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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More devious than it appears,
By
This review is from: Litany of the Long Sun: Nightside the Long Sun and Lake of the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 1 and 2) (Paperback)
Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun, while at first simple, proves every bit as complex as his opus The Book of the New Sun. While the third person narration employed in this book is not as ornamented or as difficult as some of his other prose, the character of Silk as he is transformed from a priest to a secular authority (and the subsequent changes brought about through his "enlightenment") are truly fascinating. The plot is more involved than it appears, and a rereading of Wolfe always yields surprising and rewarding results. This series serves as an interesting counterpoint to the transformation of Severian in the Book of the New Sun from torturer to Messiah. Also, this the characters presented in this work are pivotal in Wolfe's amazing Book of the Short Sun which begins with "On Blue's Waters", a truly phenomenal reading experience.
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Be Fooled,
By
This review is from: Litany of the Long Sun: Nightside the Long Sun and Lake of the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 1 and 2) (Paperback)
Some Wolfe fans find the Long Sun books disappointing. At first glance, the writing doesn't seem to be of the same beauty and complexity as that in the books narrated by Severian; the philosophical and metaphysical insights here seem less breathtaking. However, this is a Gene Wolfe novel, so appearances are expected to be deceiving. Patera Silk alone is worth the price of admission, and the plot of Long Sun is Wolfe's best yet, intimately connected to the presentation of the varied and fascinating cast of characters. THE BOOK OF THE LONG SUN rewards rereading perhaps even more than most of Wolfe's work.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clarity and depth, simultaneous!,
This review is from: Litany of the Long Sun: Nightside the Long Sun and Lake of the Long Sun (Book of the Long Sun, Books 1 and 2) (Paperback)
_Litany of the Long Sun_ is the first half of the "Book of the Long Sun." (The second half is supposed to be out sometime in November. I think too that the third and fourth are available in mass market paperback, if you don't wish to wait for the second omnibus.) Gene Wolfe's work is often like opera: you may not understand all the words, may only grasp the basics, but the beauty and depth of the language conveys nuances not found within the text. "Litany" combines the familiar beauty of language often layered with obscure yet contextually clear terminology with a clear and exciting plot. (For those who had difficulty with the language in the "New Sun" series, this series uses less.) Like so much of his work, Wolfe shows rather than describes the unfamiliar world -- really, Whorl, for that is where the action takes place -- through the actions and lives and choices of his characters. Patera Silk is a simple priest in a poor but largely devout neighborhood. He experiences an epiphany (read the second omnibus) in which an obscure god in the pantheon of the Whorl demands that he save his manteion and palaestra which has been sold to a thief (who is more than a thief). He embarks on this holy quest by engaging the help of another thief and quickly finds himself embroiled in a network of men and women (initially unlikable as they are dishonest and criminals) who are more than they appear to be. At the end of a long sequence of events largely outside Patera's control, and through sometimes long exposition (which may come as a relief to some of Wolfe's admiring but normally mystified readers) we learn the apparent fate of our hero. However, this is only the first half and if Wolfe is to be himself, there will be many more surprises. Wolfe fans will not be disappointed, and neither will newcomers to his work. This is likely the best way to be introduced, because this is probably Wolfe's best work to date.
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