false <![CDATA[An Evil Guest]]> 2878702 2 <div><div>Lovecraft mets Blade Runner. This is a stand-alone supernatural horror novel with a 30s noir atmosphere. Gene Wolfe can write in whatever genre he wants--and always with superb style and profound depth. Now following his World Fantasy Award winner, <i>Soldier of Sidon</i>, and his stunning <i>Pirate Freedom</i>, Wolfe turns to the tradition of H.P. Lovecraft and the weird science tale of supernatural horror.<br><br>Set a hundred years in the future, <i>An Evil Guest</i> is a story of an actress who becomes the lover of both a mysterious sorcerer/private detective, and an even more mysterious and powerful rich man, who was once United States Ambassador to on an alien planet, where he learned strange things and valuable skills. Her loyalties are divided--perhaps she loves them both. The detective helps her to release her inner beauty and become a star overnight. The rich man bankrolls a play she stars in. But something is very wrong. Money can be an evil guest, but there are other evils. As Lovecraft said, "That is not dead which can eternal lie."</div></div> 2904888 16 9 2008 An Evil Guest total:134|5:8|4:37|3:44|2:33|1:12| 134 398 231 65 1 2 false false Wed Oct 29 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 26 07:15:38 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 05:09:30 -0700 2008
I'm a complete, card carrying Gene Wolfe fan. I buy all of his works as they come out in hardcover. I rave to any and all about the man and am in complete awe of his genius.

But . . .

I just can't get over my first ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 20:41:09 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 20:06:58 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Nov 28 08:48:21 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 08:49:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 14 12:21:56 -0700 2008 Wed Feb 25 19:02:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Mar 13 12:55:55 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 13:17:29 -0700 2009 Warning: spoiler in the last paragraph.

An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe is a pulp thriller that includes aliens, South Sea gods, and two enigmatic men vying for the hand of a young actress on the rise. Imagine the results if Raymond Chandler,...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Aug 23 01:37:22 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 10:08:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 1 false false Tue Jan 27 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 08:52:21 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 09:01:18 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Nov 26 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 12:30:05 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 26 13:13:48 -0800 2008
Gene Wolfe often gives us a very passive hero to whom things just "happen". We also often get strange pointless dialog, out of context things said, and incredibly illogical behavior.

Unfortunately w...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat May 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 22:50:49 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 17:09:33 -0700 2009
But! He comes so highly recommended!

But–but! That doesn't matter if his writing doesn't work for me.

But-but...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 08:19:02 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 13:19:20 -0700 2009
The cover material tell...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Nov 16 04:42:58 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 29 05:47:34 -0800 2008 Book of the New Sun, and have been following him ever since. He has been hailed as a modern day Melville, at ease in both the novel and short story genres. He’s disappointed me only three times: The Wizard Knight diptych an...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Oct 13 16:04:22 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 18:41:35 -0700 2009
So begins the newest Gene Wolfe novel. Rather than creating a mythopeaic saga, An Evil Guest is a story that is complex but accesible...more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 05:26:31 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 05:26:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Feb 16 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 06:59:49 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 08:13:52 -0800 2009


What this really looks like is two novellas mashed together with mostly the same characters, and on...

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Nor can Wolfe write female protagonists.

Sorry Gene, I've loved you for the 25 years since you published Shadow of the Torturer, etc., but this o...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Sep 25 10:13:54 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 10:00:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Apr 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jan 10 14:18:26 -0800 2009 Wed Apr 08 09:49:45 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Dec 27 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Sep 23 09:43:20 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 28 08:14:15 -0800 2008 1 My rating: 2.5

I tried to like Gene Wolfe's latest novel. There are many good elements about it. Wolfe is a brilliant writer with a masterful control over his story (even if his readers may sometimes be left at sea for a while). Just an example is his mastery of conversation - his charact...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Sep 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 22 23:17:57 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 14 01:14:29 -0800 2009 1
A good plot summary has been written by Harriet Klausner so I won't give you my version but just link to it.

When you open a Gene Wolfe book you can never be sure what awaits you. This time it's a spy thriller with fanta...more...]]>