Operation Ares

by Gene Wolfe

1978 1st Thus Fontana

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Novels

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Gene Wolfe was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying a Catholic. He was a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the field.

The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is given by SFWA for ‘lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.’ Wolfe joins the Grand Master ranks alongside such legends as Connie Willis, Michael Moorcock, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Joe Haldeman. The award will be presented at the 48th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend in San Jose, CA, May 16-19, 2013.

While attending Texas A&M University Wolfe published his first speculative fiction in The Commentator, a student literary journal. Wolfe dropped out during his junior year, and was drafted to fight in the Korean War. After returning to the United States he earned a degree from the University of Houston and became an industrial engineer. He edited the journal Plant Engineering for many years before retiring to write full-time, but his most famous professional engineering achievement is a contribution to the machine used to make Pringles potato crisps. He lived in Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

A frequent Hugo nominee without a win, Wolfe has nevertheless picked up several Nebula and Locus Awards, among others, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. He is also a member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/genewolfe

Reviews

[Jendy Castillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

To start off, this is a 2.5/5. I would not recommend this novel to anyone unless you’re a Gene Wolfe fanatic that would love to see how his writing has improved over time. This being his novel published, I wasn’t expecting much but this was very straightforward and not something I loved. I also didn’t care for the point Wolfe was trying to make about the world and US in general moving forward at its (then) current state but I think that the way he went about it didn’t help the message either.

This book follows John Castle, who isn’t a compelling character for me and one I certainly won’t find remarkable in any way. Although I enjoyed certain parts and could see Wolfe’s usual story beats taking place, his execution of it wasn’t there at all. There were some interesting concepts here and there that kept this from being a one star but this is a deserved rating for sure. A couple of these concepts of this dystopian novel was the anti-science/losing the right to bear arms which leads to citizens falling prey to wild animals, which I think was not explored enough but still don’t think would have added to much to save this story.

Learning that the editor basically forced Wolfe to cut it down by about 40K words definitely makes me wonder how much more better this book would be if that hadn’t occurred. I think this debut novel is not impressive and you can find better novels that convey some of the same themes in other stories as well. I really am excited though to see the change in quality from this to Fifth Head of Cerberus.

[Greg B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe fights a near-constant battle in my head with Cormac McCarthy (with occasional guest appearances by Phillip K. Dick and Nabokov) for title of favoritest author ever, so I was very interested in finding a copy of Operation Ares, a novel reportedly so bad Wolfe's publishers don't mention it in his list of works and keep from being reprinted. And while OA isn't actually the worst thing Wolfe has ever written (Castleview, allllways Castleview), I can see why they don't.

The plot is fairly simple: some years ago, humanity established a colony on Mars, then got into a war with it when Earth became a pseudo-Communist, anti-technology hellhole lorded over by a small group of powerful plutocrats. Mars has (presumably) been expanding instead, and there's worry they're planning to invade Earth and liberate it's oppressed citizens. It's all very dystopian, from the harsh gestapo tactics of the government "peaceguard" to the packs of feral mutant animals that keep humanity living in massive slum cities. It's also right-wing as all hell: but it's 70's right-wing, which compared to the frothing demagoguery of today seems kind of quaint and homey. It has all the hallmarks of Wolfe at his worst: meandering conversations, a disjointed narrative, characters making bizarre decisions that are only explained dozens of pages later - with almost none of the prose quality that puts Wolfe head and shoulders above other sci-fi. It's somewhat entertaining as a curio for the Gene Wolfe completist (the fact that he went from this to Peace and The Fifth Head of Cerberus in three years is jaw-dropping), but you definitely don't want to make it your first (or second, or even fifth) Wolfe novel.

[Michael Lilienthal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to give it 3 stars, but the publication history of this book left a chaotic mess. The fractured bones of something good is there, and there are some intriguing concepts, but I can only recommend this book to people who really want to trace the prose of Gene Wolf throughout his years.

[Omar Amat · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting concepts here, but the execution I was not a fan of.

I think reading "The Man in the High Castle" by Dick in the near future might scratch the comunist/capitalist role reversal itch I got from this book

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up near the end but a boring book which I struggled to finish

[Sumant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Operation Ares is a weird experience, and although weird is the word which is almost always assosciated with Wolfe, but the book just leaves you unsatisfied with its ending.

