Litany of the Long Sun

The Book of the Long Sun #1-2

by Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe's Book of the Long Sun tetralogy ranks as one of the greatest literary achievements of 20th-century science fiction. Litany of the Long Sun, comprising the first two books in the series, is suffused with looming transcendence and theophany. Wolfe takes familiar speculative fiction tropes and embeds them in a tale so complex and wonderful that readers may find themselves wondering whether what they're reading is science fiction, fantasy, or something different altogether. Or whether it matters.

The story of Patera Silk, a devout priest whose destiny is wrapped up with the gods he serves, takes place within the Whorl, a vast, cylindrical starship that has traveled for generations and is crumbling into disrepair. Through a strange and amazing series of events, Silk finds himself descending to base thievery, running afoul of a notorious crime lord, befriending a cyborg soldier, and encountering at least one of the gods of Mainframe.

She shook her head almost imperceptibly. "All that abstinence! And now you've seen a goddess. Me. Was it worth it?"

"Yes, Loving Kypris."

She laughed again, delighted. "Why?"

The question hung in the silence of the baking sellaria while Silk tried to kick his intellect awake. At last he said haltingly, "We are so much like beasts, Kypris. We eat and we breed; then we spawn and die. The most humble share in a higher existence is worth any sacrifice."

But when Silk encounters the Outsider, who may be a God of a very different sort, all his beliefs are shaken to the core, and his life swiftly takes a messianic turn. In a rousing climax, Silk becomes the reluctant leader of a political rebellion against the corrupt Ayuntamiento, who rule the city-state of Viron.

It is not necessary to have read Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series, which takes place many centuries earlier, to enjoy the Long Sun novels, but keen-eyed readers will find many clues as to the origin of the Whorl and its gods in those stories. Further, although Wolfe's reputation for literary precision and trickery is well deserved, the Long Sun series (which continues in Epiphany of the Long Sun) is one of the more accessible places to start appreciating the author's treasures. --Therese Littleton

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Literature, Novels, Speculative Fiction

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

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

[Whitaker · Rating 1 out of 5]

That’s it! I’ve had it. I think having forced my way through the first three books of the Book of the Long Sun, I am entitled to say that I’ve given it a fair shake. Indeed, having also slogged through The Wizard Knight series and Soldier of Sidon , I think I can say that I’ve given Gene Wolfe a fair shake. And the upshot is that he and I don’t get along. I find that his works suffer from flat writing, flat characters, and flat plot(1).

Here’s an extract. This is a main character just before an escape from captivity:

Some had told him that he, too, should be dead—he could not remember whether it had been the surgeon or Colonel Oosik. Perhaps it had been Shell, although it did not see the sort of thing that Shell would say.

The needler would not fire. He tugged its trigger again and returned it to the windowsill, congratulating himself on having resolved to test it; saw that he had left the safety catch on, pushed it off, took aim at a large bottle of cologne on the dresser, and squeezed the trigger. The needler cracked in his hand like a bullwhip and the bottle exploded, filling the room with the clean scent of spruce.

He reapplied the safety and thrust the needler into his waistband under the yellow tunic.

That focus on insignificant detail flattens out the plot. And just look at all that detail. It doesn’t add to our understanding of the character, the plot, or the themes. So why bother to have it? This extract is typical of the narrative here which is told in a fragmented, disjointed way. Is there a reason for this? Not that I can see. In fact, it seems to run counter to the central conceit behind the story.(3)

For me, a work can even survive a lack of style, character, and plot if it at least has an interesting idea. But, nope, that’s flat too. Sure, he re-examines myths/religious stories(2). Sure, he plays around with the idea of the authenticity of the text(3). But what does it all add up to? Nothing. He isn’t retelling myths/religious stories to cast new light on them, or to cast new light on our relationship with them. He plays around with meta-fictional conceits, but merely for the sake of playing around with them. It doesn’t add to our appreciation of the genre, writing in general, or of life.

Philip K Dick’s The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is another work that can be accused of lacking plot, style, or character. As can Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five . But Dick deliberately dicks around with our notion of reality, and Vonnegut savages the violence and incoherence of contemporary society. This makes the works still interesting decades after they were written because there was at least some coherence between the story/text and the ideas being explored. Gene Wolfe doesn’t do that.

So, yeah. I've tried. I have so tried. And I seriously do not get the foaming, eyeballs-rolling adulation that he receives. At all.


(1) Flat plot? Wait, aren’t there battles, and struggles to reunite with a loved one? Yes, but we are never invested in these battles and struggles.
(2) Soldier of Sidon examined Egyptian myths; The Wizard Knight examined Anglo-Saxon / Scandavanian myths; and The Book of the Long Sun is a recasting of the Bible.
(3) Soldier of Sidon is the collected writings of a man who writes down the events of each day because he forgets them when he wakes the next day. The Book of the Long Sun turns out to be the imagined recreation of events by a young student of Silk.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sept. 2023 re-read thoughts:

Upping this one to 4 stars.

So far this has been the most lucid, and also enjoyable, read of The Books of the Long Sun for me. For the most part the series both bored and angered me when I first read it. The main character of Patera Silk was my least favourite of Wolfe’s (often unsympathetic) protagonists and I generally felt that the high potential of the ideas buried beneath Wolfe’s puzzles and obscurity was more or less wasted. I believe this is my third reading of the series and have to say that it keeps growing on me. The sheer edifice that Wolfe starts building here, and that will lead into the Short Sun series (not to mention the tangential ties that also bring in his magisterial New Sun books), is truly impressive. I also can’t deny that Silk, for all of his foibles, is really becoming a compelling character whose growth and changes throughout the series will be substantial, especially as we come to the Short Sun where things will *really* start to get interesting for him.

