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thejdizzler's review against another edition
4.0
The plot of this book was hot garbage, hampered mainly by the fact that Latro loses his memory every 8-12 hours.
But everything else, from the the memorable characters (Eurkyles haha), the depiction of the gods that follows how they were portrayed in the Illaid and the Odyssey, and above all the way that Gene Wolfe makes the Greece of Herodotus come alive.
I'll have to reread this to get the full picture.
But everything else, from the the memorable characters (Eurkyles haha), the depiction of the gods that follows how they were portrayed in the Illaid and the Odyssey, and above all the way that Gene Wolfe makes the Greece of Herodotus come alive.
I'll have to reread this to get the full picture.
sapien85's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
bilburn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
stinchen_holt's review against another edition
3.0
My new year´s resolution reading-wise is to read more and buy less. Therefore, 2014 will be the year of the to-be-read-jar and the first book of the jar was this one - "Soldier of the Mist" by Gene Wolfe, a writer whom I have never read before. I bought the book on a whim, seeing it in an antique book shop squeezed in among obscure books covered with dust, it called out to me and I took it home. That was three years ago. Luckily, the jar made up for my book-amnesia and made sure my fingers found the scrap of paper with Wolfe´s name on it. Now, on to the book.
The protagonist, going by the name of Latro, has also been struck with amnesia, albeit on a much wider scale - in fact, Latro only remembers events happened on a day-to-day basis. We as readers are told by Wolfe on the very first page that "although this book is fiction, it is based on actual events of 479 B.C.", thereby establishing a point of reference anchored in time. Latro is a warrior who has received a serious headwound in battle. Waking up in a healer´s tent, he remembers nothing of his adult life, including his his real name, his allegiances, his ruler, and his companions. He is urged by a healer to write his experiences down, and so the book begins - each chapter is Latro´s own record of events written with little or no reflection, always with an underlying tone of urgency and promptitude, lest his memory fails him.
Loss of memory, however, is not the only side effect of his head wound. As the title of the book suggests, Latro has become a Soldier of the Mist - the mist being a figurative way of describing the veil existing between the world of man and that of the gods. Thus, Latro now sees every mythic element surrounding him, be it gods and goddesses, spirits of the dead or the effects of the offerings taking place thoughout his account. Along with Io, a devoted young girl giving herself to him as a slave, the necromancer Eurykles, various prophets, poets, merchants, and other warriors, Latro embarks on a journey through "ancient Europe" to reclaim his memory by acting out the will of the gods lain upon him.
Latro´s tale was a welcome break from overly structured plots, intricate gallery of characters and shifting points of view. Having no recollection to speak of, the story was easy to follow, and had an unbiased effect on me as a reader. I was continuously reminded of the Odessey, of course, but also of the short-story-turned-blockbuster-movie "Memento Mori". I think the book´s plot original, entertaining, and able to give me a much needed unpredictability and capriciousness in my reading experience.
However, for there is a however, I found my reading experience to be hampered by the need to regularly consult the glossary appendix due to the heavy amount of names, Greek and Latin definitions, and geographical locations unknown to me. Furthermore, I do not care much for the explanations of the pros and cons of the performence level of certain shields when in battle. Luckily, Wolfe´s depiction of the realm behind the mist made up for the (for me) somewhat tedious war jargon, thus earning the book three stars for a welcome break from the usual plot structure and a welcomed return of the amazing stories from Greek mythology in my reading.
The protagonist, going by the name of Latro, has also been struck with amnesia, albeit on a much wider scale - in fact, Latro only remembers events happened on a day-to-day basis. We as readers are told by Wolfe on the very first page that "although this book is fiction, it is based on actual events of 479 B.C.", thereby establishing a point of reference anchored in time. Latro is a warrior who has received a serious headwound in battle. Waking up in a healer´s tent, he remembers nothing of his adult life, including his his real name, his allegiances, his ruler, and his companions. He is urged by a healer to write his experiences down, and so the book begins - each chapter is Latro´s own record of events written with little or no reflection, always with an underlying tone of urgency and promptitude, lest his memory fails him.
Loss of memory, however, is not the only side effect of his head wound. As the title of the book suggests, Latro has become a Soldier of the Mist - the mist being a figurative way of describing the veil existing between the world of man and that of the gods. Thus, Latro now sees every mythic element surrounding him, be it gods and goddesses, spirits of the dead or the effects of the offerings taking place thoughout his account. Along with Io, a devoted young girl giving herself to him as a slave, the necromancer Eurykles, various prophets, poets, merchants, and other warriors, Latro embarks on a journey through "ancient Europe" to reclaim his memory by acting out the will of the gods lain upon him.
Latro´s tale was a welcome break from overly structured plots, intricate gallery of characters and shifting points of view. Having no recollection to speak of, the story was easy to follow, and had an unbiased effect on me as a reader. I was continuously reminded of the Odessey, of course, but also of the short-story-turned-blockbuster-movie "Memento Mori". I think the book´s plot original, entertaining, and able to give me a much needed unpredictability and capriciousness in my reading experience.
However, for there is a however, I found my reading experience to be hampered by the need to regularly consult the glossary appendix due to the heavy amount of names, Greek and Latin definitions, and geographical locations unknown to me. Furthermore, I do not care much for the explanations of the pros and cons of the performence level of certain shields when in battle. Luckily, Wolfe´s depiction of the realm behind the mist made up for the (for me) somewhat tedious war jargon, thus earning the book three stars for a welcome break from the usual plot structure and a welcomed return of the amazing stories from Greek mythology in my reading.
swansm4's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
5.0
I legitimately have no idea how Gene Wolfe does it. How do you create such compelling work simply by demanding your reader's pay attention? There simply isn't a writer who gets such careful reading from me as Wolfe, and all without any obvious tricks. The language is the simple straightforward prose of a midwestern engineer, the plots don't seem to purposefully obfuscate themselves and yet I end up reading and rereading passages closely as anything just because I can never be sure if what I've read is actually what I've read.
