The Distant Suns of Gene Wolfe

David Duffy · 02 Jun 2007, 22:04 · from 2007-June.txt.gz

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From: David.Duffy at qimr.edu.au (David Duffy)
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2007 08:04:28 +1000 (EST)
Subject: (urth) The Distant Suns of Gene Wolfe
In-Reply-To: <001401c7a52e$92e1d1e0$41cb5a42 at rclackey.stic.net>
References: <001401c7a52e$92e1d1e0$41cb5a42 at rclackey.stic.net>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0706030738390.16575 at orpheus.qimr.edu.au>

On Sat, 2 Jun 2007, Roy C. Lackey wrote:

> Daniel D Jones quoted Matthew King and wrote:
>>> I do like the article's emphasis on the Soldier books.  _Mist_ is the
>>> book that hooked me for Wolfe, after _New Sun_ nearly chased me away.

>> BOTNS was the first Wolfe series I read.  (It was almost the first Wolfe
>> period.  I'd actually read "The Death of Doctor Island" in an anthology
>
> It's funny how tastes differ even among those who read Wolfe. As I've
> probably said before, PEACE was my first read, twenty-five years ago. I

I first read _The Fifth Head_ back in high school, and was blown away by 
the complexity and density of ideas.  I knew I didn't understand half of 
what was going on, but you can *taste* that there are layers.  I think the 
mental comparison I made at the time was with Borges.

Much more recently, I recommended tFHoC as a good introduction to Wolfe to 
my wife (actually I think we might have started reading it aloud), but she 
found it too cruel, and didn't continue.  He actually does write a lot of 
horror, mixed in with everything else.

I still think that if you are going to like Wolfe, you will like tFHoC, 
and it is short ;)

David Duffy.

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