This might be the Wolfe series that, for me at least, most demands a re-read. I don’t think my expectations from my first time around were unreasonable, and Wolfe certainly subverted them, but this ain’t your papa’s science fiction so don’t expect the bells and whistles that Wolfe deploys to be the obvious ones (they are there though). Patera Silk is also something of a deeper file than I gave him credit for at first, though he still does have an almost Pollyanna-ish air that may grate from time to time. Am I eating crow? Well, perhaps a bit…but don’t tell Oreb!

*****

3.5 stars

The year of (re)reading Gene Wolfe (2019), parts six and seven: Back to the Long Sun

So…I’ve had a pretty rocky relationship with Gene Wolfe’s Books of the Long Sun series. It’s no secret that Wolfe can be a ‘difficult’ author and he doesn’t exactly write with clarity or the reader’s ease of comprehension in mind, he rather prefers to compose literary puzzles and often obfuscates more than he clarifies in the text which can often lead to an experience that is more than a little frustrating for the reader. Historically the worst offender in this regard for me has been the Long Sun series. This has largely had to do, I think, with the main protagonist Patera Silk. I have noted elsewhere that I have often found Wolfe’s protagonists to be the least favourite part of his books for me, and in this regard Silk has definitely taken the cake. I think it ultimately came down to his well-meaning, almost bumbling nature as he careened from crisis to crisis with seemingly only his faith in his divine mission and authorial fiat to guide him. His self-abnegating nature, pious asides, and seemingly willful belief in the good in all things, all appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, just got on my nerves a bit too much I’m afraid. Added to that was my strong feeling that Wolfe really went overboard on the obfuscation in this series as many important story elements seem to happen off-stage or are simply implied, left for the careful reader (of which I am not always one I must sadly admit) to pick up as best he or she can. Has this changed at all for me on this re-read? It seems the answer so far is a tentative yes: either something has changed in my brain, or else my knowledge of the underlying ‘secret’ story elements upon this re-read are sufficient to fill in the gaps that existed on my previous readings, and I would have to say that the change in my attitude has been significant.

_Nightside the Long Sun_ (the first part of this volume) is our introduction to the series in which our hero, the young augur (priest) Patera Silk, receives enlightenment from a little known minor god identified only as the Outsider. Convinced that he has been earmarked to save his failing manteion (church) Silk soon finds himself pulled into the underbelly of the whorl’s demi-monde, colloquially known as the Nightside, when the local crime boss Blood decides that he will purchase the struggling manteion in order to use the property for his own ends. In a rash attempt to ‘steal back’ the manteion from Blood Silk breaks into the criminal’s palatial compound and sets off a string of events that will change the whorl forever. This entire first volume covers little more than a few days in Silk’s life, with the lion’s share of it detailing his adventures as he prepares for, and then undertakes, his break-in of Blood’s compound.

As the story progresses the careful reader is able to pick up on the fact that the setting is a giant generation starship which is starting to experience signs of decay and degeneration. Rumours of absent gods that no longer show themselves to their worshippers, unseasonably bad weather paired with poor crops, and the rumble of unrest all colour the background of this segment of Wolfe’s multi-series ‘solar’ cycle (this time the “Long” sun due to the fact that on this world - or “whorl” as its inhabitants call it - the sun is a giant energy source that crosses the artificial sky in a straight line from pole to pole).

The second book of the series which is also in this volume, _Lake of the Long Sun_, follows Silk as he attempts to find a way to raise the funds he needs to save his manteion and ends up becoming even more embroiled in the political machinations of his city. Known as the augur who received enlightenment Silk has become a lightning rod for the hopes of the people of his city, especially the poor inhabitants of his own quarter, and has unwittingly been put forward as a replacement for the long dead Calde (or ruler) of his city, much to the chagrin of the de facto rulers on the leading council who have no wish to abdicate their power to anyone, let alone a mere augur. The digital gods of the Long Sun whorl had already begun to manifest themselves after a long absence in the first volume, but their actions start to become much more obvious as the story progresses and we begin to see that the political crises of the city of Viron are intertwined with a much larger crisis that will impact the entire Long Sun whorl.

Wolfe has created an interesting whorl, er world, in this series. His characters (especially the secondary ones) are well developed and nuanced and they inhabit a truly lived-in world. You can almost feel the generation starship ticking to its demise as the best layed plans of the digital god that made it (a direct shout-out to a very interesting character from the New Sun series) begin to unravel and are superceded by circumstance and the contrary desires of others. It can still be something of a slow read however, and while I have not found Silk to be as contrary to my tastes as has been the case in the past, I can’t deny that he often seems too good to be true. As I said in a much more disparaging review of the third volume there is a lot of stuff that is great in this series: it’s a generation starship story with digitized people turned into gods, robotic armies, political revolution, bodysnatching psychotic teenage clones, and vampiric, shapeshifting aliens. I really hope my new appreciation of the series continues. All that being said the true acid test of how I feel about this series still remains to be made: it was in the next book, _Calde of the Long Sun_, that Wolfe lost me on my last attempt to re-read the series and I ended up (metaphorically) throwing the book against the wall and uttering the eight deadly words. Let’s see what happens this time, shall we?

