Empires of foliage and flower

by Gene Wolfe

"Empires of Foliage and Flower" is a special treat, an addition to the classic Book of the New Sun series first published only as a limited-edition chapbook.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories

80 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 1987

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

[Muzzlehatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someday I'll manage to find and afford the beautiful, limited-edition Cheap Street edition of this little gem, but for now I've had to settle for reading the poorly copy-edited printing in the Winter 1993 edition of "Crank" (#2) -- which, for any of you who are looking for this, is probably much more affordable than the Cheap Street. It's a nice little story, about Father Thyme accompanying a young girl -- soon young woman and then old woman -- on a journey Westward through battles and the designs of princes. Deceptively complex like a lot of Wolfe's stuff (the work that's not obviously complex), it makes extensive use of alliteration and punning on "thyme/time", coming off as both a children's fairytale and a meta exercise. It begs to be re-read, the allusive/elusiveness is both maddening and charming.

[ambyr · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of Cheap Street’s more rococo editions, with colored papers and copious illustrations. The story itself has its moments, but I found the alliteration more distracting than charming.