Gene Wolfe: Nightside the Long Sun

Laurence R. Brothers · 23 Mar 1993, 15:09 · from sf-lovers.1993.mbox

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From: quasar at flash.bellcore.com (Laurence R. Brothers)
Subject: Gene Wolfe: Nightside the Long Sun
Date: 23 Mar 93 15:09:53 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v18-209-12 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V18 #209
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-18a

I just purchased and read the latest Gene Wolfe opus "Nightside the Long
Sun".

The cover blurb babbles about it being more in the "Book of the New Sun"
world. It may well be in the same universe (well, the same multiverse :-),
but don't worry about it succumbing to sequelitis...

In this book at least, the only real identification with the former series
was Wolfe's gimmick of using dislocated modifications of usages from other
languages for the names of culturally signicant concepts, places, and
things. This time, though there are multiple sources, the primary source
for the local culture seems to be a sort of modification of Spanish usages.

The book really has nothing whatsoever to do with the "Book of the New Sun"
world, plot, or characters, so far as I can tell.

Without giving anything away, let me just say that I liked it a lot; it's
the best book of the year so far as I'm concerned. I should also add that I
read it in about 3 hours. If I can find any flaw at all in Wolfe's style
over the course of his career, it's that some of his writing is difficult
to read; its intricacy can make it a little tough on the reader. I still
haven't figured out some of the stories in "The Isle of Doctor Death and
Other Stories and Other Stories", much as I like the title. However, I
found "Nightside the Long Sun" completely lucid and pellucid... A true
pleasure to read.

One caveat: even more so than the books in the "Book of the New Sun", this
book is really just an episode in a larger multi-book novel.  Don't expect
a full resolution of the plot by the end. On the other hand, don't avoid
the book for that reason; it's not as if it ends on a cliffhanger.

Laurence R. Brothers
Bellcore
Computer Graphics and Interactive Media

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