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

a complete reread of the Long Sun which is even more satisfying than on first read

want to add a few more words about the books - while the New Sun books are considered GW's masterpieces, I think that if this long novel that is The Long Sun had appeared first, it would have had a good argument at that too; the style is different much closer to the recent books of the author - you can say it is a "modern" GW vs a more fantasy-traditional GW in the New Sun (which whatever its sf underpinnings, is much closer to fantasy at least as style); in other words if you have shied off from this (supposedly more complicated) but enjoyed stuff like Sorcerer's house or Home Fires, Long Sun should be right there for you.

(In an aside as I never read the Soldier series end to end (read most of 1st but only browsed 2nd) I am curious if the 3rd most recent book there is written in the more archaic style of the 1st or the modern style of GW post 90's)

The story is both straightforward in its broad outlines, but tricky in details and connections, not to speak of the symbolism - world-ship traveling through the universe, inhabitants living in scattered cities on the inside cylinder with a mixture of human and android, both possibly bio-engineered, with a mixture of tech level (floaters, guns, airships) not aware of the "reality" but aware of gods from the heaven aka "mainframe" talking with them through "windows"
Young Silk - handsome, tall, young man of destiny - patera (chief priest) of a temple (manteion) in the poorest section of the patriarchal city of Viron is "enlightened" by a different god than the usual pantheon, namely the Outsider which (minor spoiler though it's obvious early) turns out to be God (the one who created people on Earth etc); both Viron and the manteion have problems, Viron as the government - a mixture of executive Calde and advising elected council - has fallen in corruption since the death (murder?) of the last calde and the enthronement of the current Council that has not called elections since, while the manteion has been sold for unpaid taxes to crime lord Blood

As Silk tries to save the manteion (as per Outsider's command in his enlightenment) he gets into a sort of partnership with Blood, becomes more and more famous and is proposed by the "people" for Calde-ship while a 3rd party has designs on Viron too; all within the background of the worldship failing or at least in need of major repairs while it is getting closer to a double livable planet system (Blue and Green) with it strange inhabitants who may be able to get to the ship and impersonate humans...

Silk and his friends, rivals and enemies have many adventures while many revelations appear

[Aaron Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are reading this review then you've probably already read Wolfe's Book of the New Sun quartet. If not, then I would suggest doing so first, because the two series (New Sun and Long Sun) are linked and reading one will enrich the other.

Litany of the Long Sun (The Book of the Long Sun, books 1 and 2)

OK. This volume makes up the first half of The Book of the Long Sun. This series is in many ways the exact opposite of the New Sun series. In New Sun, the main character was Severian, a torturer, a man in a terrible guild who did terrible things, but tried to become a better person. In Long Sun, the main character is Patera Silk, (Patera is a title roughly equal to "Father" for a priest; Silk is often referred to by others as an "augur") who is genuinely a good man in a bad religion. The mood and feel of the two works are different as well. New Sun was written in first person, the prose was dense and opaque; Long Sun was written in third person, and the style is what Wolfe referred to as "journalistic".

Comparisons aside, this volume stands on its own merits and is top-notch. The setting is the Whorl, a generational starship, and a concept used many times in the genre. Wolfe's take on it, however, is unique and fresh, and evokes a mood and ambiance all its own. The ship is MASSIVE. As in the size of a small planet. Those within it are unaware they are even on a ship. It has rivers, lakes, grass, etc. Its "sun" is actually more like a long tubular bulb. But to the characters, it is a normal sun. The ship contains many cities and towns, even countries, each with its own laws and government. Anyway, Wolfe does a much better job explaining things than I ever could.

Religion plays a central role in Long Sun. The Whorl's gods and goddesses are referred to often, as are the church and all its trappings. Normally I find religion in SF/F works to be boring and throwaway, but again, Wolfe's take on it is so different and unique that I find it compelling here. Silk's day to day activities, his simple way of living, are written in such a way that they are interesting. It is usually the evil or bad characters who are the most engrossing, but Wolfe proves that good characters can be just as or even more interesting.

Silk's story is complex, sad, terrifying, uplifting, mysterious, humorous, awe-inspiring, and ultimately, human. Along the way he meets a variety of people, human and non-human alike; some of the humans are the most monstrous of all. Silk's discoveries are truly surprising, and the story unfolds in some very unpredictable ways. Watching Silk as he navigates his way through situations out of his depth with very dangerous people is a joy. He is clever, but he is not a liar, and uses the truth in ways that were ingenious to me.

Anyway, enough blabbering. Go read these books and see for yourself.

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Calde's New Clothes: Have you even been to a coctail party, surrounded by attractive, witty, sophisticated and charming people having a lovely conversation about something utterly boring and irrelevant to you? Or been at the art gallery where all the hipsters are marveling at how deep and profound that crack in the wall is? This is kind of how I view the hype that surrounds many of Gene Wolfe's later novels, and how his fan's tend to fawn over his clever subterfuge and sleight-of-hand stories. But that works only when the story itself is compelling, which this most definitely was not. And I also take exception to those fans who always say that Wolfe's books reveal so much more after a second read. Call me crazy, but I don't want to indulge a writer and devote precious reading time to a story that can only be understood the second time round.

It's unfortunate that I found the Litany of the Long Sun to be just that, a litany of turgidly-described events, narrated (supposedly) by a milque-toast, mild-mannered equivalent of a parish priest named Patera Silk, who hears the voice of The Other (you know, the Big Guy Up There), is inspired to save his parish from being handed over to the local crime lord Blood, and the first half (Nightside the Long Sun) describes in 300 interminable, rambling pages the events of a mere three days!

