This collection is one of Wolfe's best, if not the best. It contains only classics and is a great place for those new to Wolfe to begin. These stories were written mostly in the 70's when Wolfe was writing a lot of short fiction for Damon Knight's Orbit anthos, and many of these pieces come from there. It begins with the title story, a story of a young man whose only escape from his horrible life is comics. But with Wolfe, there is much more than that beneath the surface.
"Alien Stones" is Wolfe's take on Star Trek, if you can imagine that. You don't have to, for it is here. This one I did not like at first. But when I read it again months later, I loved it.
"The Hero as Werewolf" is an inside-out, upside-down horror story set in the not-so-distant future. It is also utter genius.
"Three Fingers" is like a bad acid trip inside a Disney character's head. Lingers long after reading...
"Tracking Song" is like reading a mixture of Greek and Norse myth. It feels familiar in many ways, but you will never guess what's next. A powerful and well-written story that is even better the second time.
"The Toy Theater" is Wolfe at his absolute best. Each and every word in this story is important. If you don't gasp at some point while reading, then maybe you aren't human, hm?
"Seven American Nights" takes place not so long from now in the USA. We haven't fared well at all. This one is told through the eyes of a young man from Iran, a country which is now a major power in the story. An absolute must-read whether you like SF or no. Wolfe's depiction of the US in as little as 50-75 years is perhaps the most chilling I have ever read. Not to mention the story is a mystery that will have you up all night solving it. Absolutely amazing.
I know I didn't list every story, but I could have. They are all equally great. If you buy one collection this year, buy this one. And that's all for me.
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It's Gene Wolfe
You can't go wrong buying a Gene Wolfe book. Whether you're reading it for the first or the fifth time, there will be something new to discover or recontextualize. This is his first collection of short stories and contains some of his best. They're a bit slippery; once you think you have a grasp of what's going on, it slips out of your fingers into something more bizarre or profound. This book is fantastic in every sense of the word.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2014
- Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2004
- Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2022
Great stories, but this printing is hard for me to read. It looks fuzzy, and when you look closely, it looks pixelated. Like the Sunday funny papers, there’s a grid of tiny grey dots covering every page
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2022
You can't go wrong buying a Gene Wolfe book. Whether you're reading it for the first or the fifth time, there will be something new to discover or recontextualize. This is his first collection of short stories and contains some of his best. They're a bit slippery; once you think you have a grasp of what's going on, it slips out of your fingers into something more bizarre or profound. This book is fantastic in every sense of the word.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
- Mr. Martin P. AlexanderReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2018
A must for fans of the strange
