[ansible]

I just finished reading this. How could I not have heard about it earlier? I actually recall stumbling across a number of his books in a bookstore once and wasn't sure which to read first, since they had similar names, so I promptly forgot about them. Anyway, I am completely stunned and amazed at how good it was. It was unlike anything I've read before. I am now on a mission to read the rest of Wofle's books.

[Use Of Weapons]

Must say that I'm highly likely to try these again after bouncing off them the first time. Read 'The Fifth Head of Cerberus' recently and was if not converted, then at least partially opened to the idea that there might be something worth the effort hidden in there.

[Avatar]

I started with this some time ago, (but still reading TTH and Bakker as well) and I agree that it is great, writing style seems to me (although not a native english speaker) very good, and I like the idea of this distant-future 'Urth'.

[amphibian]

There's a bit of an epilogue to the New Sun books called The Urth of the New Sun. I rather liked that one, so recommend you at least find it online.

The Book of the Short Sun is his finest writing, but you MUST get through the Long Sun books. For most people, they're harder to connect to because Silk, the main character, isn't really an easy character to sympathize with.

[T77]

I'm almost done with the third book and it is one of the best books
Ive ever read. I'm sure I'm not grasping a lot of what's going on.
But, his prose, world building, the dream-like quality of his writing
and just the journey itself are incredible. This is fantasy and scifi
at its finest.

[Salt-Man Z]

I love the BotNS. I've read it twice now (once with The Urth of the New Sun) and am looking forward to my annual reread in 6 months. I'll quite often pick it up off the shelf and flip to certain favorite passages. It gets richer and more moving every time.

I recently finished Wolfe's short story collection, The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories, and was completely blown away. There are only a handful of authors who have reached I-must-own-everything-they've-ever-written status, and Gene Wolfe is foremost among them. I haven't read anything of his that I haven't enjoyed, which (besides those works previously mentioned) includes: the Wizard Knight duology, There Are Doors, and The Book of the Long Sun.

[Fist Gamet]

I really enjoyed The Wizard Knight books and The Book of The New Sun. I think it is partly because I am continually in awe of his writing. Latro in the Mist is also very good. Wolfe has, for me, a style all of his own and is such a talented writer that he breaks from the norms and expectations of style and gets away with it because what he creates is so good. I get the impression this is also the reason why a lot of people don't like his writing styles.

[champ]

just bought the first 2 and had to order the next 2, cannot wait to read!

for anyone that has read them all, best to start with The Book of the New Sun?

[Salt-Man Z]

champooon, on 10 June 2010 - 12:53 PM, said:

for anyone that has read them all, best to start with The Book of the New Sun?

Haven't read them all (and I'm not sure anyone here has--Gene Wolfe has written a lot of stuff) but I would say that at the very least it doesn't hurt to start with TBotNS. It's probably his best work and it's still one of his most accessible. It's where I started, and I'm now a huge Wolfe fan. So there you go.

[Bauchelain the Evil]

One of the most accessible? Really? I wonder how his other works are, then.

Don't get me wrong I liked the first two books and I'm eager two read the last two, but they have probably been the most complicated books I've read and I think that his prose, while doubtlessly superb, has also something to do with it.

[champ]

Salt-Man Z, on 10 June 2010 - 03:24 PM, said:

champooon, on 10 June 2010 - 12:53 PM, said:

for anyone that has read them all, best to start with The Book of the New Sun?

Haven't read them all (and I'm not sure anyone here has--Gene Wolfe has written a lot of stuff) but I would say that at the very least it doesn't hurt to start with TBotNS. It's probably his best work and it's still one of his most accessible. It's where I started, and I'm now a huge Wolfe fan. So there you go.

appreciated mate!

started it last night and was slowly working my way into it, reckon its going to be one of them books that you read twice to get the full effect but looking forward to getting stuck in!

[Use Of Weapons]

I started with the book of the New Sun, and bounced off it quite violently. I had a much better experience with The Fifth Head of Cerberus, FWIW.

[Salt-Man Z]

I say it's accessible because, while he does play tricks the entire time, and it's full of puzzles and mysteries and depth...it's still fairly easy to read and follow the basic plot. (Even if, with Wolfe, the "plot" is never the "story".) Contrast this with, say, the Book of the Long Sun, where the first couple of books are relatively straightforward, and then he starts jumping the narrative around a lot and leaving the reader to fill in the blanks. I've heard The Wizard Knight called his most accessible work, but it certainly (for me) had its share of confusing moments.

