# Bit of Wolfe news *The Urth list — 9 messages, 4 voices, 10 Oct 2008* > 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. --- ### aaron *10 Oct 2008, 15:24* I just read this on Sci-fi wire. A bit of info on GW's next two books. Multiple-award-winning SF/fantasy author Gene Wolfe told SCI FI Wire that his latest novel, *An Evil Guest*, takes place in the same world as his novella "Memorare," which was a finalist for both the Hugo and Nebula awards. "I'd written 'Memorare,' laid in a world in which a low-cost star drive had been discovered in the near future, and I wanted to set another story there," Wolfe said in an interview. But while that sounds like a traditional science fiction story, *An Evil Guest* includes many other elements, such as wizards and werewolves. Years ago, Wolfe heard someone describe a consultant as a "wizard," so he thought: What if that consultant everybody said was a wizard actually *was*a wizard? "When I had pictured him in the Oval Office talking to the president, I knew what he looked like and what he was like, and I knew that his name was Gideon Chase," Wolfe said. In the novel, the wizard Gideon Chase is asked to go after sinister billionaire William Reis. "Unable to locate Reis, Chase uses his powers to render a minor actress--Cassie Casey--beautiful, glamorous and immensely talented," Wolfe said. "Reis takes the bait. He steals it, too." There are many technological (and other) wonders in the book. "The star drive is the main technological marvel," Wolfe said. "The money that would buy you a light plane today will buy you a spacecraft. Cassie's agent says her hopper [spacecraft] is just a little pink bug, but one she can drive to Mars. [Also,] Reis can manufacture gold, but his gold is radioactive. There are aliens living on Earth and keeping out of sight." Wolfe is currently working on two new books. "*The Sorcerer's House* [is] almost ready to go to the agency; of course it's been almost ready for about a year," he said. "I'm still writing the first draft of *Home Fires*, and the second is going to be a bear." --*John Joseph Adams* --- ### Matthew Keeley *10 Oct 2008, 15:30 · in reply to aaron* > On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 11:24 AM, aaron wrote: > I just read this on Sci-fi wire. A bit of info on GW's next two books. > > Wolfe is currently working on two new books. "The Sorcerer's House [is] > almost ready to go to the agency; of course it's been almost ready for about > a year," he said. "I'm still writing the first draft of Home Fires, and the > second is going to be a bear." --John Joseph Adams Thanks for the news. I'd heard of The Sorcerer's House before - he really seems to have been doing a lot of work on that one. I'm glad he's still going forward with it, as the plot sounded quite interesting. And the emphasis on a house reminds one a bit of Peace. I recall Wolfe mentioning the plot of another book somewhere, but I have no idea if that's Home Fires. Interesting title certainly. -Matt --- ### Adam Thornton *10 Oct 2008, 15:39 · in reply to aaron* > On Oct 10, 2008, at 10:24 AM, aaron wrote: > "I'd written 'Memorare,' laid in a world in which a low-cost star > drive had been discovered in the near future, and I wanted to set > another story there," Wolfe said in an interview. A-HA! Now I need to go back through _EG_ and see if I can find the passage that made me jump and say "Wait, isn't that 'Memorare'?" because there *was* one. Adam --- ### Matthew Keeley *10 Oct 2008, 15:44 · in reply to Adam Thornton* > On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Adam Thornton wrote: > > > Now I need to go back through _EG_ and see if I can find the passage that > made me jump and say "Wait, isn't that 'Memorare'?" because there *was* > one. > > Adam I don't have my copy with me, so I can't physically search through the book... But I did an Amazon search for a bit I remembered: (p. 53) the dangers of "[touring] the moons of Jupiter in his new hopper on their honeymoon" -Matt --- ### Adam Thornton *10 Oct 2008, 15:49 · in reply to Matthew Keeley* > On Oct 10, 2008, at 10:44 AM, Matthew Keeley wrote: > > (p. 53) the dangers of "[touring] the moons of Jupiter in his new > hopper on their honeymoon" Yeah, that was it. Adam --- ### brunians at brunians.org *10 Oct 2008, 16:11 · in reply to Adam Thornton* > On Oct 10, 2008, at 10:24 AM, aaron wrote: >> "I'd written 'Memorare,' laid in a world in which a low-cost star >> drive had been discovered in the near future, and I wanted to set >> another story there," Wolfe said in an interview. > A-HA! > > Now I need to go back through _EG_ and see if I can find the passage > that made me jump and say "Wait, isn't that 'Memorare'?" because > there *was* one. The play Cassie is in at the beginning of the book is called "The Red Spot" and two of the other characters in the play are talking about taking their vacation in the moons of Jupiter, which is presented as a risky kind of a thing to do. 'Memorare' takes place in Jupiter's system or Saturn's? I misremember. . --- ### brunians at brunians.org *10 Oct 2008, 16:13 · in reply to Matthew Keeley* > On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Adam Thornton wrote: >> Now I need to go back through _EG_ and see if I can find the passage >> that >> made me jump and say "Wait, isn't that 'Memorare'?" because there *was* >> one. >> >> Adam > I don't have my copy with me, so I can't physically search through the > book... But I did an Amazon search for a bit I remembered: > > (p. 53) the dangers of "[touring] the moons of Jupiter in his new > hopper on their honeymoon" Right. This is in reference to two fictional characters, in the play Cassie is originally appearing in. . --- ### Matthew Keeley *10 Oct 2008, 16:22 · in reply to brunians at brunians.org* > On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 12:11 PM, wrote: >> On Oct 10, 2008, at 10:24 AM, aaron wrote: > The play Cassie is in at the beginning of the book is called "The Red > Spot" and two of the other characters in the play are talking about taking > their vacation in the moons of Jupiter, which is presented as a risky kind > of a thing to do. "The Red Spot," huh? I thought that might be another sf reference, but apparently it's actually a real thing - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_red_spot#Great_Red_Spot -Matt --- ### brunians at brunians.org *10 Oct 2008, 18:11 · in reply to Matthew Keeley* Yes, Jupiter's Great Red Spot has been widely known since shortly after the invention of the telescope. . > On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 12:11 PM, wrote: >>> On Oct 10, 2008, at 10:24 AM, aaron wrote: >> The play Cassie is in at the beginning of the book is called "The Red >> Spot" and two of the other characters in the play are talking about >> taking >> their vacation in the moons of Jupiter, which is presented as a risky >> kind >> of a thing to do. > "The Red Spot," huh? I thought that might be another sf reference, but > apparently it's actually a real thing - > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_red_spot#Great_Red_Spot > > -Matt > _______________________________________________ ---