lupine

“The brown book I carry says there is nothing stranger than to explore a city wholly different from all those one knows, since to do so is to explore a second and unsuspected self. I have found a thing stranger: to explore such a city only after one has lived in it for some time without learning anything of it.” 

The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe

“1) Trust the text implicitly. The answers are in there.

2) Do not trust the text farther than you can throw it, if that far. It's tricksy and desperate stuff, and it may go off in your hand at any time.”

How to Read Gene Wolfe by Neil Gaiman

If you have ever conversed with me about contemporary Science Fiction or Fantasy, you have likely heard me bemoan the fact that I generally cannot stand the thing. If I am feeling especially confident that night, I may speak of the awful and trite writing whenever I adventure to explore the mire of the genre. And if that bridge is crossed, inevitably some form of this question is asked: “Is there a contemporary genre writer you do respect?” To which my answer is always Gene Wolfe.

(Now, I believe there are other writers of worth out there. I simply make the mistake of thinking there is something to the populars of the genre, and am subsequently betrayed.)

The response is of course, “Who is that?” To which the best answer may very well be, “The fellow who invented Pringles.” At the very least, it is a product people are familiar with, for in regards to his writings, they are not. (He was not alone in the creation process, but developed the means to cook the potato chip.)

And yet, after a little research of Gene Wolfe, you may stumble across such comments as, “Gene Wolfe is the greatest English-language writer alive today” (Michael Swanwick), or “Gene Wolfe is our Melville.” (Ursula Le Guin speaking on behalf of Science Fiction, presumably; living writers, possibly), as well as “Gene Wolfe is the smartest, subtlest, most dangerous writer alive today, in genre or out of it.” (Neil Gaiman). Now writers are in the trade of overstating, especially for the sake of a book jacket (and its subsequent payment), but if you look in enough corners, you realize, at the very least, Wolfe has a tremendously strong following... if perhaps small. 

How does the “greatest Science Fiction writer” go about life widely unknown? Well, the reasons could be plentiful, but first and foremost is the label of genre writer. Genre writer puts up immediate walls that limit exposure, and in Wolfe’s case that limits his audience to those who credit speculative fiction as a worthwhile medium. Already being a smaller demographic, that grouping also contains two distinct groups: one group seeing the genre as a means of mindless escape and adventure, and another who sees the potential for works of vast literary merit both within and expanding/transcending the genre. Wolfe will likely have less appeal to the former, meaning his likely audience is now a group within a group. Or to put it another way, Wolfe requires critics who value works of the fantastic, and that group is quite small. Academia looks down upon genre writers and curses them all as of the least or perhaps even destructive quality. Unfortunately, many works in genre prove them correct. Other reasons for Wolfe’s relative anonymity may be legion, but in order to move on, we will depart here.

Once my ears started hearing of the promise of Wolfe, one work kept being spun as his greatest: the tetralogy, The Book of the New Sun. So, one fine day, I walked my way to the nearest bookstore, with every intention to begin my lupine journey at his Magnum Opus. Only something went very wrong (or very right). I had scouted out the books location and knew it by its size: the first two books of the series being collected as Shadow and Claw. And thus when I found the correct aisle beset with Manga readers littering the floor in all manner of leisure, I did a quick and stealthy grab of the book I “knew” to be the beginning of The New Sun. And this is where things get really strange. I bought the book, went next door to an eatery, purchased some grub, and sat down to read. The first chapter was like an ocean crashing over my head; as a lover of narrative voice, I knew I was about to get doors opened in my mind. With profound appreciation, I shut the book to look at the cover to the tome that I was suspecting would be a revelation... only to find I was reading the wrong book. Somehow, in my haste to avoid the forest of Otaku and not necessarily knowing the titles beyond the series’ name, I had grabbed the wrong Wolfe book. Thankfully, I at least grabbed a Wolfe book. But it was not The Book of the New Sun.

Ultimately, this would all prove providential. I had mistakenly picked up the first book of his more recent The Wizard Knight series, titled... The Knight. (Two points if you can guess the name of the second and final book without looking...) Steeped in Norse myth and the medieval knightly traditions, I felt at home right away, and in Wolfe’s narrator, he was executing a voice I had been attempting since senior year of high school. Amongst a bit of envy, I found myself finally discovering an answer to my contemporary fantasy literature vacuum. While not a perfect work, Wolfe proved a genre writer who still valued subtlety and labor on the part of the reader in a way I had never seen. He was intelligently versed in the traditions he clearly valued and would not devalue his story for the sake of playing to the audience. And there was much rejoicing.

Of course the day came to revisit my earlier mistake and eventually, books 1 and 2 of New Sun were purchased in Shadow and Claw to my great excitement. I fear if I had not first read The Wizard Knight, I may not have made it through New Sun, or perhaps I would not have trusted it to be far more than it seemed without having already experienced a more obvious effort in his later work. Not that The Shadow of the Torturer does not reveal itself to cover a deeper purpose, but the front that Wolfe puts up is a bit better secured. I found myself more troubled and uncertain than I ever was in The Wizard Knight, oft understanding references but not then knowing where to fit them in the tapestry. Ultimately, I picked up a steam of fascination as the books continued, but at the close of book 4, I was still left with many more troublesome questions. I could perhaps relate much of the plot, but purpose was still obscured.

Now I have since read a following series, The Book of the Long Sun, as well as a more direct sequel, The Urth of the New Sun, and found these relatively easy and enjoyable entries in the overall Solar Cycle. (I have not yet visited The Book of the Short Sun) But all of these readings more clearly etched in my mind the need to reread The Book of the New Sun, and perhaps that time is now.

And so, I plan and hope to splatter my blog with some posts and considerations of Wolfe’s text as I reread my way through the series. Will these be relatable and interesting to those who have not read the books? Probably not. Would it be great to accompany a first read? I expect another negative, for though I do not seek to spoil things, I suspect I will still reference some things to come. As well, you may seek to protect your first reading of a Wolfe novel from the outside. So who is this for? Well, me mostly. The hope is to force myself to flesh out my thoughts with more accountability than I would otherwise with no “audience” before me. 

Wolfe describes a great story as “One that can be read with pleasure by a cultivated reader and reread with increased pleasure.” Well, here’s to a great story.

I have already rambled on too long, so I will save the introduction to The Book of the New Sun for next time.