Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis (Book Review)

Wildwood by Colin Meloy, illustrations by Carson Ellis.

Already known for spinning musical yarns with the folk-indie group The Decemberists, Colin Meloy’s Wildwood (with illustrations by Carson Ellis) is the songwriter’s foray into novel-length literature.  Combining talking animals and magic into a fast-paced, engaging young person’s adventure novel, the narrative follows the quest of Prue McKeel and Curtis Mehlberg to rescue Prue’s kidnapped brother, Mac, and it is quite a good read.

A Re-Gathering of Players and Motifs

To a reader schooled in classic storytelling and 20th-century children’s literature, reading Wildwood is like visiting a childhood fort.  You can laugh at yourself for being swept away by your imagination when you were younger, but you have to admit that the place still holds a magical sway over your emotions.  In addition to already being a fan of the music of The Decemberists and the art of  Carson Ellis, I have to admit that early publisher promotions for the book comparing it to C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia made this book a must-buy for me, and it did not disappoint.

For all its allusions and similarities to other childhood favorites like the ones I have already mentioned, no one should have to resort to nostalgia to appreciate this book.  Sure, essays could be written on how the characters of the mystics are like Tolkien’s ents or how the Dowager Governess’ coyote army is suspiciously similar to the Wicked Witch’s flying monkey army, but since this story is not a retelling of a Tolkien story or The Wizard of Oz or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it escapes any one accusation of character or plot-point pilfering.  In an odd way, it reminds me of watching a movie directed by the Coen Brothers.  How? Watch their films and you will see recurring themes and similar characters and certainly the familiar faces of actors.  When you read this book and enter the Wood, it will feel familiar, but still unlike any place you have been before.  Like any good storyteller, Meloy utilizes tried and true themes, motifs, and archetypes.  He also clearly places himself within a tradition of classics like the Narnia books, the Oz books, and Animal Farm, but he doesn’t write this book as a straight-up animal fable or political satire.  Meloy takes the time to describe the problems with the political systems that keep the Wood a divided land, but he doesn’t really put forth an ideal solution -- he leaves it a complex situation.  I stand by my description of this book as a young person’s adventure novel.  It features elements of fable and fairy tales, but it stands on its own as a journey and a quest.

Problematic Parents

One of the only disappointments of the book (from my perspective) is Meloy’s depiction of parents.  When Prue’s lineage is called into question, I will admit that I was hoping that her parents may have been conscientious objectors to the wars and conflict of the divided Wood, and fled to Portland to live outside of that political sphere.  Instead, Meloy takes this aspect of the story into a Rumpelstiltskin direction, however, and Prue’s parents seem and act like cowards in this book.  I felt a bit put off by this, because what other parental character do we have here? Well, the Dowager Governess is a necromancer trying to destroy the entire Wood, so she is out.  I see the problem as this -- Harry Potter, an orphan, found surrogate parents who genuinely cared for him.  Even if a hero cannot count on his or her own blood relations, a parent of some kind can be found.  When you consider some of the other characters like Owl Rex and Brendan, the Bandit King, or even Iphegenia the Mystic, there are opportunities for them to become parental figures, but they really do not take on this role at all.  There is fraternity in this book, however -- comrades-in-arms, and true friendship, but I don’t seem to see any real parents.  Perhaps that is the point?  The hierarchical structure of beaurocracy of South Wood is certainly worse than the equality of the bandits, so perhaps seeking equal friendship and camaraderie is seen as better than a mentor/protector figure of a parent?  I am not sure.  Near the end of the book, Curtis’ parentage is called into question, and supposedly there will be two more books in the Wildwood series, so Meloy has a chance to write strong parent characters and prove me wrong.

The Illustrations and the Book as a Whole

If you are a fan of The Decemberists, the illustrative style of this book may seem familiar to you.  Carson Ellis has a long history of working with Meloy and The Decemberists, and she does a wonderful job creating a visual sense of cohesion with this work.  Carson Ellis’ illustrations enhance the pacing of the story as well, providing line art head- and tail-piece illustrations, double-page silhouette illustrations and even four color plates.  Ellis works with an earth-toned palette, which works great with the rough-and-tumble, through-the-brush-and-leaves adventures of Prue and Curtis.  And the delicacy of her watercolors (I assume its watercolor) is complemented by the bold blacks and the simplified perspective of her folk art style.  I am looking for a term that describes how the Egyptian hieroglyphics and pre-Renaissance art (and American folk art) would show both legs and both arms, so basically little or no use of perspective).  Ellis' illustrations are very charming, and not "charming" in a "crappy but kind of nice" condescending way, they charm you.  You will feel charmed by them (folkier than Pauline Baynes, more refined than Tolkien’s own art).  For someone who is a fan of illustrated books, this is great, because it truly is an “illustrated book.”  Pick up a popular YA novel from the bookstore, and you are lucky to find one illustrated with a good looking cover.  And then there are the books where a graphic designer and painter create the cover and a second artist illustrates some very minor line art at the beginnings of chapters.  This book is the real deal.  The dust jacket, the maps, the black and white and color illustrations all work together.  I loved anticipating what scenes would be illustrated and what would warrant a full-page or a color illustration.  Young readers will enjoy the battle scenes and the sense of adventure that pulses through the book in a fast-paced rhythm of story-lines, alternating between the adventures of Prue and Curtis, and the illustrations will keep readers turning pages.  In all honesty, I can’t wait until the next volume.

One last note: it is hard to believe (and I doff my hat to the publisher Balzer +Bray) that they kept this 541 page, thoroughly illustrated book to a $17.99 price point.  Thank you!