In Green's Jungles (Book of the Short Sun, Book 2)

Rating:
Summary: Challenging--but as brilliant as it gets
Review: (...)
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.

(...)

Rating:
Summary: Better than the first book!
Review: Gene Wolfe can be a frustrating writer: his prose is often elliptical, his plots and characters unusual, his text obscure and dense. He's a master of indirectness: he'll leave out what for other writers would be "important plot points".

In this second volumn of Book of the Short Sun, we spend most of our time *not* in Green's jungles, but the intersecting plots and deft, subtle interplay of the different characters leave us with both a clear picture of the main character's (Horn/Silk) time there. We get crumbling cities, in-human (and human) monsters and other trappings of, say, a good Burrough's Barsoom tale presented entirely as backstory to the current events in which the lead character has become embroiled.

On Blue's Waters (the first volume) was a beautiful work, marred (I thought at the time) by the overly obscure ending. But this novel (a lot clearer to follow, with a more conventional linear story) actually improves the first book. I can't wait to read the final volume now...

Rating:
Summary: The best Wolfe in a while (and thats saying a lot).
Review: Gene Wolfe is my favorite writer. The best thing for me about his work is that his books can be read many times. There is a always a lot to think about and often the story is told in such a subtle way it is almost a puzzle. I usually enjoy a Wolfe book even more on the second reading than on the first. I haven't reread green yet so I don't know how high it will reach but the first reading ranks with Peace, Shadow of the Torturer and Soldier of the Mist and that is the highest praise I can give.

Rating:
Summary: A Strange and Wonderfully Complex Story Continues
Review: General for all books in "The Book of the Short Sun" ("On Blue's Waters", "In Green's Jungles", "Return to the Whorl"): This third series of books, which are a direct continuation of the books in "The Book of the Long Sun" and a semi-direct continuation of the books of "The Book of the New Sun", is similar in its writing style and tone. When you start to read "On Blue's Waters" you feel like you've been thrown into an alien world inhabited by non-alien people with an alien culture. That's what Gene Wolfe has created in these books. He has gone where few authors have dared to go: into the very distant future of Mankind; not a few decades or a few hundred years, but many thousands of years. Frank Herbert, in the "Dune" books, started nine thousand years or so into our future. In Gene Wolfe's books, we don't know how far into the future we've gone, but it's well beyond what Herbert did, as the sun is cooling. The characters in these books are highly developed, three-dimensional, and realistic. The story-line is extremely non-linear, with abrupt shifts in time and setting, along with dream sequences loaded with meaning. It takes a while to get accustomed to that style, and some readers might not like it, but it was worth it for me. The writing is highly descriptive, and one comes away with a feeling of having visited the places described and having known the characters. One strange note about the series as a whole is that its central character, Horn, gets semi-transformed into Patera Silk, the central character of "The Book of the Long Sun", as the story progresses (or does he?). This series of books also resurrects from "The Book of the Long Sun" one of the most entertaining supporting characters I've ever encountered, Oreb, the semi-intelligent, wise, and highly vocal bird who was the constant companion of Patera Silk and is now the companion of Horn, the new central character.

For "In Green's Jungles": This continues the story of Horn and his search for Patera Silk. The ship that was supposed to take him to the Long Sun Whorl, instead takes him to Green, the home of the inhumi. He has to lead his fellow shanghaied shipmates against the inhumi, who want to enslave them and drink their blood, and Horn gets some help from the enigmatic Neighbors or Vanished People. Horn is killed along the way (or is he?) and reincarnated, thanks to the Neighbors, in the body of the dying Patera Silk (or is he?). The reader is never certain of exactly what happened to the central character, which reflects the character's confusion about himself (he is never certain again if he is Horn, Silk, or some combination of both). The writing is somewhat more linear here, and there are increasing hints that this series connects not only with "The Book of the Long Sun" but also with "The Book of the New Sun". A wonderful continuation of a complex, enchanting story.

Rating:
Summary: Will Patera Silk please stand up?
Review: In Green's Jungles (Book of the Short Sun, Book2) By Gene Wolfe, is the 2nd volume in the short sun series. All the books are tied together (see the books of the Long Sun) in many ways. One excellent reviewer said this book is for the SF thinker rather than the SF reader and I agree. You have to THINK HARD about what is being said and done. Getting past the omni-linear track of the plot (for me) was the hard part, but becomes very clear at the end and holds your interest.