Now you may assosciate many words with Wolfe's writing, but never the word unsatisfied, but considering that this was his first novel and the text was cut by 20%, you can give benefit of doubt to Wolfe.

Regarding the strong and weak points of the book, the strong points for me where

1. Dystopian future.
2. Interesting ideas.

regarding the weak points

1. Acute case of deus ex machina syndrome.
2. Unresolved storylines.
3. Wolfe taking sides.

Let me elaborate on the above points now,

1. Dystopian future.

The story basically takes place where in United States has over thrown the constitutional government and the bureacrats have assumed all the power of state.

Also most of the scientists and engineers have taken refuge on Mars, that's why people living in States have completely forgotten how to use technology, they are living their life just like in dark ages.

People are completely dependent on government for everything from jobs to food, that's why government has started running social programs by which people are able to sustain their day to day life.

Wolfe really paints a bleak picture for the future.

2. Interesting ideas.

The world which we get in the book is really intrestring due to the fact that people have forgotten how to use normal technology like radios or television, and these assets have become property of elite.

Another idea is that of States taking help of Soviet Russia to survive by importing engineers and doctors from them.


Regarding the weak points of the book

1. Acute case of deus ex machina syndrome.

Most of the story in the novel centers around our protogonist John Castle, now this guy we are told had done science major, and he teaches students in university with all the basic subjects like electronics/physics/chemistry.

But he is shown to be far more than that in this novel, he's like the answer to all the questions in this book.

2. Unresolved storylines.

As is always the case with any Wolfe novel, there are many parallel stories going on with the main story, but not all of them are resolved at the end.

You are left with many questions, but I don't think this time you will be able to find answers for them in text.

3. Wolfe taking sides.

I always find Wolfe's stories to be empathetic, and rarely does he potray a purely evil or purely good person, his characters are always grey and complicated, and that's what make them more lifelike and likeable, because nothing is straight in life.

But Wolfe clearly takes sides in this book, he potrays how following one idealogy has completed ruined States, and that was a kind of shock to me from this book.

Definitely a a book to forget about I give this 3/5 stars.

[Dominic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wolfe's first novel was famously butchered by his editor, the original manuscript was cut down from 100,000 words to just a shade over 60,000. Wolfe subsequently disowned the book, and has refused to sign contracts to republish it. Thus, you cannot find an ebook; the only way to read it is find a 50 year old paperback copy in a used bookstore, or purchase it for exorbitant prices online. Adding salt to the wound is that, according to Wolfe, the original manuscript was lost, so we will never get his full vision. Shame.

So that's a meandering way of getting around to saying that this is not a good book. However there is some bits of interest here for Wolfe fans. The first quarter of the novel, which Wolfe had editorial control over, is quite well paced. There is a lot of care put into providing light sketches of what a dystopian america might look like. A highlight would be the protagonist's chess matches with a Peaceguard Captain, who is amused enough by the main character that he wagers information in exchange for a fair game. Fans of Wolfe's more overtly Catholic works will also be interested in a long digression with a religion with strong parallels to Mithraism.

On the negative side is the overt statement of political ideology throughout the novel, which is unusual since Wolfe's most famous novels have almost nothing to do with politics. If I had to pin-point the political leaning of Operation Ares, I would lean towards National Review mid-60s conservatism. The novel is very concerned about the welfare state in particular, and views receiving a welfare check as bribing the electorate, which destroys both family and community, because meaning doesn't come from material gain. The novel does present a solution to this, in the form of universal basic income, which is something our society is debating today. There are other conservative ideas that emerge, like the government funding of NASA (seriously) that are brought up but never given any space to develop. Whether this is from the editor cutting ruthlessly or Wolfe himself is impossible to say. The end result is that it is just boring.

All in all, this is not a book I'd recommend to anyone other than die-hard Gene Wolfe fans who have already read his other novels, and are curious at what a young Wolfe was thinking about at the time. If you're browsing this review out of curiosity and are new to Wolfe in general, feel free in knowing that you can start with Fifth Head of Cerebus without missing much of anything. Or just do what most do and read his masterful Book of the New Sun.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Wolfe's best, by a long way. I can see why he buried it. Still, more enjoyable than its reputation had led me to believe.