The funny thing is, I really, really liked the earlier Book of the New Sun, the story of Severian the Torturer on his journey through a strange and dying Urth, following his destiny to become the Autarch and bring the New Sun to his world. That book had it's share of trickery and unreliable narration, but the key difference was that the events of the story were intriguing, the language baroque but beautiful, and the storyline went somewhere.

I found it such a chore to get through Litany, and I'm quite sure I only persevered because I kept thinking, "Hey, I must really be missing something, since all these other intelligent reviewers really loved this book. I must be so obtuse not be in on the joke, dammit." Well, that may be true, but in the meantime, I'm going to go read some books that are just as clever as this one, but actually provide real entertainment instead.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of use who wanted Exodus written with generation ships, robot tanks, vampires(not what your thinking), a girl who can possess people, a Chesterton style detective, cyborg nuns, gods who are uploaded mad children of a lunatic (he is in Book of the New Sun), alongside other wonders and puzzles. Puzzle is definitely a good term as while this book is written in a clear third person as opposed to the baroque first person of the Severian books it is still filled with enigmas. Characters only reveal thoughts via dialogue for one. The encounter on the submarine with Councillor Lemur is one of my favorite scenes pretty much anywhere.

[Richard S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Gene Wolfe is a fascinating combination of great science fiction (fantasy?) but also great literature. Although not quite as great as New Sun, Long Sun is fabulous. The book is so rich and sublime - on so many levels - and on multiple levels, it's quite difficult to even describe.

The book is a great unfolding - I wouldn't read the flap of the book or anything about it before starting. It has a lot of greek-derived words like New Sun - not as many - you can survive without the Lexicon Urthus (needed for New Sun) - but some terms you will want to do an internet search, and he makes up lots of words - but by the end you will know what they are. There's a limited glossary of the various Gods and characters at the end - but it has some spoilers so you might only want to consult it if you have to.

I try to write reviews without spoilers - this is a tough one! Stop if you don't want a minor spoiler -
MINOR SPOILER:

Here's my list of levels on which the book operatives:

1) religious narrative - a "priest" who has a religious experience and mission
2) sci-fi narrative - humans, robots, computers, space ship and more
3) fantasy narrative - possession, strange creatures, general weirdness, "gods"
4) oddness - the characters cannot "see" the "sci-fi" - it's like magic
5) literature content - Proustian moments, strange dreams, odd and ambiguous statements, vagueness

There's nothing nearly so complex in sci-fi - and the revelations are sublime, unclear, and never simple.

Anyway - Wolfe gets my absolutely highest recommendation not just for sci-fi but for literature as well. He's the best. If you haven't read him, I would start with the 5th head of Cerberus and then these Long Sun books - the New Sun books are even a step beyond and his greatest work.

I did have a few quibbles. Occasionally things were spelled out too clearly. A few things were not perfectly clear. He helps the reader a little too much at times. But there are endless great moments and a few that rank very high in my list of all-time greatest moments.

Also - this is the first two books - New Sun in book 4 I thought started to fall apart, and book 5 was so obscure I thought it was kind of a disaster. We will see how the next two go.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is the best sci-fi/fantasy book I've ever read--and I say this as a deeply devoted fan of both Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick. So I had high hopes for The Book of the Long Sun, despite having read opinions, seemingly universal among its readers, that it's OK but "not nearly as good as The Book of the New Sun."

I'm only halfway through the Long Sun (Litany is the first half, Epiphany, which I'm reading now, the second), but I have to disagree with those opinions. Sure, it's not better than the New Sun, but it's not worse, either. Early on, I wasn't so sure. Although the Long Sun has a fascinating beginning, full of promise, in which the protagonist, the priestlike Patera Silk, receives an epiphany from the Outsider (one of the "minor" gods of the Whorl), from there the book seems to grind to a halt as Silk almost immediately thereafter conceives of and executes a harebrained scheme to confront/threaten/steal from Blood, a local organized crime boss, who just bought Silk's manteion (read church) out from under him. Silk meets up with the thief Auk, travels to Blood's house, spends a long time trying to break into the house, fails, tries again, finally gets inside, only to become sidetracked by someone else in the house, etc. This little sequence goes on for pages and pages and pages, and I began wondering when something, y'know, interesting would happen. No doubt like many other readers who'd read the New Sun first, I found myself comparing Silk, unfavorably, to Severian, and Silk's somewhat humdrum, decidedly parochial life in the Whorl to Severian's dangerous yet wondrous journey through the dying lands of Urth.

But then things picked up. Silk's life became decidedly less parochial, the seemingly ordinary Whorl in which he resided began to give up some of its secrets, and the characters came alive. More importantly, Wolfe's rich use of the English language is as satisfying here as it is in The Book of the New Sun. The story is also somewhat easier to grasp initially, I think, than the story in the New Sun. The New Sun starts off so strangely, with such a strange cast of characters, and in such a strange world (not to mention with such a strange and unreliable first-person narrator), that I remember struggling to find my footing as I read the first few chapters. No such trouble with the Long Sun, precisely because the Whorl is introduced to readers at such a deliberate, judicious pace (and with a third-person narrator who isn't quite as disorienting as Severian). One has time to adjust one's bearings before the otherworldliness of it all creeps in. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of mysteries to ponder and subtexts to parse, just as in the New Sun, but Wolfe eases you into it here. And Silk continues to grow on me as a character, rivaling Severian as an equally interesting (albeit totally different kind of) character.

