The Sorcerer's Last Words

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

The Sorcerer’s Last Words uses as its genesis Goethe’s version of
the fairy tale “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” in which the apprentice
experiments with magic and floods the castle with water. In this
parable, the apprentice Humboldt grows weary of his backbreaking chores
and resentful when his master denies him magic. Using a forbidden spell
book, he commands a broom to fetch water but, unable to stop it, he
drowns, only to be revived by his master and admonished to seek wisdom,
not power. Humboldt resumes his chores manually, but when many years
later the sorcerer is killed by an angry king, Humboldt escapes with the
forbidden spell book. He becomes a mighty sorcerer, kills the king, and
takes over the kingdom. Exercising power but not wisdom, Humboldt is
haunted by the ensorcered broom and is eventually overcome once more by
the water it fetches. Again, his master revives him and the book ends as
it began—almost. In the final chapter, Humboldt forsakes the castle,
his master, and his life as an apprentice, thereby forging a new
destiny.

The Wolf King is based on the Aesop fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,”
the moral of which is nobody believes a liar when he’s telling the
truth. In this follow-up fable, Alfred is the unhappy son of the
17-year-old boy whose lies caused the death of many villagers, and the
surviving townspeople hold it against him. Bullied, mistrusted, and
hopelessly in love with Martina, Alfred dreams of redeeming himself by
saving the village from wolves. His encounter with the mysterious man
who calls himself the Wolf King changes everything, and he has to make
some hard decisions about his future.

Although eloquently written, these allegorical tales are both dark and
profound, which makes them challenging reading. The black-and-white
illustrations, provided by the author, are stark and understated, and
increase the atmospheric nature of the stories. The Wolf King is a more
satisfying read as it has a tighter and more accessible storyline than
The Sorcerer’s Last Words. It may well be “unusual children” who
will enjoy these small, sophisticated stories. Both are recommended with
reservations.