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crownh8 's review for:
The Fifth Head of Cerberus: Three Novellas
by Gene Wolfe
I loved this book. I don't have much to say about it. That's just the way it is with Gene Wolfe sometimes. It pains me to try and write a coherent review about a book that feels more like a mirage, or—considering The Fifth Head of Cerberus is a collection of three self-referential novellas—a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. Another reason I struggle to write about this book is that, in all honesty, I can hardly tell you what it's about. Does that mean I didn't pay attention? No, no. Anyone who says they have a full grasp on this book after their first read either used a guide or is lying. What I can tell you is: there is a colonial element to the story, a large mystery surrounding the ongoing existence of a native population of shapeshifters, something about twin planets and a vaguely psychopathic family of clones, and a whole bunch of myths. There is a lot of guessing about who characters really are throughout the three novellas, and it all sort of blends together into a loose narrative about identity, personhood, heritage, and the erasure of such things by the state (or at least that's how I interpreted it). I'm glad that I read the whole Solar Cycle before reading this because it prepared me for a lot of the tricks that Wolfe likes to play, especially regarding the hybridization of personalities that comes into play in the third novella.
In typical fashion, Gene Wolfe zooms right into the characters and leaves a lot of the worldbuilding details dangling in the periphery for the reader to grasp at. It can be frustrating at times to ground yourself in this book, but it's something he does intentionally to encourage the reader to put on their thinking cap. No author trusts the intelligence of their reader more than Wolfe does, and he is constantly overestimating mine; I have no shame in admitting that. Especially in the second novella, Wolfe just leaves so much information off of the page. It's a myth that seemed at first to have marginal relevance, and I actually struggled to push through it, but then I was rewarded by the third novella, which was amazingly constructed in itself but also recontextualized the previous story into something I now appreciate despite struggling through.
It is true what they say about rereading Wolfe, but I think The Fifth Head of Cerberus would probably benefit the most from a second or third read out of any other entry in the Solar Cycle. Maybe then I can give it a proper in-depth review. Until then, all I can say is, if you are a fan of Wolfe, this book will not disappoint you. It has all the hallmarks of what makes his Solar Cycle so great but in a really condensed form that will absolutely break your brain. And the best thing about Wolfe is that, despite his sadistic glee at prodding his readers through an impossible maze, his prose is just so damn enjoyable. Someone said that Wolfe's earlier prose was a lot more daring, and I have to agree. I was so blown away by some of the acrobatic sentences that even when I felt lost, I never stopped enjoying the act of reading. And that is why Gene Wolfe continues to maintain his spot as my favourite author.
In typical fashion, Gene Wolfe zooms right into the characters and leaves a lot of the worldbuilding details dangling in the periphery for the reader to grasp at. It can be frustrating at times to ground yourself in this book, but it's something he does intentionally to encourage the reader to put on their thinking cap. No author trusts the intelligence of their reader more than Wolfe does, and he is constantly overestimating mine; I have no shame in admitting that. Especially in the second novella, Wolfe just leaves so much information off of the page. It's a myth that seemed at first to have marginal relevance, and I actually struggled to push through it, but then I was rewarded by the third novella, which was amazingly constructed in itself but also recontextualized the previous story into something I now appreciate despite struggling through.
It is true what they say about rereading Wolfe, but I think The Fifth Head of Cerberus would probably benefit the most from a second or third read out of any other entry in the Solar Cycle. Maybe then I can give it a proper in-depth review. Until then, all I can say is, if you are a fan of Wolfe, this book will not disappoint you. It has all the hallmarks of what makes his Solar Cycle so great but in a really condensed form that will absolutely break your brain. And the best thing about Wolfe is that, despite his sadistic glee at prodding his readers through an impossible maze, his prose is just so damn enjoyable. Someone said that Wolfe's earlier prose was a lot more daring, and I have to agree. I was so blown away by some of the acrobatic sentences that even when I felt lost, I never stopped enjoying the act of reading. And that is why Gene Wolfe continues to maintain his spot as my favourite author.