Where do I start with Gene Wolfe?

Entry Points

• Short Stories. Actually, Wolfe’s first short story collection, The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories may still be the best place to start.
• Novels. Wolfe has written a number of novels, but over half of them form part of one series or another.
• The Masterpiece.

Is book of the New Sun good?

The Book of the New Sun is not only a great and original work of science fiction, it has been the genesis of some of the great sci fi stories of the last 40 years. So many authors took their tales straight from the universe of Urth and the New Sun.

How do you read Gene Wolfe?

How to read Gene Wolfe:

1. Trust the text implicitly.
2. Do not trust the text farther than you can throw it, if that far.
3. Reread.
4. There are wolves in there, prowling behind the words.
5. Reading Gene Wolfe is dangerous work.
6. Make yourself comfortable.
7. There are two kinds of clever writer.
8. He was there.

Is book of the New Sun sci fi?

The Book of the New Sun (1980–1983) is a series of four science fantasy novels, a tetralogy or single four-volume novel written by the American author Gene Wolfe. It inaugurated the so-called “Solar Cycle” that Wolfe continued by setting other works in the same universe.

What does Severian lie about?

John Clute wrote in Wolfe’s obituary that: “Severian is a torturer who forgives his victims, who has perfect verbal recall but lies constantly. He is a man of insuperable ambition who tells us he has none, even though he is somehow destined to become the ruler of his land.

Who is Valeria Book of the New Sun?

Valeria is an armigette of the Citadel. Valeria’s past is shrouded in mystery. She apparently lives in the towers near the Atrium of Time, where she first meets Severian as a child. After Severian becomes autarch, he marries her.

Where is Nessus Book of the New Sun?

Comparing the Latin America’s map against BoTN maps shown at “Lexicon Urthus” I believe that Nessus is located near the border of Argentina and Chile. House Absolute seems to be placed in Bolivia. Orithyia is likely in Peru or Colombia. The huge lake close to Baldanders castle is probably Titicaca in Bolivia.

Is Dorcas Severian grandmother?

Dorcas, whom Severian inadvertently resurrects at the Lake of Birds, is almost certainly Severian’s paternal grandmother. (Wolfe has named her for the Biblical Dorcas, who was also resurrected.) Ouen, the waiter at the Inn of Lost Loves in Nessus, refers to Dorcas as his “mother come again”.

Who is Severians sister?

Merryn is “almost certainly” Severian’s sister. Overview: we know Severian has a sister, because Severian/Severa is a set of names you give to twins. Mother: Well, Ouen names her Katharine at the end of _Citadel_ and says she was given to the torturers (which matches our theory for Severian’s origin).

Is Dr Talos a robot?

Talos; a giant, Baldanders; and a beautiful woman, Jolenta. Dr. Talos appears to be the leader of the group but is later revealed to be a homunculus created by Baldanders to be his doctor and servant.

Did Severian eat Thecla?

Next morning, Severian and Jonas(who reveals he didn’t eat any Thecla, actually doesn’t really eat much at all [because he’s most likely a cyborg, about which more some other time]) wake to find everybody’s gone, but they’ve been left with some very nice horses to speed them on their way to Autarchland.

Is Nessus Buenos Aires?

Urth’s equivalent to our own Buenos Aires.

Are there any other books by Gene Wolfe?

In the 1990s, Wolfe published two more works in the same universe as The Book of the New Sun. The first, The Book of the Long Sun, consists of the novels Nightside the Long Sun (1993), Lake of the Long Sun (1994), Caldé of the Long Sun (1994), and Exodus From the Long Sun (1996).

Where did Gene Wolfe live most of his life?

Wolfe lived in Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, with his wife Rosemary, where they raised four children. Wolfe also has three granddaughters. The Wolfes moved to Peoria, Illinois in 2013.

Who is better Gene Wolfe or Charles Dickens?

Shakespeare was a better stylist, Melville was more important to American letters, and Charles Dickens had a defter hand at creating characters. But among living writers, there is nobody who can even approach Gene Wolfe for brilliance of prose, clarity of thought, and depth in meaning.”

When did Gene Wolfe’s wife, Rosemary, die?

Wolfe’s wife, Rosemary, died on December 14, 2013, after a series of illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease. Wolfe said, “There was a time when she did not remember my name or that we were married, but she still remembered that she loved me.”