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A review by stinchen_holt
Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe
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.