While working for the benevolent religious sect, the Gentle Order of Saint Francis Dionysus, Wulf--one of the few remaining autoscribes--witnesses the downfall of John Wilberfoss, a starship captain driven to madness.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
This ambitious novel from the New Zealand-based author of Pioneers offers strong support for the definition of science fiction as a literature of ideas. The story appears to be a biography of a starship captain named John Wilberfoss, as written by an artificial intelligence called Wulf the Autoscribe. But Wilberfoss's life is only one small aspect of this immensely complex book, in which Mann unfolds his conception of the future. Mann envisions a universe where contact with aliens is commonplace, Christianity and paganism have been merged into a new religion, and the monks of St. Francis Dionysos are attempting to restore order to the galaxy after two devastating wars. There is a diverse and well-developed cast of characters--human, alien and artificial--but their main purpose is to serve as mouthpieces and illustrations for Mann's ideas about art, religion, science, war and human nature in general. This makes for occasionally slow reading as Mann interrupts the plot for long, tangential discussions. But the richness of the ideas ensures that the tale never gets boring.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The maiden--and final--voyage of the Nightingale , flagship of the Mercy Fleet of the Gentle Order of St. Francis Dionysos, becomes a journey into nightmare and alien madness for its sole survivor, Captain Jon Wilberfoss. As told in the words of Wulf, a machine autoscribe and analyst of human psychology, this tale of horror and suspense becomes transformed into a languorous drama with overtones of Greek tragedy. This complex and intriguing vision of the far future is appropriate for large sf collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Softly written but loudly told tale of tragedy and loss,
By
This review is from: Wulfsyarn: A Mosaic (Paperback)
Jon Wilberfoss is a fragile, barely sane man when we we are introduced to him by his artificially intelligent robot companion and caretaker, Wulf. Wulf and his assistant nurse robot, Lily, are treating the broken-spirited Wilberfoss on a monastery. It is on a beautifully described planet called Juniper. Wulf informs the reader that he is going to attempt to tell Wilberfoss's tale as objectively, and accurately, as possible. He interestingly points out that a written biography is an art form, and that no one really ever tells the truth in one, because truth is an attribute of reality, which is beyond the scope of art. But the story unfolds...
In summary, Wilberfoss has a dark past as a young man. As he grows up, he seems to truly repent for early mistakes and misdeeds. He joins the Gentle Order of St. Francis Dionysos, and agrees to return to his space faring days of his younger years. His role will be to travel vast distances and visit alien worlds, where he will pick up and deliver sick and injured aliens of various races, hoping to either heal them or return them to die on their home worlds. It is a mercy mission, and one which Wilberfoss looks forward to and may in fact need to heal himself, spiritually. The mission ends in complete tragedy, and the story reveals much about human nature, loss, guilt, the search for redemption, and acceptance of the strengths and weaknesses that seem inherent in human beings. Wulf, the narrator, is an interesting character, as is Lily, and virtually all of the others that are introduced. There are beautifully written passages describing the healing garden on Juniper, and the "Pectanile", which is a sculptured object of worship located in the heart of the garden. An alien creature that interacts with Wilberfoss toward the end of the book is fascinating. There are simply many memorable moments throughout the book. These strengths are nearly overshadowed by the snail pace that is established for most of the book. It is, admittedly, not a story of physical action. But the pace is a distraction, none the less, and patience is certainly required. The end of the book is a worthy reward. Wulf's straightforward telling of the tale is strangely effective, and has a deeper impact than a dramatic telling would have had. There are many themes going on here, and for the patient reader, plenty of thoughtful topics will roll around the mind after the book is read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Confront & sympathize w/ one man's plight,
By M-I-K-E 2theD "2theD" (The Big Mango, Thailand) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Wulfsyarn: A Mosaic (Paperback)
Jon Wilberfoss is a man from noble origins, a cargo pilot of a remote planet where he lives with his Talline wife and children. There comes a day when he is called for a higher purpose- that purpose is to fill the captaincy of Nightingale, a massive ship which has taken three generation to construct. Wilberfoss is observed by an `autoscribe' named Wulf during his convalescence in the Poverello Gardnes of the Pacifico Monastery of the Gentle Order of St. Francis Dionysos. His forty day retreat comes after his wife's ultimatum: captain the ship and leave me, or stay here with me. His decision to captain the Nightingale pangs his emotional well-bring.
Wilberfoss' captaincy runs well until a scrupulous being known as the Quelle inhabits a human host; however the symbiosis doesn't prosper and its implications prove to be the captain's downfall. Thereafter, we witness the further descent of the captain's morale, the evolving story of how the Nightingale came to be deserted all of life but his own, the plight of each minute decision and Wilberfoss' return home. From then on, Wulf dissects Wilberfoss' mind in order to grasp the details of what had occurred. What is revealed throughout the novel is a slow unraveling of a man named Wilberfoss and the steady gradient of a machine named Wulf coming to terms with how humans think. The sheer amount of detail which Mann has inlaid in his masterpiece is rarely matched in the genre of science fiction. The 350+ pages of interview, narrative and flashbacks adds greatly to the initial concept of the novel: let the reader understand the foundation and the apex conclusion, then delicately lay the plots scaffolding which soars to the steeple of Mann's narrative cathedral.
5.0 out of 5 stars
And I thought I wouldn't like a philosophical sci-fi!,
By
This review is from: Wulfsyarn: A Mosaic (Paperback)
This is a quietly written space exploration novel told from the perspective of an explorer whose ship came home. I was afraid that I wouldn't enjoy this after-the-fact story. But Mann makes this surprising approach work, for he's more interested in the spiritual change that such journeys are bound to cause. As such, I found myself drawn into the mysteries of motivation and action shown by Mann's antihero. Wulfsyarn is a staggering work of oddball psychology and spirit.
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