Wildwood by Colin Meloy
It’s just a fantasy
It’s not the real thing
It’s just a fantasy
It’s not the real thing
But sometimes a fantasy
Is all you need
—-Billy Joel—-
Wildwood, written by Colin Meloy, (the lead singer and songwriter of the Portland Oregon rock band the Decemberists) and published by Balzer + Bray in 2011, is a terrific, vocabulary-rich, young adult fantasy novel you will love no matter how old you are. It begins with a highly unusual event and the worst nightmare of any child-care provider. This event results in twelve-year-old Prue teaming up with classmate Curtis and entering the magical world of the Impassable Wilderness known as Wildwood located across the Willamette River of Portland, Oregon. This magical world was inspired by Forest Park, a 5200-acre refuge for hundreds of native wildlife and plant species near the author and illustrator’s home.
If you google the definition of the fantasy genre, you’ll find that it is usually described as “any story that could not possibly happen in real world” or as “an impossible story set in the real world.” I define the genre as any story I want to believe could happen … to me … at any time. Fantasy at its best bewitches me right from the start and that was my experience with Wildwood. The detailed setting meticulously illustrated by Carson Ellis, the good vs. evil story line, and the gun-wielding coyote soldiers became my reality. I would have been super bummed when I finished it, except that by then I had learned that there are two additional books in the series: Under Wildwood (2013) and Wildwood Imperium (2014). They are in my local library, and I hope they are in yours as well!
One of my favorite scenes from the novel occurs when Curtis is imprisoned by the evil governess. He is led through a series of tunnels by soldier coyotes. He turns a sharp corner and before him the tunnel opens to a large room described below.
It appeared as if the room had formed naturally: The floor was knobbed with rubble and rock and the walls sloped down from the towering ceiling in an irregular fashion —- but this was by far the least remarkable thing about the room. The thing that instantly demanded Curtis’s attention was the massive twist of roots that hung from the ceiling —- what a tree must be above this system of limbs! —– and the ominous array of rickety wooden cages that hung from the thick tendrils. The viney maple boughs that made up the cages’ bars joined in a crown at the top: they looked like birdcages in a giant’s aviary. Thick hempen cables attached the cages to the root system above, and they issued whining creaks as they twisted around on their lines. Inside, Curtis could make out a few figures —- the cages looked to be big enough to imprison several unfortunate souls apiece —- while many remained empty. He didn’t have time to count them, but they looked to number in the dozens.
“Warden!” shouted one of his captors, and a bloated and graying coyote appeared from behind a jagged rock below the dangling cages. A cord around his neck carried an impressive assemblage of keys of all different sizes and shapes. As he shuffled toward them, he blandly mumbled a recitation:
“Abandon hope, ye prisoner, abandon hope. The cages’ bars, impenetrable. The cages’ locks, unbreakable. The distance to the ground, unjumpable. Abandon hope. Abandon hope.” [pp. 228, 229]
A perfect novel to discuss with others, Wildwood juggles numerous topics including family, friendship, loyalty, courage, ingenuity, concern for others and the environment, coming-of-age, and being forced out of your comfort zone and having to make some high stakes decisions. Because Curtis and Prue separate early in the novel, the reader receives two completely different perspectives; in fact, for a time, Curtis fights in the army of the one clear villain of the story. Visual learners will appreciate the maps of Wildwood and the amazing color plates representing scenes of the story. Even if you are not a fan of The Decemberists, you will enjoy this superb fantasy!
Thank you to my sister Nan for gifting me with Wildwood!