I hope I'll have much more to say once I finish Epiphany; for now I'll just say that, if you loved the New Sun but you're hesitating, like I did, to read the Long Sun because of the naysayers out there--don't believe 'em! It's definitely worth reading.

[Palmyrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read that the Long Sun books are, superficially at least, less tricksy than Gene Wolfe's work usually turns out to be. I found this to be true, on a first reading. Indeed, I'm not sure I missed anything of significance; but then, I'm a veteran Wolfie.

A reviewer on Amazon complained that the first of the two books compiled here, Nightside the Long Sun, was slow and tedious - that the hero, Silk, spends a hundred pages failing to sacrifice a crow and breaking into a house. Those two events, as well as some others of considerably greater significance, do indeed take about a hundred pages to tell, and while I appreciated the deeper undercurrents which are really what we acolytes read Wolfe for, I agree with that groundling reviewer that the break-in scene, in particular, is too long extended. However, it should be added that all the action of Nightside takes place over a period of three days.

The second book in the compilation, Caldé of the Long Sun sets a snappier pace; indeed, it's all action, especially towards the end. I enjoyed it very much, especially the revelation of what the Whorl really is (even though this should come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the preceding text).

However, Caldé may contain, nearly at the end, the biggest flaw I've ever seen in a Gene Wolfe novel: a gaping hole in the scenery through which the mechanics of the plot, usually in Wolfe a marvel of invisible subtlety, are embarrassingly evident. It concerns the death of a character, a minor one with obvious major potential. The death comes as a surprise, so much so that I was moved to wonder why the character was killed off. The obvious answer, I am sorry to say, is that it was necessary for the character to die in order that there might be two more books in the cycle. If the death had not occurred, all would have been explained to Silk (and thus to the reader) far too early.

Yet writing this, I find I am not so sure as I thought I was. That character, though minor, was very active while on stage, and very fully drawn. I have yet to read the second volume of this Long Sun omnibus edition, Epiphany of the Long Sun; it is sitting upstairs on my bedside table. I shall not be surprised to find the character returning in it, either resurrected or not actually dead in the first place. Such things often happen in the stories of Gene Wolfe.

Yet I cannot help thinking that the point at which this 'death' occurs in the narrative is rather too convenient - for the author.

Still, the great virtue of Wolfe's writing is that it promotes and rewards speculation of this kind. For those who like to read 'from between the shoulder-blades' as Nabokov put it, no science-fiction writer, either living or dead, compares with him. Indeed, his work invites comparison with that of Nabokov (or even Proust, a comparison Wolfe encourages). I'm not sure he is fully on that level; he is a religious man and a conservative, and is blind to human nature, particularly female human nature, in precisely the degree those adjectives imply. Certainly he cannot match Joyce or Nabokov for insight. But he is indubitably a great writer, worthy to be compared with those immortal names and to sit at the same high literary table.

[Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better even than the Severian series. The literary quality here is amazingly high. Go to the bookstore and move this from the Science Fiction to the Literature shelves. My favorite series of science fiction, bar none.

[Mandel]

Quite without planning it, I just devoured this volume (which contains the first two novels in Wolfe The Book of the Long Sun) in three days. You can find out the basic premise of this series from the usual jacket copy, so instead I'll just talk about why I think these books have drawn me in so thoroughly: the main character Patera Silk, whom I find to be one of the most charming and engrossing characters I've ever encountered.

In many respects, Silk compares well with Prince Myshkin in Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. As with Myshkin, many of the other characters in the story seem to find Silk so disarmingly appealing because he projects an air of innocent purity. That is, part of what makes him so appealing is that he is unfailingly kind, generous and courteous to whomever he meets - even and perhaps especially when he's interacting with people who treat him despicably (e.g., hardened criminals and Machiavellian politicians) as well as people who are usually treated as easy objects of social scorn and abuse (e.g., sex workers and the poor). However, Myshkin's innocence often polarizes readers. Some readers think of him as a beautiful soul - an embodiment of Christian loving kindness, for example. At the same time, though, Myshkin's innocence often leads to horrific consequences, not the least for himself, given the flaws and vices found in the world around him. Myshkin's innocence can seem like destructive naivete, as harmful as it is (nominally) pure.

However, I was struck by a comment of Silk's in ch.13 of Lake of the Long Sun: "You're confusing innocence with ignorance, though I'm ignorant in many ways as well. Innocence is something one chooses, and something one chooses for the same reason one chooses any other thing - because it seems best."

Where Myshkin's innocence can often seem like foolish ignorance, Silk's seemingly innocent manner is combined with steely conviction, decisiveness, guile and courage. Thus, while I find Silk to be quite charming in something like the way Myshkin is, I don't have the same reservations about him as I do with Myshkin. Silk is no fool. He resolutely rejects cruelty, self-righteous vanity, senseless violence and the like, but at the same time he isn't the meek, defenseless pushover Myshkin often seems to be.

All of this makes Silk an incredibly compelling protagonist, whom Wolfe surrounds with a whole host of other fascinating characters. Some readers complain the The Book of the Long Sun is 'slow'. I'm not a very plot-oriented reader, though, so I find Wolfe's meticulous and masterful character work here - along with the first-rate worldbuilding and intriguing (if somewhat leisurely paced) story - well worth it.

