Scan barcode
adambwriter's review
5.0
Read the review at: https://roofbeamreader.com/2018/04/20/christopher-wild-by-kathe-koja/
fiendfull's review against another edition
4.0
Christopher Wild is an imaginative historical novel, a menacing dystopia, and a grimy city tale in one. It tells a raucous life, a claustrophobic life, a poet’s life, three times over: the trajectory of Elizabethan poet Christopher Marlowe in his historical setting and beyond. The first third is Marlowe as he faces danger from the Service for his role as an intelligencer, his famous plays, and his infamous pronouncements about religion and beyond. The second part is a twentieth-century tale of a gritty poet’s life, tied up in gay bars and covert investigation. The final section is a near-future dystopia of intense surveillance, where the poet known as X04 is fighting for his freedom.
Koja’s book puts an unusual spin on a historical figure who has been the focus of plenty of written works previously, from conspiracy theory novels claiming that Marlowe wrote Shakespeare’s works to Burgess’ delightfully playful A Dead Man in Deptford. The first section reads like another in this line, the fan fiction about the outrageous life of an apparent gay atheist spy turned poet and playwright from the late sixteenth-century. The fast-paced prose hurtles forward and the references are piled in, meaning that it can feel like a whistle-stop tour of every mention that needs to be made about Marlowe’s life. For fans of him and novels about him, this feels a bit too obvious, but the references are necessary for less knowledgable readers to be able to appreciate the later two parts.
The remaining two thirds of the novel tell two other stories, other outspoken Christophers who also write poetry, fight the authorities, and sleep with a complicated tangle of men. Koja takes advantage of the looseness of Elizabethan spelling to create new versions and echoes of characters and scenarios in a way that will probably delight some and annoy others. Every version reads Ovid and Lucan (the real Marlowe translated works by both of them), smokes tobacco (as per the infamous ‘all who love not tobacco and boys are fools’ line from Richard Baines’ list of accusations), and writes poetry. The prose style that captures a tumultuous Elizabethan London doesn’t slow down, and whilst it is slightly less effective in the later sections, it allows for a poetic style and an overlaying of words that matches the way the narrative and characters are overtly replicated.
This kind of transformative work is nothing new (and indeed there are plenty of examples in literature and on the internet of people doing similar not only with Marlowe, but with a whole range of historical figures), but Koja’s combination of the settings does feel fresh, particularly the final scenario in which the dark web and digital surveillance give a new meaning to the spy-intelligence-based drama of Marlowe’s probable life. Marlowe fans are likely to enjoy the ride, even if some of the ideas (like that he was forced into writing a new play about the secret service that led to his death) are somewhat out there. As novels, TV shows, and films about Shakespeare continue to proliferate (and often reduce Marlowe to a bit part), it is always good to see more attempts to present elements of Marlowe’s life in new fictional ways.
Koja’s book puts an unusual spin on a historical figure who has been the focus of plenty of written works previously, from conspiracy theory novels claiming that Marlowe wrote Shakespeare’s works to Burgess’ delightfully playful A Dead Man in Deptford. The first section reads like another in this line, the fan fiction about the outrageous life of an apparent gay atheist spy turned poet and playwright from the late sixteenth-century. The fast-paced prose hurtles forward and the references are piled in, meaning that it can feel like a whistle-stop tour of every mention that needs to be made about Marlowe’s life. For fans of him and novels about him, this feels a bit too obvious, but the references are necessary for less knowledgable readers to be able to appreciate the later two parts.
The remaining two thirds of the novel tell two other stories, other outspoken Christophers who also write poetry, fight the authorities, and sleep with a complicated tangle of men. Koja takes advantage of the looseness of Elizabethan spelling to create new versions and echoes of characters and scenarios in a way that will probably delight some and annoy others. Every version reads Ovid and Lucan (the real Marlowe translated works by both of them), smokes tobacco (as per the infamous ‘all who love not tobacco and boys are fools’ line from Richard Baines’ list of accusations), and writes poetry. The prose style that captures a tumultuous Elizabethan London doesn’t slow down, and whilst it is slightly less effective in the later sections, it allows for a poetic style and an overlaying of words that matches the way the narrative and characters are overtly replicated.
This kind of transformative work is nothing new (and indeed there are plenty of examples in literature and on the internet of people doing similar not only with Marlowe, but with a whole range of historical figures), but Koja’s combination of the settings does feel fresh, particularly the final scenario in which the dark web and digital surveillance give a new meaning to the spy-intelligence-based drama of Marlowe’s probable life. Marlowe fans are likely to enjoy the ride, even if some of the ideas (like that he was forced into writing a new play about the secret service that led to his death) are somewhat out there. As novels, TV shows, and films about Shakespeare continue to proliferate (and often reduce Marlowe to a bit part), it is always good to see more attempts to present elements of Marlowe’s life in new fictional ways.
abetterbradley's review against another edition
5.0
I follow Kathe Koja so I knew that she was working on a Christopher Marlowe book. I sorta expected it to be historical fiction, a fictional biography of the playwright. I was wrong. Yes, part of the book is historical fiction but the rest is genius.
