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Summary: Another intense, enigmatic story
Review: Nobody can sneak up on a reader from behind like Gene Wolfe. Many writers can aspire only to devising plot twists, and unless they're very lucky the reader will see the suprise coming from miles away. Wolfe, by contrast, is perfectly capable of making revelations in the midst of his narrative, or near the end of it, that are profoundly shocking to your expectations.And it's not merely the details of the plot that reader has to re-evaluate when Wolfe draws the curtain away like this; it extends to the most basic assumptions about the story, things that you believed settled on page 1, like "who's telling this story?" and "why are they telling it?" This author knows that the answers to these questions are the source of a novel's power to engage the mind and the emotions of the reader. In this book, as in others, he's provided answers that are mobile. You may end up answering the questions differently at the end of the book than you would have when only halfway finished. And if you re-read the book again later, you may come up with yet a third set of answers. Wolfe is admittedly not as easy to read as, say, Robert Jordan, but the rewards for reading Wolfe are on a different order of magnitude altogether. Somebody like Jordan lets you live for a short time in another world. Wolfe lets you live for a short time in another world, to discover that the real world has become larger when you return.
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Summary: Sailing on Blue's Waters = pure adventure!
Review: On Blue's Waters is the start of a new trilogy by Gene Wolfe, that are The Books of the Short Sun. The story takes place fifteen years after the Book of the Long Sun, where the inhabitants of the planetoidal starship, the Whorl were forced to flee. Horn, the narrator of the earlier work, now tells his own story in a simple clear prose that is straightforward yet filled with twists at every turn. The narration is a mixture of journal entries looking at past events, the present and dovetailing along the future with references to the book In Green's Jungles. Life is hard on the newly settled planet of Blue with very little or no technology. Horn and his family have made a decent life for themselves and he is regarded by all as a good character of man. Whilst the city states of Blue grow, there is a burgeoning need to establish civil rule. Horn is the only one who can locate the once great leader Patera Silk, and convince him to return to Blue and lead them all to prosperity. Horn sets sail in a small boat (reminiscent of the Odyssey), on a long and difficult quest across the planet Blue in search of the now legendary Patera Silk (reported to be maybe on the elusive island of Pajarocu or the planet Green). Along the way, our hero meets some fantastic characters each of whom can have a novel unto themselves. One of them is Seawrack, a beautiful sea siren and Babbie an intelligent 7 legged boar-like creature. Then there is the enigmatic inhumu. A highly intelligent alien race of space vampires (who are shape shifters), just to name a few. The book can stand on it's own but I highly recommend reading the Books of the Long Sun first to know who and what Patera Silk was all about. The pathos, irony, the plot and prose are all well done and Horn's tale of adventure and struggle, will be with you for a long time. These works will be celebrated for years to come as exemplary 21st Century literature. Blue aptly makes-up for any shortcomings in Epiphany of the Long Sun (the end was little confusing but this book clears up a lot of that). As with Mr. Wolfe's stories, the end continues to ask more questions. So, the only drawback to this work is you'll want to start reading the next book, In Green's Jungles. Thank you Mr. Wolfe!
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Summary: "A Voyage to Green"
Review: Reading this brilliant first portion of "Short Sun," I repeatedly wondered if Wolfe had not decided to pay homage to David Lindsay's woefully unknown masterpiece, "A Voyage to Arcturus." In many ways, Horn seems much like Lindsay's character, Maskull, metamorphosizing to meet the demands of each situation, using and abusing those who offer him aid while trying to overcome his base urges and rise to the status of savior.
Wolfe is never content to simply tell a story, though, and his narrative complexities often scare off readers...Severian's memoir in The Book of the New Sun is, sadly, seen as overly long-winded by some; the progression of intrigues in Long Sun is considered, by many, the book's greatest weakness, along with its treasury of characters. Short Sun is no different: Horn's meditations are deeply personal, more of a confessional than anything. It is fitting that Horn, like Severian, narrates in the first person. Where Severian is distinctly amoral, relating his actions, ranging from murder to rape and worse, with no hint of regret, or even the notion that he should feel regret, Horn relates his actions with perfect honesty and marked shame...his memoir is a plea for mercy, while Severian's is simply a chance to allow others to remember.
Wolfe's characterization is at its peak, here, and I do not believe he has ever written more human characters. I'm eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next two volumes in my mailbox!