[Parker Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's done it again, folks.

A strong departure in tone from the rest of the GW I've read. It's smaller, slower, funnier. While still distinctly Wolfe, Nightside resolves with just the barest hint of the machinations, conspiracies, and mysteries one would expect to find... though Lake rectifies that pretty quickly.

If you'd like to feel, as a reader, what it's like to wake up as a blind amnesiac in a retro-futuristic culture far removed from everything you think you're familiar with, look no further!

[Michael Gratton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Long Sun books are fantastic.

Read on their own, they're a pulpy and fun fantasy universe. In fact, they're one of the most accessible Gene Wolfe stories out there. Above all else, it's actually funny. I never thought of Wolfe as capable of humor, but it's all over the place here. The science fiction is interesting, but takes a back seat. As usual there are bizarre and dark ideas about sociology from Wolfe where I can't be sure if the author believes them or not, but they are a backdrop that the characters move against, not the foreground of events.

But, if you read these books after the New Sun, you'll see that the whole thing is a kind of parody of the earlier, more pretentious series. Most everything in the NS shows up in reverse in the LS books. The protagonist, Silk, is a good person who believes himself to be sliding into wicked ways, while it is obvious to the reader that he is truely a hero. Contrast him to Severian, the protagonist of the NS, who presents himself as a wayward soul who finds virtue through his travels -- a fact that though manifestly false is hidden by Severian's justifications. The rest of the book is like this too. Part of the interest in this book is that it provides new insight into the NS books.

And, not at all least, there is a really touching review of religious devotion, godhood, and personal sacrifice.

It may be the best thing Wolfe has written, but you do have to read the NS books to appreciate it.

[Steve McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books (this is a collection of two novels, themselves the first of four) explore the tension that exists between the unknown and the unknowable. What does it mean for the unknowable as the unknown is slowly (or suddenly) revealed? The main character, Silk, cherishes the unknowable: the energy exchanged at first glance between soon-to-be life-long lovers; the soul leaving in death, characterized here as a great vulture emerging from the storm to snatch away the life from a tortured body; the awe due to a god who can not be seen, only experienced. But what if these things are explained? Chemistry between two people nothing but pheromones, life nothing but programmable feedback loops of consciousness, reverence and epiphany simply a burst blood vessel in the skull? Like a gifted detective, Silk makes his way through this maze becoming sadder and more determined as his world is painstakingly and surprisingly explained. For the reader, his heartbreaking sense of humanity reveals itself as his faith continues to recognize those things which continue to hover just outside his grasp.

[Nate Gonzales-Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping my review brief since I'm halfway through the story. That said, Litany of the Long Sun has as much content and narrative arc as a standalone novel, if not as much resolution.

Intricate and labyrinthine. While I wouldn't call it hard SF, it is precise and structurally technical, requiring plenty of work from the reader. Sometimes meandering to the point of feeling randomly generated, and quite slow at first, it speeds up tremendously in the second book and the pieces start clicking in to place at an almost hectic pace.

This being a Gene Wolfe story, every puzzle solved is supplanted by a couple new ones. Like Book of the New Sun, this is a mystery novel, where the mystery is the world and its society. I can't yet tell if the story is deep or just deeply entertaining, but I liked it a lot. Religion-heavy, trippy SF with notes of fantasy and cyberpunk. And very well-written.

Mad at myself for not ordering the second part in advance.

4.7/5

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising and delightful. I've found some of Wolfe's other books hard going: this one was more accessible and has a very likable protagonist. Looking forward to the second half.

[Tatiana Shorokhova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Сложно сказать, чем именно притягательна эта история. Может быть своим наивным и христосообразным протагонистом. Может, отголосками былой продвинутой цивилизации в почти средневековом мире. Или мне нравится, как в этом сюжете практически отсутствует токсичная маскулинность, несмотря на патриархальный мир. А может я просто люблю, когда птицы разговаривают с людьми?

Черт его знает. Но история о том, как молодой патера Шелк на протяжении двух книг пытается спасти свою церквушку, оказывается каким-то магическим чтивом. К финалу второй книги бедный патера получает еще и кризис веры, с которым видимо будет разбираться дальше. А может быть, он преодолеет и его, как преодолел все прочие испытания.

Как будто в другом мире пожила, пока читала.

[Seamus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending is so much different than the way the story begins. When I started Nightside The Long Sun I was a bit frustrated, the story seemed hard to follow due to terminology and dialogue that isn't explained. But as the story continued I learned it on my own. Wolfe is known for his undependable narrators who seem to be a small part of a bigger story. And for much of this story it seemed that was the case. By the end I was forming my own theory as to what was going on, and I have not ever felt more engaged in a story than I did with this one.

I started my Solar Cycle journey with The Book of The Long Sun, rather than The New Sun, by mistake. Now I feel like it was good that I did, because I assume it leaves more mystery for me to try and solve on my own. I guess I will find out!

[Don Dunham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book many times, re-picked it up, re-put it down. I was Deep into this story before I could classify it, It did not follow any of the formulas I've been used to lately. This is a unique book, written by an author of great power. My guess is that future writers in the science fiction and fantasy genre will be influenced by this book/author, but I can't imagine that the main-a-stream readers she's going to put up with something that demands instant gratification be put off for so many pages.
A hard Sci-fi novel, an impressive world build, a caper novel all wrapped up in a who done it story.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read The Book of the New Sun many years ago and thought about it periodically over the years. I decided it's time to read related books. Litany of the Long Sun didn't disappoint. Wolfe skillfully tells another tale of an ordinary man who rises without his own intent to become an uncorrupted person of power. He's not there yet, but the journey is revealing of so much that the doesn't know about his own world.

