Books of the New Sun, Fifth Head of Cerberus?

I've recently fallen down the Wolfe rabbit hole and am fascinated by his works and his relative obscurity. Despite being a big sci-fi/high fantasy fan I've never heard of him before yet he's been called "the greatest living english writing author alive today" by contemporaries and has influenced heavyweights such as Neil Gaiman and Patrick O'Leary. I also like the fact that he's Catholic and catholic symbolism is heavy in his writing.

His books are like none other I've read, in that they have to be read 2-3 times each to get the full "wow" factor.

Hm, will need to check them out. Also never heard of him.

He actually attended A&M for a while

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his most famous professional engineering achievement is a contribution to the machine used to make Pringles potato chips.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Wolfe#cite_note-PersonInterview-16][14][/url]

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I read the Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, and Book of the Short Sun series.

The Book of the New Sun was a tough read and bit of slog as a young teenager (I read them a little after their release). It benefited greatly from a reread as an adult. It was still an allusive and dense read.

I also read the Wizard Knight series when it came out in the early 2000s. I like his works, but it's night and day from the easy worlds of Martin and Sanderson to breeze through. He's a throwback like Ursula K. Le Guin.

Faustus said:

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I read the Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, and Book of the Short Sun series.

The Book of the New Sun was a tough read and bit of slog as a young teenager (I read them a little after their release). It benefited greatly from a reread as an adult. It was still an allusive and dense read.

I also read the Wizard Knight series when it came out in the early 2000s. I like his works, but it's night and day from the easy worlds of Martin and Sanderson to breeze through. He's a throwback like Ursula K. Le Guin.

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I liken his books to an "escape the room" puzzle. At first glance you see a "clue" that seems like it's odd but makes literally no sense to you, and then as you keep reading you get some more hints that point towards something but it's still not clear, then you read a little more and bang everything snaps into focus.

powerbelly said:

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his most famous professional engineering achievement is a contribution to the machine used to make Pringles potato chips.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Wolfe#cite_note-PersonInterview-16][14][/url]

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He even looks like the Pringles guy

I am he as you are he as you are me
And we are all together

Any recommendations in which book to start with for him?

Also, how does he compare with the Malazan series as far as complexity/densness?

bangobango said:

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Any recommendations in which book to start with for him?

Also, how does he compare with the Malazan series as far as complexity/densness?

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The Malazan book series is my favorite of all time and I would say he is multiple times as complex and dense as they are, until you've trained your mind to read his books.

I would start off with the Fifth head of Cerberus as it will get you used to his style, and then try the Books of the New Sun

Silian Rail said:

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bangobango said:

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Any recommendations in which book to start with for him?

Also, how does he compare with the Malazan series as far as complexity/densness?

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The Malazan book series is my favorite of all time and I would say he is multiple times as complex and dense as they are, until you've trained your mind to read his books.

I would start off with the Fifth head of Cerberus as it will get you used to his style, and then try the Books of the New Sun

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Damn, that's actually an impressive feat.

YouBet said:

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Silian Rail said:

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bangobango said:

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Any recommendations in which book to start with for him?

Also, how does he compare with the Malazan series as far as complexity/densness?

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The Malazan book series is my favorite of all time and I would say he is multiple times as complex and dense as they are, until you've trained your mind to read his books.

I would start off with the Fifth head of Cerberus as it will get you used to his style, and then try the Books of the New Sun

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Damn, that's actually an impressive feat.

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The thing about Wolfe is that he never actually fully explains the mystery, he's one of the few authors I've seen that trusts his reader to be intelligent and to piece the "full picture" of the story he's telling together through the hints. If you read something that gets your "spidey sense" tingling, it's probably a hint and significant, catalog it for later.

That's why I recommend 5th head of Cebrerus first, it teaches you HOW to read Wolfe.