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A review by ninjalawyer
A Borrowed Man by Gene Wolfe
2.0
Gene Wolfe is famous for books that are much more than they seem, that practically demand a second reading to understand beyond the surface.
That might be the case here, but I’ll never know. The apparent surface level of this book starts interesting but quickly becomes crushingly dull. Character act in bizarre ways, details like eye colour change and the world is an obvious dystopia, but none of those pieces fit into anything approaching a coherent picture, or entice a reader to put in the time to put together when the moment to moment story involves the main character learning how to drive a car, or characters chatting about lock mechanisms.
A quick Google didn’t reveal the secrets to this one, suggesting no one else has bothered to do a second read. Lots of speculation, but feels like an Emperor’s New Clothes situation. Sure there’s a second book, but I can’t even imagine anyone eating this dry oatmeal and coming back for a second serving.
I’ve put in the work for other Gene Wolfe books, but this…no. Just no.
That might be the case here, but I’ll never know. The apparent surface level of this book starts interesting but quickly becomes crushingly dull. Character act in bizarre ways, details like eye colour change and the world is an obvious dystopia, but none of those pieces fit into anything approaching a coherent picture, or entice a reader to put in the time to put together when the moment to moment story involves the main character learning how to drive a car, or characters chatting about lock mechanisms.
A quick Google didn’t reveal the secrets to this one, suggesting no one else has bothered to do a second read. Lots of speculation, but feels like an Emperor’s New Clothes situation. Sure there’s a second book, but I can’t even imagine anyone eating this dry oatmeal and coming back for a second serving.
I’ve put in the work for other Gene Wolfe books, but this…no. Just no.