[Ben Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a wonderful frankness to Wolfe’s characters at times, and this is no exception. Hints are breadcrumbed out just regularly enough along the predictably twisty pages of this book, but it’s a wonderful ride, and it’s such a delight to see Wolfe writing a book for we, the readers again, after Urth of the New Sun. I have no idea what’s happening, the ending was very cruel indeed, and I am eagerly anticipating volumes 3 and 4 which sit upon my shelf, ready for my attentions.

[Zach de Walsingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

[Will Vella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silk good!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reviews of this book worries me, are the normal sf or fantasy reader especially dumb? Do they really find this a tricky read? In just the ten first pages we get to know the main protagonist is visited by the judeochristian god, that we are aboard a generationship etc etc. All the main ingidients to tell us where we are and who we are dealing with and what their journey should be. All the talk about mystery and hard to understand, I dont get it. I guess if you are 15 and just finished of Divergent, it is a slight bit of change. But shouldnt be a struggle- if you are into reading details ;).

If you ever wanted to read a story about a generationship from the inhabitants point of view this is the one. Its is beautifully detailed and the hints to where we are, what things are and how they work are nicely interlaced. It was very nice to be rid of all the "writing on the nose" many authors do. Here we have an author that is clever enough to reveal a whole world to us without explicity tell us in a out-of-the-story way what for instance "shiprock" is.

At times however the repeating of detail is quite tedious. How many times do we need to know that the main protagonist has blonde unruly hair for instance?

Also not having English as my native tounge made for a few very nice misunderstandings, the use of the word "shrive" for instance. I fully believed it was a word used or thought up exclusivly by Wolfe for this book. Shows out it is a normal english word used as it should. However it added to the reading experience and was selfexplanatory in the text so I didnt look it up at first, just out of curiousity later.

Sometimes I agree it can be hard to follow the caracthers choice of action. The protagonists actions are somewhat rash and illogical at times with sparse explanation. This might however be Wolfes way of saying that men do not always do the logical thing. That we cannot fully see into anothers heart. However it somewhat feels that it is a lack of storytelling and is used as a sort of a built in deux ex machina to get the story moving. With such a richly detailed book it is a shame every time this happens and it leaves you feeling a little bit cheated. This much surely be more important to lend a few sentences toward than describing the colour of corn? Sometimes there is a point to tell about how many time a man reaches into his pocket. Sometimes it is a case of bad editing.

Also some of what the caracthers are given to say is set up in a way that you are to believe something really profound is going to come out of their mouths, but you are left with a big "meh?".

Over all a very enjoyable read.

[Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

NB: This is the second time I've read The Litany of the Long Sun. The experience is then different, as the book is a journey of discovery for the reader as well as for the main characters in it. I read it a couple of years ago, and began the Epiphany of the Long Sun shortly afterwards, as the books follow closely upon one another, but some way into that volume I lost track of things. So here is my second attempt at the series.

The Litany of the Long Sun is the first book by Gene Wolfe I've read. When reading it for the first time, the reader is simply dropped into the world (or whorl, as it were) and the tale steams ahead from the get-go. Little by little the reader along with the main character learns some truths about the world, and it becomes possible to picture what really is going on, and get a clearer view of the forces that drive the plot. As such, reading it for the second time, one has a clearer grip on what is going on, and is a bit more free to appreciate the intrigue. The reader follows the journey of Patera Silk, a young priest struggling to save the small, run-down church in which he is employed from a local crime boss.

In this tale, Gene Wolfe draws upon several tropes of Catholicism. For a reader from a country where that particular branch of Christianity is not very prevalent, the religious motifs in the text becomes doubly alien, in a sense. Still, I like it, as it makes up a lot of the rich descriptions of daily life that makes the story so compelling. Wolfe does not go into long exposition, preferring to drop bits here and there for the reader, preferably through the voices of more omniscient characters. He rather explains the world (because it is a tale of SF, and usually, the world is there to be explained, or at least marveled at) through the actions and lives of the characters.

Speaking of which; the main character Silk feels almost like a kind of count Mysjkin, unshakable in goodness and faith (although a great deal more world savvy than Dostoyevskys idiot ever was). He is constantly tested, tempted and questioned by the world around him, including by his own religious order. I suppose tests of faith are a common motif in Catholic literature, again, not being very conversant in such matters.

An excellent read!

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe remains one of my favorite authors and this book is just another reason why. Like the Urth of the New Sun series (of which this series takes place in the same universe), Wolfe not only successfully narrates science fiction dressed up in fantasy trappings, but creates something compelling as well.

Much has to do with his treatment of his characters. Patera Silk is our protagonist here, a priest of a small chapel and grounds. He is given a vision from one of the gods that he is to work to save these lands which are heavily in debt, and from there follows a path faithfully. Throughout this work (which includes to first two books of this series), he remains a priest even as Silk must wear many different hats -- in one part playing the burglar, another a spy, and so forth. He is honest, straightforward, quiet, and occasionally naive but not frustratingly so.

The setting is also fascinating, though unpeeled slowly as Silk journeys in his world. I find this consistent in Wolfe's series. We start in a smalls sphere of influence knowledge, and as we follow our hero's tavels we slowly discover a larger world that expands in ways we do not expect.