It's a future American dystopia rooted in a highly implausible set of political concerns that I guess troubled conservatives in the 1960s. The dictatorship was instituted by welfare-state bureaucrats who seem to genuinely want to give everyone money so they won't work, which has led, obviously, to the collapse of the economy and a massive reduction in quality of life.

The essential problem with the welfare state is that it 'bribes' people not to work. The author's solution -- and there's little doubt that the political views of certain characters match the author's own at the time -- is universal basic income. This will keep alive the millions who've been made incurably idle by the welfare state, but also won't disincentivise anyone from getting a job. I had heard and been surprised that Nixon tried to institute UBI in the 1960s, but it makes a little more sense as a conservative viewpoint after reading this.

The other main concern behind this dystopia is anti-science and anti-technology. The dictatorship has ended all spending on science and technology, and actively propagandises against them. Their reasoning is that spending on them, especially on space exploration, throws away money that could be given to the poor. This is a fairly commonplace argument against space exploration, and I suppose the welfare-dictatorship aspect of the novel could be a reductio ad absurdam from this premise, rather than a genuine expression of 'if-this-goes-on' fear on the author's part.

The idea of a US government that is actively anti-science is one of the less absurd aspects of the novel. Interestingly, this 'US became anti-science' version of reality makes our own world look comparatively backward -- before shutting down the space program, the US established a successful Martian colony.

A third aspect of the dystopia, not harped on too much, is the loss of the 'right to bear arms', leaving Americans prey to wild animals. The question of why this has not happened in every other country where few people own guns is not explored.

The hero becomes mixed up with revolutionary forces assisted by the Martian colonists, and participates in a senior role in a new American civil war, a proxy war between the 21st-century superpowers Russia (allied with the dictatorship) and China (allied with the revolutionaries).

The infamous holes left by an editor's cuts hurt the flow of the book, but I'm not sure I'd have made it through another 40 000 words.

I concur with those who say you probably shouldn't read this first if you haven't read Wolfe yet. If I hadn't read a lot of much better Wolfe, I'd probably have come away from this with a fairly low opinion of his work.

[Michael Frasca · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is said that every golfer has 100,000 bad shots in them; with experience and practice one can get those bad shots out of their system.

I guess that the same same can be said of writers; Operation Ares was circa-1965 Gene Wolfe getting those 100,000 words out.

But isn't this dystopic/revolution novel only 60K words? Actually, Wolfe submitted a 100K manuscript. The publisher wanted it down to 60K and ham-handedly cut whole paragraphs to get to that point.

And it shows - there are sudden POV jumps, unexplained narrative shifts and an overall impression that there is too much plot in too little space.

Despite all this, there are moments that really shine through; you can actually see Wolfe honing his chops. For the Wolfe fan, it is a worthwhile read, if only to appreciate motifs that appear in later, more polished works. Good luck finding a copy. There is no e-book edition and the used copies are rather pricey.

Pairs well with The Long Tomorrow and Arslan.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever Gene Wolfe’s name is mentioned it's invariably in the context of The Book of the New Sun quartet. There's nothing inherently wrong with this they are awesome books, but it’s inspired me to read something else by him. The only other book of his I’ve have that’s not New, Long, or Short Sun is this one. So I read that.

Magnificent.

To begin with the prose is a cut above the average. A quick google also indicates this was his first novel. It’s easy to see why he became a Grand Master given the quality of his debut novel. But enough background, what about the book?

It’s not quite what I expected from the back cover blurb, but I think my expectations might have been coloured by the recent Moonhaven TV series which has the same basic framework. That being a collapsing Earth wanting to be saved by a high-tech off world colony. In this case a Martian colony abandoned to fend for themselves. The invaders coming from Mars are humans.

The book is a combination of satire and social commentary with a complicated plot of political double dealing. The surprise for me at the end (that isn’t a plot spoiler) is the idea of a universal basic income. I didn’t realise the idea went as far back as 1970, yet it features in this book.

This book is clearly a product of the times in which it was written, but is still highly relevant today. I can thoroughly recommend reading it.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe's first published novel is unfortunately a slow, dull slog. It never really gets any momentum going, instead just jumping from one situation to another, often without a feel of meaningful resolution. None of this is really a surprise, as we know that both that a witless editor utterly gutted the novel, dropping it from 100k to 60k words, and that Gene Wolfe long disowned the novel. Whether the poor quality of the book is due to the fact that it was a first novel or the fact that the editor ripped it apart to its obvious deficit, we'll probably never know.

