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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
I bought this book on the strength of Ursula K. Le. Guin's front cover recommendation ('speechless'), having barely skimmed the blurb and never having read any other Gene Wolfe.
Now, on the other side of a Cerberus shaped typhoon, I can see why one of my favourite authors would shower it with praise. Wikipedia anoints Gene Wolfe as one of the greatest sci-fi authors ever, with a brave few going as far as to call him one of the greatest American authors, genre no bar. I can see why all that is true.
The first thing about this book, which I would have known had I done any research at all before picking it up, is that this book is really three little books in one. The three novelettes - parts if you will - are so disparate in tone that it's hard work to see how they fit together. Even within each part, the book explains little, demanding that you juggle mysteries of plot, world, and character in your mind while things unfurl slowly.
For another, such a device might stretch their patience too thin. For me, it worked because - and this is probably what I loved most about this book - is that it is a stylistic masterpiece. If there is ever a recommendation for form over function, this is it. From page to page, from chapter to chapter, as I marvelled at the skill of construction and the mastery of language, I was enthralled. Enough to blaze through the parts where my understanding of the world remained murky, so that when there was a revelation, eventually, it was gloriously rewarding.
Even the form over function jibe, as is often the case, naive. The form has a function: the surreal wildness of part two is intended to be like a dream. The chopped up narrative of part three is intended, perhaps, to symbolise the impossible task that reconstructing history, any history, is. All three parts share a suspicion of unshakeable truths that leave little room for the biases of the truthteller.
Why not the full five stars? Only because of my temperament perhaps. Gene Wolfe executes everything he sets out to do to perfection, but the savage world he creates is a bit too much for my tastes.
Now, on the other side of a Cerberus shaped typhoon, I can see why one of my favourite authors would shower it with praise. Wikipedia anoints Gene Wolfe as one of the greatest sci-fi authors ever, with a brave few going as far as to call him one of the greatest American authors, genre no bar. I can see why all that is true.
The first thing about this book, which I would have known had I done any research at all before picking it up, is that this book is really three little books in one. The three novelettes - parts if you will - are so disparate in tone that it's hard work to see how they fit together. Even within each part, the book explains little, demanding that you juggle mysteries of plot, world, and character in your mind while things unfurl slowly.
For another, such a device might stretch their patience too thin. For me, it worked because - and this is probably what I loved most about this book - is that it is a stylistic masterpiece. If there is ever a recommendation for form over function, this is it. From page to page, from chapter to chapter, as I marvelled at the skill of construction and the mastery of language, I was enthralled. Enough to blaze through the parts where my understanding of the world remained murky, so that when there was a revelation, eventually, it was gloriously rewarding.
Even the form over function jibe, as is often the case, naive. The form has a function: the surreal wildness of part two is intended to be like a dream. The chopped up narrative of part three is intended, perhaps, to symbolise the impossible task that reconstructing history, any history, is. All three parts share a suspicion of unshakeable truths that leave little room for the biases of the truthteller.
Why not the full five stars? Only because of my temperament perhaps. Gene Wolfe executes everything he sets out to do to perfection, but the savage world he creates is a bit too much for my tastes.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Read the title novella, but the collection didn’t have the other two stories. I understood the plot I guess, but the review I just read makes me think I missed A LOT.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Update: so of course I bump it to 5 stars after rereading sections, exploring theories online and examining some of the amazing thematic work Wolfe does here. It isn't that I doubted that I missed multiple layers in the first read, but the experience of actually making those connections can't be understood until you do it. My confidence in saying that Wolfe was the greatest SFF writer to ever live continues to grow.
4.5 stars for initial read.
I had a bit of a tough time getting invested in the second of the three stories, but the rest was amazing.
Fully expect this to get bumped to 5 after reread and deep dive.
4.5 stars for initial read.
I had a bit of a tough time getting invested in the second of the three stories, but the rest was amazing.
Fully expect this to get bumped to 5 after reread and deep dive.
this book made me feel very smart but also very stupid. Like reading a sudoku puzzle.
challenging
dark
slow-paced