Rating: 
Summary: Hungry for More
Review: The colonies of Blue are in a state of technological decay. They employ what tools and weapons that have been passed to them, but lack understanding. In short, their society is slipping backwards. With the hope of renewal, one man is sent home to bring back a much-needed "god" for his people. On Blue's Waters is the first part of Horn's story, of which he is the narrator. Though the basic story is simple, a good deal of strangeness happens from point A to point B, not all of it comprehensible. To complicate matters, Horn is an unfaithful narrator, and cannot always be trusted to give an accurate account of events. He admits to embellishing, or even outright lying-though he never says about what exactly. Knowing this forces a high degree of involvement on the reader, making us wonder what the real truth looks like underneath all the words. It can be taxing on a lethargic imagination, but also very rewarding. I took notes while reading; I marked passages, and underlined dialog. At times I felt I was studying rather than reading. There are few books that grip me like that. I highly recommend Wolfe for readers who aren't bothered by unsolved mysteries and inexplicable events. I find many similarities between Wolfe and M. John Harrison, especially the Viriconium series. Fans of one will surely appreciate the other. NOTE: On Blue's Waters is book one of the BOOK OF THE SHORT SUN. Though it is a beginning, it is also a continuation of a previous series, The BOOK OF THE LONG SUN.
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Summary: Hungry for More
Review: The colonies of Blue are in a state of technological decay. They employ what tools and weapons that have been passed to them, but lack understanding. In short, their society is slipping backwards. With the hope of renewal, one man is sent home to bring back a much-needed "god" for his people. On Blue's Waters is the first part of Horn's story, of which he is the narrator. Though the basic story is simple, a good deal of strangeness happens from point A to point B, not all of it comprehensible. To complicate matters, Horn is an unfaithful narrator, and cannot always be trusted to give an accurate account of events. He admits to embellishing, or even outright lying-though he never says about what exactly. Knowing this forces a high degree of involvement on the reader, making us wonder what the real truth looks like underneath all the words. It can be taxing on a lethargic imagination, but also very rewarding. I took notes while reading; I marked passages, and underlined dialog. At times I felt I was studying rather than reading. There are few books that grip me like that. I highly recommend Wolfe for readers who aren't bothered by unsolved mysteries and inexplicable events. I find many similarities between Wolfe and M. John Harrison, especially the Viriconium series. Fans of one will surely appreciate the other. NOTE: On Blue's Waters is book one of the BOOK OF THE SHORT SUN. Though it is a beginning, it is also a continuation of a previous series, The BOOK OF THE LONG SUN.
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Summary: Classic Wolfe, if you like that sort of thing...
Review: This is a lovely novel, the first part of a trilogy, with a strong link to previous novel sequences by the same author. The writing is distinctively Gene Wolfe's, bringing to my mind the often overlooked "Soldier of the Mist" (which really should be credited at the inspiration to a number of recent movies like "Memento" and a novel that you should run out and get if you've not read it). For one thing, this novel is written in the first person as if it were the chronicle of its purported protagonist and Wolfe is a strong enough writer to convey Horn (the protagonist's) point of view and still slip us some sly information about Horn and the story on the side. You do get the rich characters and foreboding landscape that Wolfe does so well. The latter part of the novel suffers, though, from several flaws. For one thing, it is the first part of a trilogy and some really bizarre things apparently have happened to Horn that are alluded to, directly or indirectly, between the action that envelope Horn and when he is writing the book. This would be fine, if much of the latter half of the book weren't wrapped up in Wolfe's fascination with somewhat lumpy anti-drama and if some of the central conflicts of this book (especially with the inhumu 'son') were "on stage" instead of left in the shadows. The first 1/2 of this book are spell-binding and worth the price of admission and the escape sequence at the end is pretty good. I will certainly be reading the follow on books.
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Summary: A book that defies all categories.
Review: This is a work of art. I would be hard pressed to call it "Science Fiction": it transcends the category. Beautiful prose and wonderful story-telling.
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Summary: Truly Astouding!
Review: This novel is one of the most exciting events in many years--Ithink Wolfe finally has a chance to match or exceed the thrill &complexity of his Book of the New Sun series. Although he's a consistently good writer, no other work until now has approached its towering greatness. He blends mutiple narratives seemlessly and his language is--even for him--exceptionally clear & stylish. It does help immensely to be familiar with his Long Sun series (which I shall re-read whilist waiting impatiently for the next volume).
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Summary: Typical, Classic Wolfe
Review: Using 'typical' is somewhat wrong; the only thing typical about Wolfe's writing is that its always great, and always unpredictable. I have become quite good at seeing where a story is going before I get there, but with Wolfe, and especially the Short Sun series, you are pretty much along for the ride unless you catch the subtle foreshadowing he drops. Even so, the story never really turns out as you had envisioned it, even with the hints. If you read the Long Sun (which I would advise before this series, since the characters and events are derived from it), you definitely owe it to yourself to jump into the Book of the Short Sun.
Rating:
Summary: Typical, Classic Wolfe
Review: Using 'typical' is somewhat wrong; the only thing typical about Wolfe's writing is that its always great, and always unpredictable. I have become quite good at seeing where a story is going before I get there, but with Wolfe, and especially the Short Sun series, you are pretty much along for the ride unless you catch the subtle foreshadowing he drops. Even so, the story never really turns out as you had envisioned it, even with the hints. If you read the Long Sun (which I would advise before this series, since the characters and events are derived from it), you definitely owe it to yourself to jump into the Book of the Short Sun.
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