. Cooper was found drowned in the middle of a dried riverbed in the desert and the police had no idea how he had died in such a manner.

Maggie is plagued by her ex-husband and she decides to move from LA. She had never met Cooper when he was alive but had corresponded with him over numerous years and they both appreciated each other’s works. She sets out to live in Cooper’s old home and write his biography using his work and papers he's left. She try's to piece together Cooper's life and also that of his wife, Anna Naverra, a painter who went mad.

Life in the desert is not quite what she expected, new friends and stranger questions are presented to her as the mountain and desert she now lives on is alive with spirits. The same spirits that Anna painted and Cooper wrote about in his poems. These age-old spirits, dangerous and powerful, play and use people as their canvas to create their own beauty. Maggie starts to realise the local wildlife is not quite what it seems.

This is a beautiful study of character and people. In some respects, the overall story pales into insignificance next to the people portrayed. This is a wild eclectic mix of art, poetry, music and folklore. The mix of Native American folklore mixed in with European and other mythology works incredibly well. Terri Windling lives both in Devon, England and the Arizona Desert and reading this book you appreciate how these two contrasting places provide inspiration.

The desert has never appealed to me before I read this book but Terri Windling brings it to life. You, as a reader, follow Maggie's discovery of a whole natural world that's full of beautiful, mystical beings.

There is a huge amount of natural history included, especially about coyotes. Along with a huge amount of background reference, you really feel that you are there walking with Maggie and her new-found friends.

The character of Maggie is beautifully portrayed. Still in love with her ex-husband and struggling to find her own space, freedom and self-worth she ventures into her new home in the desert. The landscape and the spirits draw her artistic side out and she finds her long buried poetry emerging again.

Some of the side characters are only briefly described and perhaps could have done with a bit more expansion. This contrasts with her descriptive ability overall, as Terri Windling really creates realistic images in your mind’s eye. Again with the main characters they feel 'real'. You don't feel like you’re reading a book, you're with that person at that point in time.

The main story unfolds quite slowly. Maggie slowly starts to piece together Cooper's life. Cooper himself, although he is dead, becomes another main character. Layers slowly peel back revealing new depths.

The story on the surface is quite straightforward but with an almost poetic quality. Underneath though is a powerful multi-layered structure that you just want to explore. The ending is perhaps a bit weak but this is balanced so well by the rest of the book.

It's well worth look at some of Brian Fraud’s paintings that inspired this book on http://www.endicott-studio.com/galwwife.html as you can see where some of the ideas and character have come from. These are the only Wood Wife pictures to have been published which I think is a real shame as they are quite beautiful.

You have to the use your imagination and this book to get an idea of the rest of the paintings. There is also quite a bit of poetry with the book. Now I'm not the biggest fan of poetry but this added dimension to the book and didn't in any way feel tagged on. I may even look up some of the poets work mentioned and referenced in the book.

This book works on so many levels. I am really getting into mythic\urban fantasy. It has depths that you just don't find in many books, even regular fiction. This is not like your typical flavoured fantasy (its got meat on its bones).

I think folklore and fairy tales search the dark depths and emotion levels of the human psyche and books like these do the same. The real shame is most people will overlook this book. It is available in the UK (it has a different cover by Brian Froud to the US book) but you may have to search for it.

If you've read any books by Charles de Lint then this will be right up your street. These authors love folklore and bring it right up-to-date with books that are in a way modern fairy tales.

Please at least read one mythic fantasy book, you will be hooked.

Phil Jones

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