Here is a good Editorial Review that helped me understand the plot better: 'In Green's Jungles follows narrator Horn as he voyages to the planet Green (Blue's companion) and to the abandoned generational starship known as the Whorl in search of the godlike Patera Silk. As Horn recounts his adventures, his own identity becomes muddled (very), and we find out his interactions with the vampiric inhumi of Green and the strange alien Neighbors were deeper than we knew (and how). In fact, Horn may not be himself at all anymore. Tantalizing story details drip slowly from Wolfe's pen:

Through the ring a Neighbor saw him, and she came to him in his agony.... she said, "I cannot make you well again, and if I could you would still be in this place. I can do this for you, however, if you desire it. I can send your spirit into someone else, into someone whose own spirit is dying."

So who is Horn? Has he become Patera Silk--it seems so, for people begin mistaking him for the heroic leader. Is he the warrior king Rajan, or is he something entirely new, formed by the strange places and people around him into a savior of worlds? Identity, love, and faith weave through the themes of In Green's Jungles, and Wolfe has added another masterpiece to a shelf full of them.' --Therese Littleton --This text refers to the Hardcover edition...

During the story's narration, we notice a marked change in Horn as his search for Patera Silk continues. The change, gradual at first. Starts little by little, but as each of Horn's recollections become known, we are spotting inconsistencies, and his voice is becoming that of Patera Silk, Horn, Lord Rajan and Master Incanto all in one. The confusion is known by us (the reader), but only sensed or felt by Horn et al. Mr. Wolfe's mastery, becomes abundantly clear as you get towards the end of the book.

As I mentioned in my earlier reviews, these works bear repeated reading to fully comprehend. The prose and style are 1st rate. One amusing reviewer wrote "Horn would greatly appreciate the quality of the paper in the Hardcover edition."
Enjoy and grow!

Rating:
Summary: Fine -- but Lacking
Review: In Green's Jungles covers Horn's second stop on his way home to the Lizard. Contrary to its title, the novel only barely touches on events, many of them major, that took place on Green. Most of the story focuses on a war between two neighboring cities. I found In Green's Jungles more difficult to enjoy than volume 1, and was often annoyed at Wolfe's unnecessary convolution of simple events. Moreover, the war between the cities, as well as most of the characters involved, seemed inconsequential. This induces the suspicion that the whole book might have been written to stretch a two-book story to trilogy length. Even so, it was a pleasure to read, and I highly recommend the entire series to SF fans who enjoy Wolfe's unique and puzzling style.

Rating:
Summary: The Book of the Short Sun continues brilliantly
Review: IN GREEN'S JUNGLES is the second volume of Gene Wolfe's Book of the Short Sun, which is (to put it briefly) the story of Horn's return to the Whorl to bring Silk to Blue.

The narrator's identity is again a mystery. He believes himself to be Horn, but remembers things falsely and is constantly identified as Silk. Having escaped from Gaon, where the throne was forced upon him in virtual imprisonment, the narrator comes to the town of Blanko, whose citizens believe him a magician and seek his council in their war. Thus, he is drawn into yet another bloody conflict, underscoring the need of Silk on Blue, in order to save its colonists from their fighting (and their original sin).

Unlike ON BLUE'S WATERS, where the narrator reflected happily on the first leg of his voyage to the Long Sun Whorl, Horn's remembrances here, of terrifying Green, are told shakily. Horn's death on Green, spoken of in the first book, is but the last of a series of crushing experiences on that dangerous whorl, and Horn cannot face them outright.

Other surprises await the reader. Our narrator discovers that he can astrally project himself to other worlds in his dreams. This sort of mysticism evokes fond memories of THE URTH OF THE NEW SUN. And in a tear-inducingly beautiful passage, Wolfe's Christian allusions manifest themselves with an inadvertent Eucharist, which may be the most moving thing Wolfe has ever written.

More readable then ON BLUE'S WATERS due to its gripping plot machinations and surprising developments, IN GREEN'S JUNGLES continues the satisfying trend of the Book of the Short Sun.

Rating:
Summary: Just dreadful - Wolfe's revenge - skip this book
Review: Mr Wolfe hops from the future to the present to the past, and back without warning, dwells on trivial detail while he omits most all major events in the stories, mixes short stories and nightmare visions into the "plot", so the reader has no idea what might be really going on.

