(urth) Gummed-Up Works or Got Lives?

[Gerry Quinn]

From: António Pedro Marques 
> Well, I don't really think there is a Correct Way to read GW, of course. 
> Everyone's experience will be different and rich in its own way.
> But since you've mentioned it, I think tFHoC should come after the Sun books 
> - I read it before and somewhat regret that - as it is a difficult work imo, 
> having the GW complexity in almost its pure state. I have yet to read a lot 
> of GW, but my impression is that tFHoC is the one book in which there is no 
> 'simple' reading to find solace in while you're not yet able to get the rest.
Given that Wolfe is best on a re-read, it’s logical that there can’t really be a ‘best’ order!
I would recommend the short stories to begin.   Also, Peace and Fifth Head are probably his two best stand-alone novels, and whatever the complexity, they are less daunting than multi-volume series.  Of course Fifth Head should never be given to anyone who has not already developed some degree of SF sophistication – but for those who have, I think it is okay for a first Wolfe.  It was one of the first I read, a long time ago.  (IIRC I liked the second part best, and didn’t have too much trouble interpreting it – the third part I found a bit dull and complicated, and didn’t bother much with.  But the second part in particular always stuck in my memory.)
That said, Book of the New Sun can’t really be faulted as a starting point either.  Long Sun would be okay too, but it is flawed by the longeurs of the second half.  (The rushed ending will also irritate readers unused to Wolfe.  I think he does it on purpose to give the reader a feeling of “hey, I must have missed something – I better go back to the start!”  But in Long Sun it seems more rushed than usual, somehow.  Maybe it’s the contrast between 200 pages of tunnels and 10 pages of Mainframe.)
- Gerry Quinn
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