Anyway, a fantastic piece of historical fiction with some scenes that are as genuinely disturbing as anything I've ever read and others that are touching in their loveliness all set amid a landscape both brutal and prosaic!! Pretty dang good, I guess! Pretty sure it was written by a wizard.
Anyway, a fantastic piece of historical fiction with some scenes that are as genuinely disturbing as anything I've ever read and others that are touching in their loveliness all set amid a landscape both brutal and prosaic!! Pretty dang good, I guess! Pretty sure it was written by a wizard.
archergal's review against another edition
5.0
I confess I've always been afraid that Gene Wolfe would be a little beyond me. I'm not a subtle reader, and symbolism and various other literary devices are mostly closed books to me. But I've decided not to worry about that anymore, and just to read and enjoy his books in any way I can. Because there's a lot to enjoy here. And I can look up reviews and analyses to fill in the bits I missed.
First, the writing is gorgeous. Reading prose like this is just so satisfying. It's the story of Latro, the Roman mercenary who fought for Xerxes. Latro received a head injury that affected his memory. He doesn't remember his past, and his short-term memory is about 24 hours long. He carries a scroll with him, and writes down the events of each day. He also sees and interacts with pagan gods and mythological creatures.
Latro is on a journey to find his home and friends. He meets an interesting assortment of people along the way. It's interesting and compelling reading. Be warned though - starting this book is a little like hitting the first volume of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. There are lots of words and terms that aren't familiar to most modern readers. Carry on through, looking up words as needed.
Good stuff.
First, the writing is gorgeous. Reading prose like this is just so satisfying. It's the story of Latro, the Roman mercenary who fought for Xerxes. Latro received a head injury that affected his memory. He doesn't remember his past, and his short-term memory is about 24 hours long. He carries a scroll with him, and writes down the events of each day. He also sees and interacts with pagan gods and mythological creatures.
Latro is on a journey to find his home and friends. He meets an interesting assortment of people along the way. It's interesting and compelling reading. Be warned though - starting this book is a little like hitting the first volume of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. There are lots of words and terms that aren't familiar to most modern readers. Carry on through, looking up words as needed.
Good stuff.
rebeccacider's review against another edition
2.0
Considering that it's been two months since I started that book (and it's not long), I think it's safe to assume that I'm not going to finish that one.
Soldier of the Mist wasn't dreadful - it has a great premise, a narrator who has anterograde amnesia (a la Memento), blundering through a Persian War-era Greece and becoming increasingly in touch with the Greek otherworld of gods and monsters. Wolfe is a fine stylist and historical writer, and I initially enjoyed reading this.
I lost interest because, as with his much later book The Sorceror's House, most of the characters felt unreal to me. The complex mechanism of Wolfe's plot drives everything, which could work if only I sympathized with any of the characters. The dialogue is usually okay, but the characters have shallow motivations and flat personalities, and their interactions sometimes feel unnatural. Our protagonist is understandably passive and mysterious - as an amnesiac, he doesn't know who he is or what exactly is happening to him - but he doesn't seem to have normal motivations or desires and often has weirdly unemotional reactions. In one striking and bizarre scene, a prepubescent girl who has attached herself to his entourage tells him that she and an older woman have both been raped while imprisoned. The narrator doesn't seem to understand what she's saying and doesn't show concern. I'm not sure if this WTF moment was an intentional attempt to alienate us from the narrator, but it read as unbelievable.
Since The Sorceror's House had an identical problem - unlikable, unreal characters - I got the feeling that this wasn't just the tone that Wolfe had chosen for his book, it's the way he writes, with books full of people who aren't people. I drifted away from the book and don't think I'll be returning.
Soldier of the Mist wasn't dreadful - it has a great premise, a narrator who has anterograde amnesia (a la Memento), blundering through a Persian War-era Greece and becoming increasingly in touch with the Greek otherworld of gods and monsters. Wolfe is a fine stylist and historical writer, and I initially enjoyed reading this.
I lost interest because, as with his much later book The Sorceror's House, most of the characters felt unreal to me. The complex mechanism of Wolfe's plot drives everything, which could work if only I sympathized with any of the characters. The dialogue is usually okay, but the characters have shallow motivations and flat personalities, and their interactions sometimes feel unnatural. Our protagonist is understandably passive and mysterious - as an amnesiac, he doesn't know who he is or what exactly is happening to him - but he doesn't seem to have normal motivations or desires and often has weirdly unemotional reactions. In one striking and bizarre scene, a prepubescent girl who has attached herself to his entourage tells him that she and an older woman have both been raped while imprisoned. The narrator doesn't seem to understand what she's saying and doesn't show concern. I'm not sure if this WTF moment was an intentional attempt to alienate us from the narrator, but it read as unbelievable.
Since The Sorceror's House had an identical problem - unlikable, unreal characters - I got the feeling that this wasn't just the tone that Wolfe had chosen for his book, it's the way he writes, with books full of people who aren't people. I drifted away from the book and don't think I'll be returning.
shoba's review against another edition
3.0
"What a terrible thing it must be to have memory-although I wish it."
"Why, if it is so terrible?"
"Because not having memory, I lose myself; and that is worse.
This day is like a stone taken from a palace and carried far away to lands where no one knows what a wall may be. And I think every other day has been so for me as well."
She said, "Then you must enjoy each as it comes, because each day is all you have."