Home Fires - Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe has the amazingly potent power to make me feel stupid. He doesn't do it on purpose, I'm sure, as nobody's really that mean, but he does it regardless. His newest novel, Home Fires, did that job admirably, but not in the most fulfilling way that he's capable of.

The story is - as is always the case with Wolfe - deceptively simple. In a future mildly dystopian America, Skip Grison "contracted" Chelle Sea Blue when they were both fresh out of college. She was bound for the stars with the army, to fight the mysterious Os over the few habitable planets that both races want, and he would stay on Earth and become a successful lawyer. Relativistic time meant that a few years for her would mean decades for him. Thus, when Chelle came back, she would have a rich contracto, and he - a young contracta. It is now 20 years later and Skip is pushing fifty. And the love of his life is due home. But now that they are separated by such a big age gap, will they be able to have the life they once both dreamed of?

Home Fires is a whodunit mystery, channeling a little of Wolfe's own Seven American Nights in terms of atmosphere. From the very beginning inconsistencies start piling up. To get a present for his contracta, Skip uses a company called Reanimation, which "raises" her dead mother by imprinting one of its employees with her brain scan - in short "uploading" her in a new body. Chelle, however, instantly recognizes her mother even though the body is different and much younger. Then they take a cruise on a big ship out at sea, and misadventures and strange meetings keep following them.

The book is exceptionally engrossing, the promise of a resolution to a shapeless mystery dangling in front of the reader like a golden carrot from hell. Every conversation is heavy with the energy of hidden meaning, and even seemingly casual and pointless remarks are made in a tone and using words that suggest more. Most of that is Wolfe's way of confusing you, as there can be no hidden meaning everywhere, obviously. Some of it isn't, however, and it is there that I start feeling stupid.

Because the actual mystery of Home Fires is resolved two thirds of the way, and the reader keeps expecting there to be more. And I am pretty sure there is more, only - unlike with Wolfe's masterpieces like Book of the New Sun or Fifth Head of Cerberus - this time I am not entirely certain whether this is based on the actual book, or my knowledge of the way the writer operates. There are threads left hanging, and there are characters whose presence in the novel remains unexplained. Meetings that could not have been coincidence or chance. Connections that should not be there. And yet it does not seem to amount to anything solid.

Wolfe uses his favorite positioning of the narrative - in the character's head, but outside of their mind; it is completely closed to the reader, and even though you look through Skip's eyes for almost the entire book, you are never witness to his thinking process. Home Fires is separated into chapters, each one followed by a smaller "Reflections" section. The chapters are in third person, while the Reflections are in first, and are exactly that - ruminations on what has just happened, suggestions, guesses and dreams, most of them - suggesting that Skip has figured out more than he lets on... and more than the reader is left with by the end of the novel.

So yes, I am a little frustrated. I enjoyed reading Home Fires, but I finished it with a feeling of being slightly cheated. I am not sure there were enough clues to what actually happens in the story, and for the first time in my experience with Gene Wolfe I have doubts that there might not be anything more than what's on plain sight. Still, the book is beautifully written, with dialogue that is - in an almost Philip Dick way - completely artificial and unrealistic, but at the same time weirdly appropriate to the atmosphere and the story, and flows like black water - opaque and hiding anything that might be lurking beneath its surface, but ensnaring none the less - or maybe for that very reason. Would I recommend that you give it a chance? Absolutely. It is Gene Wolfe, and that means it is always worth reading. I am just not sure I want to give it the reread it might need to be understood.

7/10

The books I'm expecting in 2011

This is just a short list, and I haven't put that much thought into it, but I felt the need to write down the books I'm most eager to read in order of their anticipated awesomeness.




1. The White Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker
Even though I was slightly disappointed with The Judging Eye (there will be a review soon, after I reread it), I still can't wait to read this one. The Prince of Nothing trilogy is by far my favorite work of fantasy, and I trust Scott Bakker to deliver again with The Aspect Emperor.



2. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
For whatever reason, it's always been extremely hard for me to explain why I like The Name of the Wind so much. It is more or less a generic "orphan goes to school to become a great magician" story, but it felt neither generic, nor cliche. I am planning to reread this one as well, and I hope I can pinpoint what makes it so good. That said, The Wise Man's Fear took its sweet time, risking to put Pat Rothfuss in the same basket where George Martin is happily writing A Dance With Dragons with one hand, while supposedly programming Duke Nukem Forever with the other or something like that. Which would not be an issue, had the series not been promoted as an "already written" kind of deal, and had Rothfuss not been a writer with only that one successful book under his name. Still, the waiting is almost over and The Wise Man's Fear will be awesome. I just know it.