Christopher Wild is separated into 3 segments that somehow manage to elegantly flow into and compliment each other.
The first section is "The Skinner's Trade" and it's about the period of time leading up to Christopher Marlowe's death. This section reminded me of the her Under The Poppy trilogy. I loved the Rufus character and this whole section, and really the whole book, will probably prompt a deep dive into Marlowe after the holidays.
The second section is "Night School". First, I love the connection to the infamous Night School that met during the Elizabethan age. This section takes place during an unnamed time that has resemblance to the McCarthy era. I don't know if there's a proper word for it but Kathe Koja is brilliant at building up the tension that comes with the seedy world of backroom negotiation and governmental black ops. This section reminded me that, not too long ago, homosexuals were deemed to be high level information clearance risks and a governmental career could be stifled if you were found in a gay bar. This section served as a reminder of how fear of the other hasn't really gone away.
The last section, "Quod Me Nutrit", was probably my favorite. Koja creates this futuristic society that isn't too far from reality. In her world, borders have been closed and people live a few steps away from an Orwellian 1984 state. The industrial "villain" from the "Night School" section is name checked. This section really speaks to the power of words and poetry and in a time where the CDC is warned to not use certain words in order to get funding, it becomes a foretelling of what could happen if things remain unchecked.
The language of "Christopher Wild" is as ornate and beautiful as Poppy was and reviews I read seem to focus on how it's too much. I don't think it's too much. Literature should make you reach for a dictionary now and then to look up a word. Kathe Koja includes people I know of but also has me looking up people I have never heard of. For me, when I'm inspired to look further into things a work of fiction has brought to my attention, it rises that work to a new level.
The only thing I dislike about this book is that it cuts close to home and my own personal experience with same sex relationships. This book has me thinking about past loves which is never a good thing when I'm currently not dating. It's not Kathe Koja's fault that she has the ability to make the relationships between her Marlowe and his lovers ring with truth. But Rufus and Tomas has me pondering on my own Rufus and Tomas.
Christopher Wild is separated into 3 segments that somehow manage to elegantly flow into and compliment each other.
The first section is "The Skinner's Trade" and it's about the period of time leading up to Christopher Marlowe's death. This section reminded me of the her Under The Poppy trilogy. I loved the Rufus character and this whole section, and really the whole book, will probably prompt a deep dive into Marlowe after the holidays.
The second section is "Night School". First, I love the connection to the infamous Night School that met during the Elizabethan age. This section takes place during an unnamed time that has resemblance to the McCarthy era. I don't know if there's a proper word for it but Kathe Koja is brilliant at building up the tension that comes with the seedy world of backroom negotiation and governmental black ops. This section reminded me that, not too long ago, homosexuals were deemed to be high level information clearance risks and a governmental career could be stifled if you were found in a gay bar. This section served as a reminder of how fear of the other hasn't really gone away.
The last section, "Quod Me Nutrit", was probably my favorite. Koja creates this futuristic society that isn't too far from reality. In her world, borders have been closed and people live a few steps away from an Orwellian 1984 state. The industrial "villain" from the "Night School" section is name checked. This section really speaks to the power of words and poetry and in a time where the CDC is warned to not use certain words in order to get funding, it becomes a foretelling of what could happen if things remain unchecked.
The language of "Christopher Wild" is as ornate and beautiful as Poppy was and reviews I read seem to focus on how it's too much. I don't think it's too much. Literature should make you reach for a dictionary now and then to look up a word. Kathe Koja includes people I know of but also has me looking up people I have never heard of. For me, when I'm inspired to look further into things a work of fiction has brought to my attention, it rises that work to a new level.
The only thing I dislike about this book is that it cuts close to home and my own personal experience with same sex relationships. This book has me thinking about past loves which is never a good thing when I'm currently not dating. It's not Kathe Koja's fault that she has the ability to make the relationships between her Marlowe and his lovers ring with truth. But Rufus and Tomas has me pondering on my own Rufus and Tomas.
hyacinths's review against another edition
5.0
okay, so, look, I know: once again I pop back on here after months of inactivity just to randomly scream at you about a book that was so good it made me log onto this website so I could scream at you about it. but you guys.
you guys.
I have a problem, and the problem is this: kathe koja is a goddamn literary rockstar, but very few people seem to know or acknowledge this. every time I try to yell with someone about her books, I can't find anyone who's ever heard of them before. and this, my friends, is CRIMINAL, because she's truly an incredible writer and she blows me away every time and I just wish that more people could experience the sheer velvet rush that is her writing. reading one of her books is like being swept away in a river while around you the sun sets and gorgeous vistas pass by as you're carried to your doom. I realize that this sounds very silly and dramatic and maybe not analogous to many reading experiences, but that's just what it feels like, okay! I'm just trying to tell it like it is!
