David’s Reviews > The Best of Gene Wolfe > Status Update

"A Cabin on the Coast" - when you deal with the Fair Folk, you never get what you bargained for. It's ok I guess, and the only story Wolfe didn't select (his editors did).

"Has Anybody Seen Junie Moon?" - a carnie strongman meets a charismatic woman who seeks to ride the White Cow Moon. Wolfe effortlessly shows how to construct a world through the scattershot words and memorable voice of his mentally dim but utterly loyal narrator. My heart goes out to Sam.

"The Tree Is My Hat" - an old gods fantasy, taking place on an island in the south Pacific, with special guest Sharknado. Wolfe's characters are slippery, not completely understandable; his worldbuilding nonlinear and oh so expertly crafted.

"Petting Zoo" - it was inevitable that I loved this bittersweet story of a boy and his dinosaur, as Wolfe states in an afternote that he was inspired by Calvin and Hobbes. This one's a masterclass in seamlessly embedding flashbacks, *and* worldbuilding. Nary a word wasted.

"Bed and Breakfast" - What happened one night at the last B&B before the gates of Hell. A fair story, if kind of cringe. At least it kept my attention.

"And When They Appear": finally, a story I could not put down, to break the run of stinkers. This one's a Christmas story, yet our protag Sherby gains agency but not wisdom, so it's not a Christmas story.

"Game in the Pope's Head": a pointless acid trip about a serial killer? Again, why?

"Parkroads---a Review": another inexplicable inclusion in a best-of collection. There is no plot here. Move along.

"The Boy Who Hooked the Sun": A Kiplingesque origin story for the seasons. Mostly forgettable, but according to Wolfe, a good story model to emulate. Eh.

"Redbeard" - a conversation driving down a road about an abandoned house in a small town. Not much to remember but an unsettling feeling.