Shadows of the New Sun: Wolfe on Writing/Writers on Wolfe

by Peter Wright (editor)

Gene Wolfe is one of the most important American writers to emerge in the latter half of the twentieth century. The fact that he publishes in the field of fantastic literature (which includes horror, science and speculative fiction) has meant that his significance has been largely unacknowledged beyond and, at times, even within the genre. Nevertheless, he remains the author of some of the most stylistically distinct, structurally complex, and intellectually invigorating imaginative fiction of recent years. This collection of interviews and essays places under one cover an amazing selection of difficult-to-find resources for the avid Gene Wolfe reader and scholar. Essays concern the nature of writing, including character, structure and the profession of the writer. Also included are a series of interviews with Wolfe and the holy grail of 'New Sun' aficionados: Books in the Book of the New Sun, previously only available in a rare small-press volume. This collection will inspire
fans and scholars alike to commit themselves to debating new interpretations of Wolfe's fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Tor.com Publishing]

I can't help but think of this book, & all of Wright's work on Gene Wolfe, with the short hand of "Peter & the Wolfe." Much more grounded than Borski's literary critique, Wright relies more on interviews for his scholarship. A must have for any would-be Wolfe scholar! --MK

[Arthur B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative collection of interviews with Gene Wolfe and essays by him, providing insights into his thoughts on his work and the writing process. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/200...

[Aaron Grossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight.

[Karl Hallbjörnsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frábært safnrit með viðtölum sem tekin hafa verið við Wolfe, auk frábærra smærri texta eftir hann um ritlistina sem iðkun og sem starfa.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of interviews with Gene Wolfe, and essays by him as well. Interesting range, and while I didn't always agree with him on certain things, that's all right. I recommend it.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows of the New Sun, edited by Peter Wright, is a collection of interviews with and essays by Gene Wolfe that touch on the science-fiction legend's approach to writing. The interviews are drawn from the 1970s through the early millennium, originally published in science-fiction periodicals and carried out by a range of interviewees. Most deal with Wolfe's first masterpiece The Fifth Head of Cerberus and his acclaimed tetrology "The Book of the New Sun", but plenty of attention is given to his novels and short stories from later decades.

Fans will find this a pretty informative volume, although perhaps it's best not to come to this after only a single reading of the "The Book of the New Sun", as Wolfe spoils some of the mysteries that readers can figure out the second time through. There is in-depth discussion of how Wolfe thinks up plots and fashions dialogue. But the author also discusses such mundane aspects of the trade as his daily schedule, publisher bureauracy and market pressures. The demands of publishers has affected his work more than one would think, and Wolfe explains how his weak first novel Operation Ares (which he tries to keep out of print now) was the botched result of heavy editing.

I feel that Wolfe's books after "The Book of the New Sun" have been somewhat disappointing as they lack the memorable prose style of his 1970s writing. Here, Wolfe claims that he switched to a "journalistic style" in e.g. "The Book of the Long Sun" because the story demanded it. I disagree with this choice, but it's good to hear an explanation from the author. I also better understand Wolfe's knowledge of the science-fiction canon (and literature in general) and its impact on his own writing.

It's not a perfect book, however. Some of the essays that make up the last 50 pages of the book are as interesting as the interviews, but there is also very weak material among them. In a couple, Wolfe comes across as a grumpy old man who thinks that people can't read anymore and the world is going to hell. Some of his predictions for the future (such as the survival of the USSR) have proven quite inaccurate, and its curious that Wright has chosen to reprint them.

[Jlawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outside of a somewhat stuffy introduction, this is a great collection of interviews with Gene Wolfe over several decades, plus a handful of essays by Wolfe himself. Lots of fascinating details and opinions from Wolfe in the interviews, and topics discussed have made me want to re-visit all of the 'Sun' series instead of just The Book of the New Sun as I was planning.

Out of Wolfe's essays, the best were the luminous thoughts in 'Books in The Book of the New Sun', 'What Do They Mean, SF?' - which gives his definitions of the categories science fiction, speculative fiction, and (the category he puts the New Sun in) science fantasy, and some surprising (Wolfe is Catholic) views on the relationship between fantasy literature and the Bible in 'A Fantasist Reads the Bible and Its Critics '.

P.S. Best fun fact from an interview: Wolfe engineered the portion of the Pringles-making machine that cooks the chips.

[Andrew Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book made up mostly one half of interviews and the other half of Wolfe on writing and literature. The interviews are okay for the most part. A lot of the same questions are asked - and answered with some indulgent weariness from Wolfe. The highlights being his answers regarding The Book of the New Sun. Peter Wright's interview is the highlight but a few others have their value. One interview conducted by an evangelical Christian shows a very good familiarity with Wolfe's work but frustratingly his focus is entirely through that religious lens. Wolfe is a religious man but the interviews make clear the accessibility and resonance of his work through multiple lenses. Jordan's interview by contrast clearly shows the reductiveness of evangelical exegesis. The other half is Wolfe's writing on matters of literature. There's some very good advice which would make for an excellent chapbook. All in all, a good start on how to approach Wolfe's books.