The Wake

by Paul Kingsnorth
The Wake cover
Good Books rating 4.38
Technical
  • ID: 1723
  • Added: 2025-10-08
  • Updated: 2025-10-08
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
atticusreview.org · Unknown · 2025-10-19
thought-provoking 4.00

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a challenging but rewarding read, blending Old English with modern language to create a unique narrative voice. The novel's protagonist, Buccmaster of Holland, is a compelling figure, and the book's themes of resistance and cultural identity are thought-provoking.

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a novel that demands attention and engagement from its readers. The use of a hybrid language, mixing Old English with modern English, creates an immersive and sometimes challenging reading experience. This linguistic choice is not merely a gimmick but serves to deepen the reader's connection to the story and its themes. The protagonist, Buccmaster of Holland, is a complex and compelling figure, embodying the resistance and cultural identity that are central to the novel. The book's exploration of these themes is both timely and relevant, offering a fresh perspective on historical events. However, the dense language and unconventional narrative style may not appeal to all readers. Overall, The Wake is a powerful and thought-provoking work that leaves a lasting impression.

Quick quotes

    The language is a challenge, but it's a challenge that pays off.

    Buccmaster of Holland is a character who stays with you long after you've finished the book.

    The Wake is a novel that demands to be read and discussed.

cleavermagazine.com · Unknown · 2025-10-19
brilliant 4.50

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a powerful and immersive novel set in 1066 A.D. England, told in an invented Old English dialect. The story follows Buccmaster of Holland as he fights against the Norman Invasion, blending historical fiction with a unique linguistic experience that is both challenging and enchanting.

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a compelling historical fiction novel that takes place in 1066 A.D. England. The story centers around Buccmaster of Holland, who, upon learning of the impending Norman Invasion, has visions of the Old Gods and decides to fight back against the invaders. The novel is written in an invented Old English dialect, which creates a unique and immersive reading experience. This language choice is both a strength and a challenge, requiring the reader to fully engage with the text. The story is simple but powerful, and the language casts a spell that is totally engrossing. Kingsnorth's defense of his subject is that using 21st-century sentences for 11th-century characters would be anachronistic. The novel is moving and asks a great deal of the reader, delivering an enchantment similar to that felt when reading fantasy novels as a child. The story is bleak and hopeless, but there are moments of humor and warmth that make it more palatable. Kingsnorth's translation of this difficult period in history is brilliant, bringing to life a time that is both lost and still living all around us.

Quick quotes

    my grandfather wolde sae men does not lysten to the wise for what the wise has to sae is not what they wants to hiere for what they wants to hiere is that their lifs is right as they is and that they is good folc and does not need to do naht.

    i had cnawan yfel was cuman when i seen this fugol glidan ofer a great black fugol it was not of these lands it flown slow … its necc was long its eages afyr and on the end of its fethra was a mans fingors all this i seen clere this was a fugol of deofuls.

    Kingsnorth is a brilliant translator of this difficult period in history. His words bring to life a time that is both lost and still living all around us.

thepsmiths.com · Unknown · 2024-06-10
profound 4.50

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a post-apocalyptic novel set in 1066 England, exploring the end of Anglo-Saxon culture through the eyes of Buccmaster, a man who loses everything to the Norman invasion. The novel's unique use of a 'shadow tongue' effectively conveys the alienness of Old England and the profound loss of language and culture.

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a powerful and unique novel that delves into the apocalypse of Anglo-Saxon England following the Norman Conquest. The story is told through the perspective of Buccmaster, a proud socman who witnesses the destruction of his world, including the loss of his family and community. The novel's strength lies in its ability to convey the hopelessness and despair of living in a dying world, where not only physical destruction but also the obliteration of language and cultural heritage occurs. Kingsnorth's use of a 'shadow tongue'—a blend of Old English and modern English—creates an immersive and disorienting experience that emphasizes the alienness of the pre-Conquest world. This linguistic innovation effectively highlights how deeply language and culture are intertwined, making the loss of both all the more poignant. The novel is not about suspense or alternative history but about the profound impact of cultural erasure and the struggle to maintain identity in the face of overwhelming change.

Quick quotes

    aefry ember of hope gan lic the embers of a fyr brocen in the daegs beginnan brocen by men other than us. hope falls harder when the end is cwic hope falls harder when in the daegs before the storm the stillness of the age was written in the songs of men

    so it is when a world ends

    who is thu i can not cnaw but i will tell thu this thing be waery of the storm be most waery when there is no storm in sight

npr.org · Unknown · 2015-08-27
brilliant 4.50

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a challenging yet rewarding novel that uses a unique 'shadow tongue' to tell the story of Buccmaster during the Norman Invasion of 1066. The book forces readers to think critically and offers a vivid portrayal of Old England, making it a memorable and impactful read.

The Wake is a novel that stands out for its ambitious use of language and its deep dive into history. Paul Kingsnorth creates a 'shadow tongue' to bridge the gap between Old English and modern language, making the story both challenging and immersive. The tale of Buccmaster, set during the Norman Invasion of 1066, is not just about the end of a world but about the transformation of mankind. Kingsnorth's writing style forces readers to engage critically with each sentence, and the story's urgency and vivid portrayal of Old England make it a compelling read. The novel is celebrated for its unique approach and the mythic quality of its protagonist, Buccmaster, who is compared to characters like Macbeth and King Arthur.

Quick quotes

    They scoff at, and rightfully so, the idea of modernizing the stories of history.

    This is a novel meant to be read aloud, as the tradition used to be.

    This is a novel meant to be spoken, to be heard.

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