With all of that said, Operation Ares is indeed, intriguingly a Gene Wolfe novel. I don't think any fan could pick it up without immediately recognizing the writing style. The way that the characters talk, act, and react is precisely what you'd find in any later book, down to their constant speculations about what other people are thinking and doing (and why) and their constant beliefs that everyone else is thinking the worst of them. Even the rather deconstructive look at a martian "invasion" and the use of marauding wolves on the cover of the Berkley edition speak to the obsessions found in later Wolfe books.

So, hard book to read, but interesting for fans of the late, great author.

[Ravi Desai · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a Gene Wolfe completist, which is probably the only reason anyone would be reading this book these days. For reasons unclear to me, Gene Wolfe and his publishers have completely disowned this book. It does not appear in any official lists from Gene or his publishers, and he appears to just be kind of wishing it away. I'm not really sure why, there isn't anything truly objectionable in it. You can certainly tell it's his first work, and you see some of the writing style that he will perfect later kind of seeping through. Overall, though, the book is pretty dated, and has some strange philosophical / geo-political stuff in there; but it has decent pacing, and a plot twist or two (which TBH he telegraphed a little more than I expected he would).

Overall, this is a middle of the road read (even by the standards of the day) but if you like Gene Wolfe it's worth picking up a copy to see where he started (and how much better he became). I got a used paperback for almost nothing, glued the spine back together, and read it whenever I had 20-30 minutes or more to kill during an appointment.

[Wolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dies ist Gene Wolfe erster Roman. Er gilt als einer der großen Stilisten der Science-fiction.
Erst ein mal worum geht es: Die U.S.A ist so gut wie zerstört die Technik verbannt, die Wissenschaft gehasst. Der Mars ist mittlerweile besiedelt, doch hat die Erde jeden Kontakt abgebrochen. Dann kommt die Organisation Ares in Spiel. Diese ist eine Mars Organisation, denn auf dem Mars haben die Kolonisten eine liberale Gesellschaft errichtet. Ihre Schiffe und Piloten wollen nun die Erde befreien ..
Das ist so Grob umrissen der Ausgangsplot, dieser Geschichte, die im Grunde dem Genre der Military Sciencefiction einzuordnen ist.
Die Geschichte um John Castle, der sich der Ares Organisation anschließt ist durchaus spannend, der Leser wird durch allerlei Diplomatische und Militärischen Handlungen geführt, aber so richtig entfalten tut sich die Geschichte nicht. Das scheint Großteils an der Übersetzungen zu liegen. Es wurde wahrscheinlich gekürzt damit der Roman auf einen Druckbogen passte. Dieses merkt man leider auch. Ich kann mir vorstellen das im Original der Roman ein wenig mehr her gibt, als diese alte Version, in der Übersetzung.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

3½. I think this is Gene Wolfe's first novel. I've been pining after it for a few years because it's one of those titles that I suppose are scarce and demand a large sum for their acquisition. It's certainly not the masterpiece that is his later "The Fifth Head of Cerberus," and it gets bogged down in dull military action for, well, half of the book. But it also contains competent writing and a few brilliant ideas. Also I paid nothing for it because it arrived split in half with the pages falling out. I was able to make it readable with glue, but handled it very carefully. This isn't important.

[Elliot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah this book was rough.
Of course the first published book of an author is going to be that way, even for geniuses like Wolfe, and I think that was partly not his fault.
Basically this book sat in editing purgatory for 4 years and the publishers made him remove over 40,000 words from the book that it certainly needed.
You can certainly see Wolfe in this, but it's Wolfe at his worst. Confusing in the worst ways, bad pacing, too much happening to quickly, Characters aren't very strong. If I were to describe this book in word word it would simply be: Weak.
Only read this if you're a Wolfe Completionist. Otherwise, not worth it.

[Ben · Rating 1 out of 5]

Since my teens I've read and enjoyed many of GW's novels and, many moons ago, remember being excited to read this, his first published book.

It was a great disappointment; almost as if written by another person. None of his clever wordplay, mischievous gaps in information or less-than-reliable narrators.

Instead, I encountered what I'd call a hackneyed, lacklustre tale that gave no clue as to his later-to-be-revealed literary mastery.