The writing in "Blue" as almost comprehesible and now this!

Where was the editor with the red pen?

This potboiler book does not seem to be important to the plot line of the series and can be easily skipped. It reads as it is notes or an undeveloped plot outline.

Spend your money on the "Return to the Whorl" and bypass this.

Rating:
Summary: Superlative Wolfe
Review: This was the first Wolfe hardback I bought, and I wasn't disappointed at all. I had bought Robert Jordan's Winter's Heart the day before, sped read it, was thoroughly disgusted with it, and returned it, using the money to purchase this gem instead. I should've never veered from Wolfe. Wolfe delivers his mysteries upon mysteries and stories within stories. This is Wolfe: sharp, feral, brilliant, and sagacious. Bend time and space with Horn as he continues his quest for Silk (Ho Oreb!), plays Rajan, and pursues his risky relationships with the inhumi. Wolfe is not for the mere SF reader: he is for the SF thinker.

Rating:
Summary: New Sun, Long Sun and Short Sun
Review: This year my experience of our trip to Vancouver was enriched by the first two volumes of The Book of the Short Sun, the sequel to the Book of the Long Sun, which I had re-read in preparation. It�s certainly a vivid story � weeks later I can still picture myself sitting on the balcony in Strathcona looking out on the lake while at the same time visiting the steaming jungles on Green, and the rotting city of the Inhumu there. It�s a pretty amazing effect to be in two places at once � that�s what happens when you are reading a good book. Put it down, check on your surroundings, take care of a little �business,� then pick it up again � and you are suddenly transported to another place and time: vividly, viscerally. You see it all in your mind�s eye.

The �long sun whorl� is the interior of a hollowed out asteroid hundreds of miles long, converted to the generational starcrosser, Whorl. Inside, Wolfe creates a mysterious and evocative world in four volumes, centered on the city of Viron, nearby Lake Limna and the many tunnels that run through the shiprock below, populated by an attractive cast of characters led by Patera Silk, augur of the Sun Street manteion, who was recently enlightened with a spiritual epiphany by one of the minor gods, the Outsider, opening a floodgate of theophanies of all sorts. The Gods, who have been absent for more than a generation (occupied in Mainframe), unexpectedly begin appearing in the Sacred Windows all over the city, communicating with and possessing key people from all walks of life, thieves, priests and whores, while civil war breaks out between the establishment forces of the Ayuntmiento, (both bios and chems) versus Silk�s friend General Mint and her loyalists and troops, many of them children and commoners. Finally, the Gods make it known that the Whorl has reached its destination.

The Book of the Long Sun is a tour-de-force, a truly great extended novel of eerie beauty and wonder, and while totally different in narrative style (first person vs. third) the Homeric Book of the Short Sun is an admirable extension of it. After 300 years, the Whorl has reached its destination, and landers take hundreds of colonists at a time to either of the two planets in this star system. The fortunates land on the earth-like planet Blue, while the unlucky end up on Green, likely to die quickly in its jungles or be enslaved by the vampiric Inhumu.
This is the story of Horn, just a boy in the first series, who is now a man with grown children of his own, who leaves his wife and sons on Lizard Island in search of his mentor, the legendary Silk. Like much travel writing the story jumps back in forth in time, from the present (his surrounding time and place as he is writing) to the past events he is trying to recount.

The story is amazing. I called it Homeric, because it is clearly inspired by The Odyssey, yet it is just as clearly Wolfe�s own, populated by familiar characters like Mucor and her �grandmother� the blind chem Maytera Marble (who is also inhabited and inspired by her �sib� the late bio sybil Maytera Rose), but also by dozens of new, vividly-drawn people, neighbors, gods, animals and inhumu across a multi-hued palate of the worlds Blue, Green, and (in the third book) Horn�s Return to the Whorl. Wolfe is even able to tie everything back to giant red sun of the dying Urth in The Book of the New Sun, because the ancient metropolis of Nessus is shown to be the origin of the Whorl. It is a lot to think about. Devour these books and, like the fearsome alzabo of old Urth (who mimics the voice of its prey after devouring it), you will hear Wolfe�s voice and see his worlds for a long time to come.