Favorite fantasy authors: Gene Wolfe

This guy is my favorite fantasy author, and all on the strength of one series, the Book of the New Sun. The first four volumes are a tightly coupled series: Shadow of the Torture, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor, and Citadel of the Autarch. The individual volumes are out of print, but they are currently in print as Shadow and Claw (ISBN 0-312-89017-6) and Sword and Citadel (ISBN 0-312-89018-4) by Tom Doherty.

A sequel, The Urth of the New Sun, wraps up some loose ends and extends the theme, but the series is quite satisfying without it.

Why do I like this series so much?

• The characters are real, they grow, and they have believable motivations. If I were playing Sauron in a production of Tolkien, my question would be, what's my motivation? I'm just the embodiment of evil, huh? That's not like anybody I know. The motivations I see in people generally are usually things like survival, curiosity, and power. Wolfe's Agia character is pretty nasty, but she grew up in a rough neighborhood. If she weren't nasty, she wouldn't have survived there. Severian, the protagonist, is just trying to survive, and if possible to find out whose shadowy hands are pushing him around the chessboard.
• The language is unique: rich, inventive, and deep. There are a lot of what look like made-up words, but many of them are classical and scientific terms. At one point Severian meets a Smilodon; that's just the Latin name of the saber-toothed tiger. But you don't need to understand the derivation or even the meaning of these words, it's clear from context.
• It works on several levels. On the surface, it's a page-turner; will Severian be done in by the alien creatures that are stalking him? But there is much more. It is a fountain of great quotes (see my quotes file for several examples). The essay on forms of governance is fascinating. There are a lot of shorter stories embedded in the work, suitable for telling at bedtime but resonant with hints of deeper meaning.

I've enjoyed a couple of other Wolfe works, too.

Soldier in the Mist is a curious tale about an ancient Greek soldier who wakes up every morning with no memory of his history.

If you like well-crafted, unusual short stories, try his Endangered Species collection.

Last updated: 2004/01/02 23:38:35
URL: http://www.nmt.edu/~shipman/reading/wolfe.html