Return to the Whorl

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful, Haunting, Unfulfilling Finale
Review: Mr. Wolfe ties up a number of the infinite series of mysteries in this poignant, elegiac finale and, in doing so, writes some of the most heartbreaking scenes in the history of literature (Horn's encounter with the ghosts in Ermine's, the old Sun Street manteion, his father's shop, etc.), but the ending is so abrupt that the end result is unfulfilling. And, yet, unfulfilled Wolfe is better than his contemporaries' finest works. Such is the power as a writer and depth of insight into the human condition as a man that Wolfe possesses. Horn does indeed make it back to his home and succeed in his epic quest in a way that Wolfe has, in some senses, telegraphed to the astute reader and, yet, the "shock ending" is a deeper mystery revealed concerning Horn's blurred identity than one might suspect! To say anything more would be to reveal the Book of the Short Sun's central conceit, but readers of the "prequel" series The Book of The Long Sun will find bittersweet irony in the fate of Horn, the young boy who lived his life in conscious imitation of his teacher, Patera Silk. Silk, after all these years and changes, still comes across as a Truly Beautiful, Good Man, guilt-stricken and heartbroken, but doggedly pursuing noble purposes through the savage landscapes of the newly-colonized planets and the decrepit Whorl spaceship, and of the human heart. The puzzles that are addressed are well-handled, but loose ends remain---though with a writer as deep and subtle as Wolfe, the reader must always wonder if these loose ends are not answered in some subtle way upon which he/she has failed to pick up. This series is not only for the scholarly Seeker For Truth and Penitence, but can also be read by the casual reader who will enjoy the surface level of a deeply-felt story well-told. Taken together, the Book of The Short Sun in its 3 volumes is one of the most poignant, trenchant and enchanting works of modern fiction and Wolfe's best since The Book of the New Sun tetralogy.

Rating:
Summary: Challenging--but as brilliant as it gets
Review: NOTE: This review is for all three books comprising The Book of the Short Sun

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS:

The Book of the Short Sun will be one of the finest reading experiences of your life... if you can get through the thing. The difficulty in extracting those rewards out of the text is considerable and not to be lightly discounted. Reading these books will require supreme effort. Willing readers will have to be intensely interested with how individuals relate to historical and semi-mythical figures, religion, and their own personality as influenced by these themes. These books are about as far as you can get from the popular concept of "space opera" and thrilling, "page-turning" fiction. An analogy to Moby Dick is probably very appropriate as that work due to the very slow pacing, the introspection, and the great literary symbols stomping through the setting reified and alive. Any scholar of literature should be deeply fascinated by these books.

WHY YOU SHOULD PASS:

There is no shame in not reading these books. They are terribly difficult and an exercise in stamina though we feel most people should at least try once. If you have attempted Shakespeare and been turned back because of the language; if you have attempted Moby Dick or novels by Henry James only to be turned away by the lack of progression in the plot; if you have attempted James Joyce's Ulysses but been baffled by the interior monologue, then Short Sun is probably going to daunt you as well. But we feel the rewards of this book are equal to those giants in literature.
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Rating:
Summary: Wolfian fiction at its best
Review: O Seawrack, how my heart longs for thee! Well, this is Wolfe as usual: brilliant, deceptive, creative, and original. My greatest concern is why the SF and Fantasy communities continue to refuse to acknowledge the existence of Wolfe, when one can compare the beauty of his prose to Shakespeare, Proust, and Jorge Luis Borges. Though I admit Wolfe's narrative technique is challenging, it is vital to the story; and more importantly, it entices us to search Wolfe's work for greater meaning. Ah, Silk, Horn, and the Conciliator bound in one volume: very satisfying. Wolfe is not for the mere SF reader: he is for the SF thinker.

Rating:
Summary: A real disappointment
Review: Return to the Whorl is like a Christmas Fruit Cake--all too full of candies and fruit and nuts for my tastes. Mr. Wolfe desperately needs an editor who would cut these books by half or more. The Book of the New Sun was very interesting despite a tendency to introduce unexplained marvels for no apparent plot reason. The Book of the Long Sun was entirely too long. He has good, sometimes wonderful, characters who spend too much time doing pedestrian things. On Blue's Waters led me to hope that he had regained some of the magic of his earlier book. Then came In Green's jungles..a step back. Then this, which was so tedious I could barely finish it. Fantasy fiction, which abandons the normal theory of some metaphysical cause and effect, drifts into a meaningless subjective expression of whim in this book. A gross example is the Godling who appears in this book (and on the dust cover). What possible explanation for this being can there be? I could go on at great length, but it is now clear that this kind of fiction is not for me any longer.

Rating:
Summary: The Meanest Writer
Review: Wolfe may be the meanest writer now alive. He shamelessly witholds information, has unreliable viewpoint characters, and uses a vocabulary that sounds familiar but has metamorphised. His books are for readers who enjoy the journey as much as ending, and Return to the Whorl is no exception. Worse, you have to go back and check out what he was really doing in several other books once you've read this one. Wonderfully realized alien universe -- yes, his works are one -- for people who enjoy complex science fiction literature. A total failure if you are looking for a quick, light, pleasant read.