3. Embassytown by China Mieville
Probably not for the first time, I have to admit to the terrible shame of having never read an entire China Mieville book. It's not that I don't want to, I actually crave to! I just never seem to be able to get around to it. So, apart from about 250 pages from Perdido Street Station, read before the dawnatime, I have no experience with Mieville. However, I know enough to know that I have to read Embassytown. This writer, doing a space opera? Yes, please!



4. Home Fires by Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe is the greatest living writer in the speculative field area. That doesn't always make him the most interesting or approachable one, but it's a nice thing to be, none the less. I am not always in love with his fantasy, magical realism and mystical works in general, but his SF is always spot on, and terribly, terribly engrossing. Home Fires promises the usual Wolfeisms - confusing identities, stories within stories, and weird romance. In a futuristic setting. What more can the heart desire?


5. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
Say what you want about Sanderson, his Mistborn trilogy was one of the best fantasy works I've read in years. So, when he announced that 2011 will see the publication of a stand-alone novel set in the same world, but 300 years in the future, in a society much more technologically advanced than the Final Empire... well, appetites have been whet. There is still very little information about this book, particularly concerning its release date, but I am fervently hoping it's around the summer. The Alloy of Law would make for awesome summer reading!



6. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
Had you asked me three years ago, this book would be at the top of the list. However, the Malazan series is not what it once was, and I have utterly lost faith in Steven Erikson's ability to deliver a satisfying conclusion to it. I have been so disinterested lately, that I haven't even gotten around to reading Dust of Dreams (that will happen soon, however, followed by a review of the book here). Still, it has been a long ride, and at least the first half of it was quite memorable. Hoping against hope has always been appealing to me, so here's to hope!



7. The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Yes, yes, I know this book is already out in the UK. But the Pyr editions are so much more... well, beautiful. Plus, I am yet to finish Blood of the Mantis, so there's no rush. Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt series is slowly finding its pace, and getting better and better with each installment. I have been told that Salute the Dark marks an ending to the current story-arc, which means that The Scarab Path would be the beginning of a new one. I admit I'm curious as to how Tchaikovsky will handle that with the experience he's acquired since Empire in Black and Gold.



8. The Cold Commands by Richard Morgan
Just like Mieville, the next two places on my list are left for writers I am really interested in, but haven't had the chance to check out. I've been meaning to read something by Morgan ever since Altered Carbon, but never got around to it. I am definitely planning to try The Steel Remains however, and if it's half as good as everybody says, then The Cold Commands should go a lot higher on my list.



9. The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
I've heard so many good things about Abercrombie, that I just couldn't not put The Heroes on my list. The reason for it being so far back is that I am yet to even start The First Law trilogy, and considering my reading speed lately, it would be a long time until I get to this particular book. But I will get there! One has to believe in reaching for the stars!



10. By Light Alone by Adam Roberts
My first and only contact with Roberts was through one of his parodies - The McAtrix Derided. I did not fall in love with the book, and although there were a few really funny moments, the overall feeling I got was that the writer wanted to mix serious SF with a movie spoof, and it hadn't really worked. That said, since then I've read a lot of Adam's posts in his blog, and I have gradually warmed up to the idea of reading more of his work, preferably not spoofs, but his own stuff. By Light Alone seems like a wonderful place to do that, with its promised "Fitzgeraldian" futuristic New York atmosphere. I will be checking it out, that's for sure.



Honorary mention: A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Yeah, I know. But for what it's worth, I think we have an actual shot at reading this book in 2011, even if it's a Christmas present. I wouldn't mention it though, if it weren't for the fact that I am currently rereading A Game of Thrones, due to the HBO show coming up (there will be review of it, btw, followed by other cutting edge reviews such as The Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian! Stay tuned!). It was a good ten years since I last read it, and that wasn't in the original language either, so I am thoroughly enamored with it. As for Dance... well, time will tell.

The Island of Doctor Death And Other Stories And Other Stories - Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe has always been the kind of author that makes me feel guilty and maybe a little dumb. All his works - but especially his short fiction - require undivided attention, an almost maniacal eye for detail, and no doubt a passion for solving puzzles. The part that makes me feel dumb is knowing that the mystery is right in front of my eyes. Hiding in plain sight is always the trick with Wolfe, and one of the reasons his fiction is so exquisite. Alas, that knowledge rarely helps in unraveling the layers of innuendos, the significance of the character names, or the little details in the way words are arranged. Feeling guilty comes later, when I realize I've barely scraped the surface, but just couldn't force myself to start reading all over again. I am rarely able to reread before a long time has passed.

