Customer Reviews

Wulfsyarn: A Mosaic

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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.

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.

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.

Phillip Mann ha described a future society that not only may be possible, but also begs the human mind for it's incarnation. In a rich melding of ecology, technology, psychology, sweat, and factors I am sure elude me; Wulfsyarn, although a tragedy, draws the human spirit to the nature of life and liveliness. Taste for yourself of a religious order that somehow avoids dogma and stodge, backbones Wulf, and offers his yarn as its paradigm tale.

I picked up this book on a whim a few years ago, and its remained a treasured part of my collection ever since. I will admit it is a slow pace at times, but the author hits emotional paydirt over and over again: with Wilberfoss, the Gentle Order of Saint Francis Dionysis, the Nightingale's mission of mercy, and so on. There are many different intriuiging and challening themes: spirituality, sexuality, marriage, artificial intelligence, aliens, family, and so on. I did not expect such a rich experience from a science fiction novel, but it has continued to reward me after nearly a decade of re-reading.