NOT recommended. Even for completists.

[Brown Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

While not a successful novel, I enjoyed this atmospheric thriller set in a paranoid future. It is a bit amorphous, and wandery, but it's brevity makes it worth checking out for the wolfean touches.

If you chance across a copy--lucky you!--do grab it. If you enjoy 1970s sci-fi, dystopian speculation, or Gene Wolfe, it's worth your time.

[Evan Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Wolfe novel is a farcry from the genius that his 2nd book envinces--there's no counter argument. At some point I was bound to read my favorite author's worst book, but I don't feel bad about it. This was a servicable 70's sci-fi with a couple surprises in its own right. It only languishes in comparison with everything after.

Recommended for those who take after their pets.

[Arthur B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe himself regards this novel as rubbish - a product of a time when his political outlook was narrow and obnoxious, and his writing craft was not equal to the task of penning an entire book - and he's completely correct, set next to literally any other Wolfe book this is trash. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[Guido]

Why you might like it: Allusive structures with deep SF scaffolding. Rubric match: not yet scored. Uses your engineering/rigor/first-contact/world-building rubric. Tags: far-future, puzzle, literature

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A choppy, unfinished-feeling experience with an occasional brilliant moment pointing towards how good an author Wolfe would soon be.

[Tory]

Read 3/2/2025 - 3/3/2025

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mainly associate Gene Wolfe with the Book of the New Sun, a staggering, profoundly immersive work and some of the best books I've read in the last few years. So it's a little weird to read him doing straightforward pulp scifi, like "Operation Ares," his first novel. In the early 21st century, welfare bureaucrats have suspended constitutional governance and run America into the ground. Wolfe's depiction of callous, patronizing social service bureaucracy actually does seem pretty sharply drawn, though some of the other choices he makes for the world -- namely, the welfare state consciously turning its back on technology, allowing the Soviets (now allies with the US) to pull way ahead -- are real headscratchers even from the perspective of a paranoid mid-century American right-winger. The hero is a standard-issue scifi ubermensch, universally competent and cool-headed, who chafes under this reign of mediocrity and conspires with Martian colonists -- who the liberals in the US abandoned and blame for their troubles -- and, weirdly enough, the Maoist Chinese to rebel against the government and bring back the constitution.

Even leaving aside the politics, it's a bit of a bummer to read Wolfe do such generic plots (and often hare-brained, ill-explained schemes- he would come to master the use of limiting information to the reader, but hadn't at this time) and stock characters. But he brings some glimmers to it that more pedestrian writers wouldn't. To his credit, the charges of the welfare bureaucrats are depicted as realistic humans (and, seemingly, aren't racialized), and develop some interesting ideas of their own, including a sort of urban-primitivist hunter cult that's pretty well-drawn. He gets some good mileage out of the strains in the alliance between the cerebral, technocratic Mars colonists, the Maoists, and the ragtag American constitutionalists, and isn't naive about how much damage internecine war will do. But how much can you say about a scifi novel that ends with the hero lecturing King Bureaucrat about personal responsibility and the need for a Universal Basic Income to replace welfare entitlements? ***

https://toomuchberard.wordpress.com/2...

[Fred · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Gene Wolfe's Alan Smithee project; he has disavowed it as being an apprentice work. To my mind however it is still an enjoyable first novel.
It features a post apocalyptic storyline where Americans have lost their technology and sunk into a repressive anti-tech regime. However a colony established on Mars begins beaming science info down to the farmers. Finally, animals have also mutated into wild forms making life even more difficult. There are a lot of weaknesses here - mutations appearing without meaning, then various Chinese and Russian machinations over the fight for America with the Martians. Let us say the narrative bogs down.
The work does not display Wolfe's later facility for language or his amazing work with doubled characters, repeated dialogues and unreliable narrators. That being said it does move quickly and has some memorable moments but the casual Wolfe reader is probably better off starting later in the canon.

[Kenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dystopia of USA brought down by focus on welfare and elimination of science, education and space exploration. Good plot, moves along nicely; basically an if-this-goes-on tale. Memorable characters. Less quality than Wolfe's later work. Lots of background talk instead of showing and letting the reader discover. Hits reader on the head with its points. Readable.

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolfe's first novel. A bit conventional compared to what was to follow from the author but quite good.