Gene Wolfe is a genius, and this is my favorite of his books. The one's I've read anyway. The man is a wizard. In this book, the second of a trilogy, with that trilogy a sequel to another series of four books (quadrology?), with links all the way back to the Book of the New Sun... well you would expect that it would be incomprehensible to the uninitated. And it just occurred to me that I had already read all of the previous books before I read this one, but I still don't believe that you MUST read them to understand what happens in this one. That is the man's genius.Very simply, a man is attempting to return to his family after a long absence, a long journey, but becomes caught up in the troubles of a town he comes to along the way, where he is offered food and shelter, but which is menaced by a nearby rival.To reveal more would be to deny you one of the greatest pleasures in reading Gene Wolfe's work: working out for yourself the things he leaves unsaid. The book and indeed, the trilogy, are presented as the journal of the traveler, an account to his wife and children of his journey and the various things that have kept him from them for so long. For whatever reason, things that other authors would state explicitly are only alluded to. For instance, why would a man writing to his family tell them that the planet they live on is not Earth? Presumably, they already know that, since they live there too. So, it is never mentioned, although I don't feel bad saying this as it is very quickly apparent that this planet cannot be Earth. They call it Blue and they know nothing of Earth.While you can read this book without reading the others, I don't recommend it. You simply miss out on so much. Start with the Long Sun novels. They were reprinted in two volumes as Litany of the Long Sun and Epiphany of the Long Sun. Before I read In Green's Jungle's, they were my favorite Gene Wolfe books. Then read On Blue's Waters which recounts the first part of Horn's journey. And of course, there is a concluding book set both before and after this one. I told you Gene Wolfe was a wizard.
Shoot. I wanna give this four stars but the truth is at this point in the ongoing saga I'm a little weary. (Just one left)If you count the books from "Book of the New sun" then this is the 9th ! book in this series and Wolfe's formidable tricks & games with narrative and plot can be grueling . . . especially when he is playing the tried and true story tellers game of withholding key information. In this case it is the mystery of how the Inhumi aliens ever got onto the starship way back in the previous series in the first place.Still . . . I have to admit I am amazed to think that Wolfe had the planning & forsight to plant the key mystery to this series 4 books back. If it was chess you would say he plays a very deep game. Another reason I consider Wolfe a top-notch writer: he exhibits the sort of ruthlessness that you find in great writers, that willingness to suddenly kill of characters which is always somehow surprising. You definitely never quite know what to expect next.Also this book just might have the goofiest cover art OF ALL TIME!
What do You think about In Green's Jungles (2001)?
OK, I love Wolfe. He is one of the best writers alive or just perhaps one of the best writers period. This book is great because, well, it's all about the world of the inhumus ... but none of the book takes place there. It all takes place way later as Horn is taking care of other troubles on Blue... you pick up what happened on Green by way of recollections and waking dreams. Horn is both a smart guy and incredibly dumb ... doesn't he ever look in a mirror or listen to his bird? Like Silk, he's a bit disappointing as a Messiah figure, never quite getting with the program as their moral failings keep them shy of real transformation. We'll see what they can do in return to the whorl which I'm almost done with. Put it this way, the story gets increasingly fragmented -- you keep up with a new main plot every 20 pages or so and it's often a recollection from one plot line that moves another forward.Good schtuff.
—Gary
Gene Wolfe has earned a reputation for writing novels that benefit from being read twice. His works are often complex and they do tend to reward careful reading, so much so that it’s not uncommon to hear prospective readers asking which of his Solar Cycle works is the easiest to read. Wolfe’s Book of the Short Sun trilogy is certainly not the place to start, but it is an otherwise fine finish to this distinguished cycle of stories that bridge the gap between fantasy and science fiction, and for some readers, between literary and genre fiction.In The Book of the New Sun, Severian is tasked with saving Earth and its dying sun. In The Book of the Long Sun, Wolfe tells the story of a generation ship that was launched to a nearby star... Read More:http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
—Fantasy Literature
Wolfe ist schwer zu bewerten. Aber im Vergleich zu "Book of the New Sun" und "The Book of the Long Sun" ist dieser Zyklus noch kryptischer und unzugänglicher. Zumindest beim ersten Lesen. Wolfe spielt wieder mit Identität. Am Ende des Buches ist nicht klar, wer der Erzähler eigentlich ist. Entweder, dies löst sich im abschließenden Band auf, oder Wolfe lässt wieder Raum für Doktorarbeiten, die sich mit den versteckten Ebenen in seinem Werk befassen.Da ich phasenweise doch schwergetan habe, den Roman wirklich interessant zu finden, gibt es nur 3 Punkte. Möglicherweise gewinnt der Zyklus bei erneutem Lesen, aber das vertage ich auf spätere Zeiten.
—Lucardus
