# Wolfe's FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS

*The SF-Lovers list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 07 Jun 1985*

<https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/sflovers/44>

> Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright
> in each message remains with the person who wrote it.
> Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original
> archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than
> retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.

---

### rti-sel!wfi
*07 Jun 1985, 19:22*

donn at utah-gr.UUCP (Donn Seeley) writes:

> I give up.  After going through the book for the twentieth time or
> so, I still have to admit that Gene Wolfe's THE FIFTH HEAD OF
> CERBERUS is my favorite work of sf, and very possibly my favorite
> book, period.  I have found something new every single time I've
> read it, which I think is the greatest and most difficult gift an
> author can make to a reader.  On this pass I finally figured out
> what Number Five's real name is.  In retrospect I probably should
> have guessed it sooner, but that would have taken some of the fun
> and suspense out of it!  Has anyone else had this experience?

The Fifth Head of Cerberus is also close to being my favorite SF
work, although Lem's Solaris and certain other works by other
authors are also contenders. It's an infinitely rich and rewarding
book, but reading Wolfe is definitely work. You've certainly beat me
on the number of readings; I've read it three times. It's a book I
recommend to anyone I talk to about SF.

Wolfe's short stories are also first-rate; check out The Death of
Dr.  Island And Other Stories And Other Stories. Actually, I can't
think of anything he's written that I haven't enjoyed, including the
mainstream novel Peace (at least it appears to be mainstream).

At the risk of starting more flames in the group on quality and SF
(:-), my opinion is that Fifth Head of Cerberus is his best work,
but I've only read the Book of the New Sun once so I haven't really
gotten into it. I'd be interested in hearing from other people in
the group on F. H. of C; does anyone else share our high opinion of
this book?
                                 -- Bill Ingogly

---

### ucbcad!kalash
*10 Jun 1985, 04:08 · follows rti-sel!wfi*

> At the risk of starting more flames in the group on quality and SF
> (:-), my opinion is that Fifth Head of Cerberus is his best work,

        It is close, but for sheer breadth I like "The Book of the
New Sun" better. They are both absolutely amazing works.

> group on F. H. of C; does anyone else share our high opinion of
> this book?

        While I normally do not make responses of 'I agree' (I mean
what is the point?), I can not resist. "Fifth Head" is one of the
great books of SF, and I can do no better than quote Anatomy of
Wonder:

        "These summaries cannot touch the complexity, meaning
        and sheer beauty of these excellently written stories."

                   Joe Kalash
                   kalash@berkeley

---