Honestly, I'd say that if you can handle the MBotF, you can handle the BotNS. I can't guarantee you'll "get" it, or like it, though.

jitsukerr said:

I started with the book of the New Sun, and bounced off it quite violently. I had a much better experience with The Fifth Head of Cerberus, FWIW.

Yeah, Wolfe's written a lot of stuff, so even if one "entry point" doesn't work for you, there are plenty of other options. The Wolfe Wiki actually has a very good "beginner's guide" for where to start with Wolfe.

champooon said:

started it last night and was slowly working my way into it, reckon its going to be one of them books that you read twice to get the full effect but looking forward to getting stuck in!

That's a definite understatement. There are folks out there who have read it dozens of times and are still pulling new insights out of it. I personally rated it 3.5/5 stars on my first read, then a year later revised that to 4.5, only to bump it up to 5/5 when I was still thinking about it a week later.

[Tarcanus]

Hey, thanks for that link to the WolfeWiki, Salt-Man. May have to give BotNS another try. I originally got through the first 3 books, but I lost interest and went to something else.

[MecnunK]

T77, on 09 June 2010 - 02:04 PM, said:

I'm almost done with the third book and it is one of the best books
Ive ever read. I'm sure I'm not grasping a lot of what's going on.
But, his prose, world building, the dream-like quality of his writing
and just the journey itself are incredible. This is fantasy and scifi
at its finest.

Agreed, Wolfe is a genius, deliberately vague, complex with rare depth and stunningly original. Doesn't gel with everyone due to his writing style.

[Captain Beardface]

When I first read the Book of the New Sun and got through it barely. I was shaken and confused, my mind a puddle of mush at the end. Then I tried to read the Urth of the New Sun but was not able to stick it out. I had to have a dictionary next to me at all times cause Wolfe would use some vocabulary that baffled me, and I'm usually good with picking up meaning in context but Wolfe was a whole other level. All this was 6 years ago, it may be time to give the old boy another shot, as I had just gotten through reading all the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan novels before I picked him up. They were my first foray back into the world of fantasy after an overlong hiatus.

[ansible]

I actually got a little neurotic about the archaic word choice and made a list of all the words I didn't know and their definitions. I haven't done this for Urth of the New Sun yet, but it actually was lighter on the strange words than TBotNS was. I absolutely loved Urth, it really felt like a genuine continuation of The Book and helped make sense of a lot of things. I can't wait to reread the entire thing, but first I think I might read The Book of the Long Sun and probably some other stuff.

I've browsed WolfeWiki, but I haven't really found a comprehensive discussion on all of the elements of TBotNS. I think I might end up buying some published criticism, and for sure, The Castle of the Otter.

[amphibian]

ansible, on 28 June 2010 - 05:21 AM, said:

I actually got a little neurotic about the archaic word choice and made a list of all the words I didn't know and their definitions. I haven't done this for Urth of the New Sun yet, but it actually was lighter on the strange words than TBotNS was. I absolutely loved Urth, it really felt like a genuine continuation of The Book and helped make sense of a lot of things. I can't wait to reread the entire thing, but first I think I might read The Book of the Long Sun and probably some other stuff.

I've browsed WolfeWiki, but I haven't really found a comprehensive discussion on all of the elements of TBotNS. I think I might end up buying some published criticism, and for sure, The Castle of the Otter.

It's my opinion that the Book of the Short Sun is Wolfe's best writing. If you can stick it out through the Long Sun, which is generally less strong on the difficult words (as it was written by a not supa-edumacaated couple, instead of the wonderboy and liar Severian), the Short Sun books is like reaching a really sweet oasis at the end of a fun trip. It's written from the perspective of one half of the "not supa-edumacated couple", and it's rather like a personal journal, so the style is very intensely personal and not heavy on the language.

Urth dot net has some of the best examinations of Wolfe's work - but it's all in atrocious pre-message board Reddit style format. It's not really searchable, but if you do some quick scanning of each archive period, you'll come up with some cool stuff - like the mythological meanings of the names, significance of some of the characters' actions in terms of symbolism and/or the Bible etc.

[acesn8s]

I've tried to read book 1 twice now and both times put it down to read something else. I'll have to give it another go.

[champ]

I read the "The Fifth Head of Cerberus" whilst waiting for "Urth of the New Sun" and have to say that that book is mad, nothing like i have read before, enjoyed it but puzzled, yes sir!

I thought the first novel of the 3 was the best, had me rushing to turn the pages and the other 2 were just as readable! Dont think i will know much of whats happened though until read it a few times!