With all that said, I am nothing if not a sucker for punishment, so I keep reading Wolfe's works and keep loving them. The Island of Doctor Death And Other Stories And Other Stories is one of the more ridiculous titles of short story collections out there, and the reason for the repetition is the titular story, The Island of Doctor Death And Other Stories, which is a part of the so called "Wolfe Archipelago" - four stories that all have the words "Island", "Doctor" and "Death" in them. Here endeth the similarities though, as we can see from two of the other three parts of the Archipelago, also published in this collection. While The Island of Doctor Death... is a sort of magical realism and externalized metaphor for escapist literature (the characters from a pulp Science Fiction novel resembling The Island of Dr. Moreau all come to life, manifesting in the company of the young main character Tackie to help him with his real life problems), the second story, the Nebula award winning The Death of Dr. Island, is - in Wolfe's own words - "a thematic inversion" of it. The real island from the first story is replaced by the artificial satellite of "Dr. Island". The AI psychiatrist "Doctor" himself is now the villain of the story while the good boy Tackie is turned into the vicious and unstable Nicholas who has to be "cured" by the mind-screwing space station.

But Wolfe wouldn't be Wolfe if he made things that easy, and the third part of the Archipelago, The Doctor of Death Island, is nowhere near as comparable to the other two as they are to each other. It gives us a world in the near future, where humanity has achieved immortality at the price of losing love, ambition, literacy and other little things of the sort. Unfortunately for the main character - a convicted murderer - a life sentence in this world is still a life sentence. Although the author himself insists that themes of the other Archipelago stories persist here, I was not able to find them on the first reading. I also found the story a bit underwhelming, compared to the other two, and especially The Death...

Other highlights of this magnificent collection are:

The Hero As A Werwolf (the mistake is intentional) where humanity has turned itself into the "Masters" - a race of art-loving near-immortal creatures that never suffer from diseases, hunger or compassion. The remaining humans are hunted and purged, but they have learned to survive by feeding on the Masters. Thus the "Werwolf", from the Anglo-Saxon wer, which means "man"; the hero is a "man-wolf" - a noble creature turned into an animal, but still better in Wolfe's eyes to the soulless Masters.

Seven American Nights has to be my favorite story from this collection. In a future where America has barely survived a genetic apocalypse, leaving almost all of its citizens malformed and mutated in some way, a man from Iran arrives on its shores. The story is told through Nadan's journal. But it seems to cover only... six nights. Seven American Nights is by far the most intriguing mystery among the fourteen stories and a shining example of Wolfe's love for the "unreliable narrator". First of all, the number of nights does not match. Second, Nadan is vain, and trying to impress his potential readers - his mother and fiance. Also, at some point he gets paranoid about the intrigues in which he has inadvertently involved himself, and tears pages from his diary in fear that someone might read them. Also there are moments where he is obviously not in his right mind, be it under the influence of drugs or just raging fear. None of the characters - not even Nadan himself - are what they seem to be, and there are many theories as to what really happened, and how many nights he spent in the enigmatic third-world country of America.

Hour of Trust again sees America almost destroyed, this time by a vicious anarchist civil war. The only opposition are the big corporations which have taken the side of the failing American army, and are trying to raise funds from other firms in Europe by staging a party where their expected victory over the rebels in Detroit is to be aired live on TV. Here there seem to be no big secrets to unravel, but Wolfe gives indications for the ending from the very beginning. Names are important, and actions, and also little words. The strongest point of the story is in the atmosphere. You could feel the desperation, even if the main characters can't, the delusions of the Old Order that things could ever get back to what once was. Hour of Trust is a story about change, and about a world dying so that it can be reborn. It is also a little sad, because Wolfe never gives guaranties that what comes next will be better than what was lost.

All the stories offer more on second and third glance. I could write about the New Testament allusions in The Hero As A Werwolf, or about the multi-faceted relationship between Tackie and Doctor Death in The Island of Doctor Death...; or of the many layers of mystery and misleading clues in Seven American Nights. But I am neither qualified, nor willing to steal the incredible sense of wonder and fulfillment that comes with untangling Wolfe's stories by yourself. Suffice to say that after almost twenty years of reading SF and Fantasy, I am yet to find another author with such eye for intricate detail, and able to tell a self-sufficient straightforward story with another straightforward story hiding in plain sight inside it. And yet another one, thrown in for good measure. It is not a coincidence that Gene Wolfe has been labeled by many of his colleagues as the greatest living stylist in American literature. It is not an empty title, and I am yet to read a book or short story from him that disproves it.

As for The Island of Doctor Death And Other Stories And Other Stories, I couldn't find a single story inside that I didn't love, and I just couldn't recommend it enough.

10/10