Gene Wolfe - some suggestions needed

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Hi all,

I have recently finished TBOTNS for about the fourth time. Amazing stuff, a genuine classic.

The problem is I cannot find much which compares to the quality of this series.

Hence joining the Forum!

Can anyone suggest any authors who compare to Gene Wolfe in terms of writing quality and originality? I have tried Borges (too flowery), and am just beginning Peake, but any other suggestions would be great.

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[kuden]

i just finished reading the first book in the new sun series , i don't see why all the praise for this author or this series , u have a main character which is a torture a thing that should have been cool yet there were like 2 or 3 lines in the whole book that had anything resembling action and fun in the whole book . very little happenes in the book truly , is it all praise for writing style yet with no real plot,action and fun reading?

[Jay_T]

Very few people like Wolfe - but I recommend reading M. John Harrison's Viriconium seqeence, and China Mieville's New Crobuzon books Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council.

Another recommendation - although not for the same reasons above would be Stover's Blade of Tyshalle. I don't think he has the prose quality of Wolfe, Harrison, and Mieville but he does meld the SF/F into a damn highly emotional, and gripping story. This book is excellent and its about time we here it being mentioned with other relatively recent great works.

yet there were like 2 or 3 lines in the whole book that had anything resembling action and fun in the whole book .

Not everyone identifies action - or an abundance of it - with enjoyment in reading. That said, Stover's books definitely have action - and is also enjoyable.

s it all praise for writing style yet with no real plot,action and fun reading?

I would suggest a lot of book people label as fun and action together have no real plot, and being confronted with a real writer like Wolfe there is some non-recognition.

[kuden]

Very few people like Wolfe - but I recommend reading M. John Harrison's Viriconium seuqence, and China Mieville's New Crobuzon books Perdido Street Station, The Scar, and Iron Council.

Another recommendation - although not for the same reasons above would be Stover's Blade of Tyshalle. I don't think he has the prose quality of Wolfe, Harrison, and Mieville but he does meld the SF/F into a damn highly emotional, and gripping story. This book is excellent and its about time we here it being mentioned with other relatively recent great works.



Not everyone identifies action - or an abundance of it - with enjoyment in reading. That said, Stover's books definitely have action.

i

I would suggest a lot of book people label as fun and action together have no real plot, and being confronted with a real writer like Wolfe there is some non-recognition.

well i've read stover's books(great books too) , and action doesn't mean some mindless fighting , the main character in the book barely does ANYTHING at all , he either thinks to himself most of the time or just gets dragged into situations where he is still passive most of the time .

[Jay_T]

he either thinks to himself most of the time or just gets dragged into situations where he is still passive most of the time .

You just described Siddhartha - last time I checked, a great book.

[Nevyn]

If you haven't already done so read The Long Sun books which are IMHO a brilliant intro to The Book of The Short Sun. Which again, IMHO, are equally as good as TBOTNS!!! Return To The Whorl is easily one of the best books that I've had the pleasure of reading.

[joinville]

Thanks all for the comments.

I have read a few of the books you mention Jay_T, some are great books.

I'm thinking Wolfe is a bit unique though. His depth and complexity are what make it such a joy. There is so much going on which is suggested rather than explicit. The Latro books are like this also, the unreliable narrator.

I suppose that is why some folk like kuden don't like it - to each their own, no worries.

Hasta Luego.

[trentdick2882]

Delany's Dhalgren reminded me of The Book of the New Sun.

[Rob B]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Jack Vance's Dying Earth cycle of books, available the last few years in a single volume.

Wolfe explicitly cites this as an inspiration for BOTNS. Vance's work is one of the, if not THE, earliest stories chronicling a future earth much changed and desolate. While there isn't the "unreliable narrator," Vance's prose is almost unmatched in its descriptive wonder.

[Jay_T]

Delany's Dhalgren reminded me of The Book of the New Sun.

I'm not sure about the comparison - but Dhalgren is a phenominal work IMHO - highly recommended.

[joinville]

I have read the Dying Earth - excellent book, it does capture the weirdness and wonders of his vision of the future.

The Cugel books are not so good though, he's simply too nasty to empathise with.

I've not read Dhalgren - will now though!

[Avi_stetto]

Neil Gaiman and Gene Wolfe are really close friends who admire each other's work quite a bit.

Also, Gene Wolfe has been most prolific. You might want to check out some of his other novels or short story collections. Some examples:

• There are Doors - Wolfe has actually named this as his personal favorite of his works.
• The Wizard Knight - Broken up into The Knight & The Wizard.
• Latro In the Mist - Latro is almost a direct opposite of Severian from what I understand (I haven't gotten to this one yet )
• Peace - A ghost story
• The Fifth head of Cerebus - three related novellas.

That's a pretty good starting point. Good luck!

[scooter13]

Since someone brought up trying other Gene Wolfe work, I have a question. I started reading "The Wizard Knight" series, and didn't find it to my liking. It seemed disjointed, and like I had to put a lot of work into reading it for very little pay-off. It was not terrible mind you. I just didn't get it and felt not enough was explained. How different is "The Wizard Knight" from his other work, like "The Book of the New Sun"?

[Jay_T]

Since someone brought up trying other Gene Wolfe work, I have a question. I started reading "The Wizard Knight" series, and didn't find it to my liking. It seemed disjointed, and like I had to put a lot of work into reading it for very little pay-off. It was not terrible mind you. I just didn't get it and felt not enough was explained. How different is "The Wizard Knight" from his other work, like "The Book of the New Sun"?

Define "pay-off"