I found kathe koja from her under the poppy trilogy (which you guys should all read, oh my god, read it, please, READ IT) and I've followed her ever since, and I was so excited when I heard she was writing a novel about christopher marlowe. and this book did not disappoint!!! it is a tempest of passion, both the author's and the characters', and it's impossible not to be moved by it.
it's difficult to explain the plot - there isn't really one, unified plot - and it's difficult to explain even the story. it is really three connected stories, all with the same basic story-frame, though each embellish it very differently, and all of course are centered on marlowe - the first is set during his actual historical life, the second places him in an unidentified city somewhere in the mid 20th century, and the third takes place in a futuristic, although not wildly futuristic, sort of dystopia. characters flit between the stories, wearing different names but the same faces, serving different roles here and there, each tied to a certain kind of destiny which revolves around marlowe, who is such a delight to watch through each incarnation, in each era. I think my favorite story was possibly the second one, but they all lean on each other and come together to form an emotionally cohesive whole. I cried, I underlined, I fought the contradictory urges to speed through the pages and also to take it slowly and bask in the gorgeous lyricism of koja's prose. it was an Experience, as her novels always are. it's almost something that you seem to take in with all of your senses, even though physically the act of reading is the same - I closed this book exhausted, wrung out, and still utterly compelled by it.
idk how to tell you to read this book in a way that will make you want to read it, especially since her writing can take a little getting used to. and maybe not everyone will love it as much as I did - everything that hits kathe koja's buttons hits mine as well, I think, we share a very similar taste, and that's probably a large part of why her books are so dear to me. but there is also something undeniably and immutably special about her work, something which is impossible to find anywhere else, and something which I think everyone should sample at least once. and this wonderful, sad, turbulent, feverish, wild, and wildly felt little book is a great place to start.
original review from 11/25/17
OHHHHH MYYY GOOOOOOD, i will review this later when i get home from work but ohhhh myyyyy gooooooodddddddd it was so good.
you guys.
I have a problem, and the problem is this: kathe koja is a goddamn literary rockstar, but very few people seem to know or acknowledge this. every time I try to yell with someone about her books, I can't find anyone who's ever heard of them before. and this, my friends, is CRIMINAL, because she's truly an incredible writer and she blows me away every time and I just wish that more people could experience the sheer velvet rush that is her writing. reading one of her books is like being swept away in a river while around you the sun sets and gorgeous vistas pass by as you're carried to your doom. I realize that this sounds very silly and dramatic and maybe not analogous to many reading experiences, but that's just what it feels like, okay! I'm just trying to tell it like it is!
I found kathe koja from her under the poppy trilogy (which you guys should all read, oh my god, read it, please, READ IT) and I've followed her ever since, and I was so excited when I heard she was writing a novel about christopher marlowe. and this book did not disappoint!!! it is a tempest of passion, both the author's and the characters', and it's impossible not to be moved by it.
it's difficult to explain the plot - there isn't really one, unified plot - and it's difficult to explain even the story. it is really three connected stories, all with the same basic story-frame, though each embellish it very differently, and all of course are centered on marlowe - the first is set during his actual historical life, the second places him in an unidentified city somewhere in the mid 20th century, and the third takes place in a futuristic, although not wildly futuristic, sort of dystopia. characters flit between the stories, wearing different names but the same faces, serving different roles here and there, each tied to a certain kind of destiny which revolves around marlowe, who is such a delight to watch through each incarnation, in each era. I think my favorite story was possibly the second one, but they all lean on each other and come together to form an emotionally cohesive whole. I cried, I underlined, I fought the contradictory urges to speed through the pages and also to take it slowly and bask in the gorgeous lyricism of koja's prose. it was an Experience, as her novels always are. it's almost something that you seem to take in with all of your senses, even though physically the act of reading is the same - I closed this book exhausted, wrung out, and still utterly compelled by it.
idk how to tell you to read this book in a way that will make you want to read it, especially since her writing can take a little getting used to. and maybe not everyone will love it as much as I did - everything that hits kathe koja's buttons hits mine as well, I think, we share a very similar taste, and that's probably a large part of why her books are so dear to me. but there is also something undeniably and immutably special about her work, something which is impossible to find anywhere else, and something which I think everyone should sample at least once. and this wonderful, sad, turbulent, feverish, wild, and wildly felt little book is a great place to start.
original review from 11/25/17
OHHHHH MYYY GOOOOOOD, i will review this later when i get home from work but ohhhh myyyyy gooooooodddddddd it was so good.
megandawn's review against another edition
4.0
This is the book equivalent of super rich chocolate; delicious, but best eaten in small doses. After just a few pages my mind would be reeling from the onslaught of details and images and information and I would need to put it down for a while. There is a breathless quality to the pages that translated across to me, reading the almost stream of consciousness prose made me feel breathless. So a challenge at times, yes, but worth it. This book is beautiful, sumptuous and overwhelming, and gets as close to the line where prose and poetry meet as a book is able. I recommend it, but let yourself be in the right mood for it. Also be prepared to develop a crush on Christopher Marlowe. Just saying.
tundragirl's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this 3.5 if that were possible. This is an odd but ultimately affecting telling of the life of Christopher Marlowe in three acts and three time periods: his own time, the 1950s, and an unspecified dystopian future.
More...