Giving Wolfe to the inexperienced

Tony Ellis reports success in giving Wolfe books to both sf- and non-sf-experienced readers. I've had an odd mix of successes myself. At least three of my close friends, all of whom had at least a little sf experience, are now Wolfe fans. One even reads them all as they come out, as I do. On the other hand, another close friend, who keeps current in the "mainstream" genre, whose bookshelves are filled with books of the sort that get reviewed in the New York Times Book Revies, who has a fine head for the human experience as presented in literature, couldn't get past page one of Peace. I can't figure it out. -- Dan Rabin

I wonder if we could put together a list of the "easiest" or "most accessible" Wolfe? "Wolfe for Beginners"? I recently saw someone recommend "Fifth Head of Cerebrus" as a place to start with Wolfe, but that seems to me to be one of his more obscure and difficult works (but then I'm biased, because it's my least favorite, for some reason). Here's my list: NOVELS the Long Sun books Peace (especially for non SF-readers) maybe Devil in the Forest maybe the Soldier books (especially for a fan of Mythology) SHORT STORIES War Beneath the Tree The Last Thrilling Wonder Story Forlesen Westwind A Cabin on the Coast How I Lost the Second World War When I Was Ming the Merciless -Rostrum

NOVELS (in addition to Rostrum's list) "Free Live Free" is fairly straightforward; maybe it's not typical? I could be missing something, of course :-) I'm not convinced that one shouldn't dive straight in with "Shadow of the Torturer". It has the advantage of being immensely readable, and rewarding even a superficial reading with a ripping good yarn. Finding large chunks of it engraved in one's brain almost verbatim years after reading it gave me a pretty big clue to the quality of the writing, too. SHORT STORIES "Kevin Malone" is an excellent exercise for beginners. It would be ideal for a tutorial: it's short enough that you can say "read that" and offers great scope for hints, as we saw on the thread about it. "Morning Glory" is a particular favourite of mine; it's also somewhat atypical in being both straightforward and optimistic in outlook. Alex said a while back ("Mysteries of Gene Wolfe/"The Science in Science-Fiction") that the mysteriousness of Wolfe's work is responsible for a lot of its lasting appeal, and I agree; Morning Glory doesn't leave any outstanding mysteries to puzzle over, but touches the emotions in a lasting way instead. In that respect it reminds me a little of "Slow River" by Nicola Griffith. An idle thought: a collaboration between Griffith and Wolfe would be the ultimate virtual reality, an imaginative experience so vividly real and meaningful that it would be impossible to leave. Sorry, have I said that before? Spectacled Bear

I've had the same unfortunate experience with PEACE. I've a friend that reads what I'd consider quality work within the genre (Dan Simmons, PK Dick, to name a couple), and he's also a huge fan of James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, and T.S. Eliot. The last book I recommended to him (Mark Helprin's MEMOIR FROM ANTPROOF CASE) he absolutely loved. I recommended PEACE, which he started and quickly set aside saying he wasn't in a "literary mood". I went back to Helprin, and recommended WINTER'S TALE. He couldn't quite grok that one and gave up on it as well. I thought I'd give Wolfe one more shot and told him to try TBOTNS. He's reading it now, but progress is slow and I don't think he's really getting into it. Anyway, my point is, I guess, that there is no particular precondition for which we can say "this person will become a Wolfe fan". Genre fans find him strange and difficult (in general), while those with more literary aspirations dismiss him for his genre associations. A sad case indeed, and I found it particularly disheartening that PEACE hasn't been so well received by those who apparently recognize good writing when they see it.

OK, so here's my list: To "non-genre" fans: 1) Peace 2) Storeys from the Old Hotel 3) The Book of the New Sun 4) The Soldier books 5) The Fifth Head of Cerberus To genre fans: 1) The Fifth Head of Cerberus 2) The Book of the Long Sun 3) The Book of the New Sun 4) The Soldier books 5) The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories, and Other Stories Jason Voegele

Me, I'm waiting for Wolfe and vizcacha to team up and produce the greatest work of interactive fiction ever. -Rostrum