Living on the streets of Seattle is a man called Wizard who talks with mummies and tells the Truth to those who sit beside him on the bus. But when he and other magic users are threatened by the amorphous gray Mir, Wizard must decide if he can and will use his powers to go to war. Wizard of the Pigeons is an urban fantasy that calls to mind Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint in both setting and style: realistically-rendered Seattle is filled with clever, cute bits of magic from treasure-filled junk shops to a parallel otherworld populated by the city's alternate timelines, magical men and a few elusive women walk the streets, yet the average citizen goes through their daily life without recognizing the wonder around them. The initial effect is almost twee, but Lindholm's magic is original and grows increasingly unidealized, and before long these aspects transfer to the rest of the book: Wizard develops complexity and multifold faults, his relationships and path become complex and difficult, and the story grows surprisingly dark while still retaining flashes of beauty. The maturation from fluff to grit isn't flawless: the plot is occasionally slow and confusing, Mir is sometimes too indistinct and imprecise an evil, and the darker character aspects threaten to become simply unlikable. But on the whole, Wizard's story is a dynamic journey, difficult and sometimes joyless but never without purpose and spark, and it makes for an intense and worthwhile read. For better or worse, the book is also packed with dense gender issues. Wizard's mentor and sometimes-romantic interest is a woman named Cassie whose magic is rooted in the female archetype; she's a strong character, but her relationship with Wizard and role in his story is occasionally troubling. As a shapeshifter, Cassie takes on a wide range of female bodies"wide" insofar as they're all cis-women, and most of them are attractive to Wizard. Her very existence reinforces the idea of a female archetype, and that it's linked with certain, creative, "womanly" powers. As the Female partner to Wizard's Male, Cassie reinforces a heteronormative gender binary; given her specific magical abilities function in the plot, she links Female with support and sacrifice. This isn't to say that Cassie is a bad charactershe's powerful, independent, and far from compliant or mild-mannered; in fact, outside of her role as Female and as a supporting character, Cassie's awesome. But because her character is so strong, it's that much easier to swallow all that's bundled with her. Her archetype may resonate with some, and it's not entirely troubling or misogynist, but it doesn't sit right with me. This hardly destroys an otherwise enjoyable book, but it is a detraction. Such troubles aside, Wizard of the Pigeons is a surprisingly little book. Gaiman and de Lint-style urban fantasy rarely works for me because it often retains too much of its twee delight; Wizard of the Pigeons does a better job of building an intriguing premise into a satisfying story, one which is both magical and real. It's a fascinating read as an early, formative piece of the urban fantasy genre, and also one of the personally more successful books I've read from that genre. It's a pity that it's out of print, but if you can get your hands on this book I do recommend it.
That jump rope song scared the shit out of you. You knew it didn't mean anything good when kids in the city start singing stuff like that. So you brought it to me to hear me say how bad it was. Well, it's bad.''Just one little jump rope song!''Omens and portents, my dear Rasputin. I have seen the warnings written in the graffiti on the overpasses and carved on the bodies of the young punkers. There are signs in the entrails of the gutted fish on the docks, and ill favours waft over the city.'Wizard is a homeless man living in Seattle, just about managing to keep his appearance on the right side of the line between respectable citizen and homeless bum. His magical powers are linked to a strict set of rules that he must follow and seem to be linked to protecting the city.To begin with, the Wizard reminded me of the London sorcerors in A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin, whose power comes from the city itself, but it gradually becomes clear that there is something quite different happening.Some days he flowed with his power. Today the current of the magic roared against him, and he was hard pressed to cling to a rock in the rapids. But he would survive, like a one-legged pigeon, by keeping a new balance.A much sadder book than I had expected, as I managed to avoid spoilers before reading it, but one that gives you plenty to think about afterwards.
What do You think about Wizard Of The Pigeons (1986)?
This was a surprise read. The Seattle Public Library posted it in their pinterest feed without any background info and I decided to take a chance on it. I wound up having to get it through ILL from IL because there aren't a lot of libraries that still carry it. It was worth the effort. On the outside it seems like a fantasy novel, but on the inside it could be read as a first-person account of PTSD and most likely schizophrenia and homelessness. I'd recommend reading it if you can get your hands on it. The descriptions of Seattle are beautiful. They definitely made me feel more of a connection to the city.
—Lisa
For her books written as Megan Lindholm, I'd rate Alien Earth the best, this the second best, and Cloven Hooves third. The rest of her books are worth reading: she always employs intelligent prose and interesting concepts; however, these 3 really stood out, I thought, as approaching the level of her later works. This book depressed me, however, which is the only reason I didn't give it five stars. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember loving the feel of Seattle. The "wizard" in the b
—Charity
It takes a while to really get going, but when it does it's good. I especially loved the strange, complex character of Cassie, and the tenuous rules and networks built around the wizard community. Felt more like a novella than a novel, and I really wish it weren't a stand-alone book. Too many good ideas to cut it off so short, and leave so much unresolved. I also disagree with the reading the one spoiler reviewer had: there is definitely a real fantasy world here, it's just a very hard one to accept, and so takes a lot of strength on the part of the wizards to do so.
—Lisa Grabenstetter