What I find compelling in this story is Silk's determination in spite of impossible odds. He knows not how he will complete his task, and apparently doesn't know where this task is ultimately leading him either, but that doesn't stop him from remaining faithful to his beliefs and his chapel grounds. Though he understands he may not be able to complete his calling, he does not fail to act and in doing so finds success in surprising ways.

I enjoy Gene Wolfe as he rarely talks down to his audience, but never loses us entirely either. I've yet to be disappointed in anything of his work I've read.

[Bob B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe is really great. He presents incredibly rich, detailed worlds, and is full of surprises.
This series doesn't really live up to the New Sun series, which is just a masterpiece.

He's for the most part true to form with this series, but there was a pretty cartoonish love story kind of thrown in there which just didn't ring true, and then there was the tendency for the female characters (all super stacked, by the way) to wind up losing their clothes and then just run around naked for long periods. It just was kind of like "Whoopsie! Boing boing boing." What the hell, man?
Don't get me wrong here. I LOVE when a writer somehow never loses touch with his/her inner 8th grade sensibility (see Carlton Mellick, "Apeshit" or "Clownfellas"). But with wolfe, it's like the good writer part and the middle schooler are at war. Here it's like going to an amazing restaurant and getting a delicious bouillabaisse, and finding a couple of rice crispy treats floating around in there, still in their mylar wrappers. It doesn't really ruin it, but it's just disconcertingly weird and out of place.

The pace was kind of remarkable in this series, it goes pretty slow for quite awhile and then ends up going almost too fast. Not complaining here, just pointing it out. I think big changes in tempo are maybe just part of Gene Wolfe's style. I found the same thing in the New Sun series and in those books if anything it supported the narrative, somehow.

So I'm ambivalent on this series. Some great ideas here. Some interesting connections to the events of the New Sun series, really. But then a couple of silly things just thrown in there just bouncing around over the course of major chunks of it.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprising the first two books in Gene Wolfe's four-book "Long Sun" series, Litany of the Long Sun covers a great deal of ground in a relatively short period of time. The first two books cover little more than four days or so, and yet Wolfe creates not only a compelling drama, but one that exists fully in its own world. As such, the terminology is difficult to wade through in the book's early chapters, and rightfully so. Disorientation should come with entering a new world for the first time without any sense of its history and culture.

The sheer scope of Wolfe's world creation is impressive, as characters at times use different terminology to reflect the realities of their own world, the only world they have ever known. The story is wide-ranging, even as it focuses almost exclusively on its hero, Patera Silk, an augur (kind of like a priest) who runs the local manteion (kind of like a school/church). With Silk at the center of the story, the religious elements are ever-present, though the stories touch on a variety of social themes (class structures, politics, crime, and technology). Silk's journey begins with a vision from The Outsider, a minor god in the pantheon of gods he worships, leading the augur to try and save his manteion from destruction, and in the process, become a prophet for the masses. The book's rich detail and characterization keeps it engaging throughout, while glimmers of Wolfe's Catholicism shine through Silk's journey to understand his enlightenment. The progression of the story resonates deeply with me, and I am looking forward to seeing where Wolfe takes us in the final two books.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Litany of the Long Sun is an excellent piece of fiction. It combines genres in a way that could be confusing, but Wolfe pulls it off with considerable grace.

Like the "New Sun" trilogy, the setting here is a combination of high- and low-tech. The characters live in a world where there are aircars, electric lights, and advanced communication equipment. At the same time, archaic weapons, wood burning stoves, and other low-tech trappings are the norm.

The main character is a priest, Patera Silk. As the story opens, we witness his enlightenment. A minor god, the Outsider, grants him great understanding and orders him to save the manteion (church and school).

The quest to save the manteion leads Silk into areas of life and himself of which he was ignorant. Along the way he meets new companions, and becomes embroiled in the politics of his city.

By the end of the second volume, Silk's world is turned upside down, and we have learned a great deal more about the gods and where the came from, the origin of the Long Sun, and the complex underbelly of Vironese politics.

The language and imagery of Wolfe's work is outstanding as always. I think that this book was even more smoothly executed than the Book of the New Sun. The depth and density of the story remains, but without the rough edges that sometimes made New Sun difficult to read or understand.

[slowtime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Litany of the Long Sun in spite of its repeated bungling with its female characters (so many jutting breasts), but reading the Epiphany of the Long Sun is retroactively damaging my enjoyment. To hell with Patera Silk! To hell with Blood, and Mucor, and Hyacinth-the-love-object-with-no-actual-personhood! To extra super hell to Auk, who refers to the woman he maybe loves (but sometimes hits) as "Jugs," and to hell with Chenille for being so flatly written that she accepts it!

The only character I still like at all is Maytera Marble, and I can't for the life of me figure out why none of these books are about her. I mean, she's a three hundred year old quasi-robot nun with, um, recycled biological body parts. There's some serious story there. But no, instead we've got our young blonde softboi Silk communing with the gods and mooning over a woman he met once for all of five minutes.

I liked Litany because I was intrigued by the worldbuilding, and was curious to see how the characters would come to understand the nature of their world. It made me all the more interested in reading the Book of the New Sun (which I gather is better liked in general than the Long Sun books). But if you're reading Litany with any reservations, holding out hope that it will all pay off in Epiphany...be warned. The bad parts get worse, and the good parts don't get better.