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Latro #3
Soldier of Sidon
Latro forgets everything when he sleeps. Writing down his experiences every day and reading his journal anew each morning gives him a poignantly tenuous hold on himself, but his story's hold on readers is powerful indeed. The two previous novels, combined in Latro in the Mist (Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete) are generally considered classics of contemporary fantasy.
Latro now finds himself in Egypt, a land of singing girls, of spiteful and conniving deities. Without his memory, his is unsure of everything, except for his desire to be free of the curse that causes him to forget. The visions Gene Wolfe conjures, of the wonders of Egypt, and of the adventures of Latro as he and his companions journey up the great Nile south into unknown or legendary territory, are unique and compelling. Soldier of Sidon is a thrilling and magical fantasy novel, and yet another masterpiece from Gene Wolfe.
Latro now finds himself in Egypt, a land of singing girls, of spiteful and conniving deities. Without his memory, his is unsure of everything, except for his desire to be free of the curse that causes him to forget. The visions Gene Wolfe conjures, of the wonders of Egypt, and of the adventures of Latro as he and his companions journey up the great Nile south into unknown or legendary territory, are unique and compelling. Soldier of Sidon is a thrilling and magical fantasy novel, and yet another masterpiece from Gene Wolfe.
319 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
37 people are currently reading
1589 people want to read
About the author
Gene Wolfe
506 books3,565 followersGene 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
September 6, 2021
2021 re-read thoughts:
-I really wish Wolfe had finished Latro's story...or at least continued it with another volume. Of course, given the state of Latro's memory I suppose that ending it in such an inconclusive way is rather appropriate.
-I think Latro may be Wolfe's most sympathetic hero, though his condition does make him nearly as frustrating as most of the others are.
- I was struck by the similarities between Latro and Able from _The Wizard Knight_ duology. I think the latter is far less sympathetic (at least until most of the way through the books) and it may have something to do with the fact that Latro's memory condition makes him almost child-like and naive in many ways, not unlike the boy-in-a-man's-body Able.
Original review: Gene Wolfe’s third volume of the Soldier series is divorced from the first two in several ways. The most obvious is the fact that it was written 17 years after the last volume, leaving quite a cliffhanger for contemporary readers (and actually no indication that there would even be a sequel). The other is the fact that even in-story the events occur at a significant remove from those that transpired in Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete. As Sidon opens we find that Latro has been living back at home, apparently with his wife, for some time (though given that this is a Gene Wolfe book I’m not sure if I quite believe that everything is exactly as it appears) though his condition is no better than when last we saw him and he tends to sit despondently in front of his door where the word “Riverland” (aka Egypt) is written (apparently he believes that going to this distant country will enable him to heal himself…we’ve heard something similar before I think). Latro is visited by an old friend, the Persian ship captain Muslak who is one of the few remaining links to the previous two volumes, and his friend promptly decides to bring Latro with him as he just so happens to be taking a shipment of goods to the Nile delta.
What follows is an adventure similar to what we have already seen Latro undertake, though this time the setting is ancient Egypt and Nubia and the secondary cast of characters is different. In a nutshell Muslak’s ship is commandeered by the Persian satrap of Egypt to cruise down the Nile and discover anything that may be of use to him from the countries to the south. Travelling in this band are a Persian magi and his Egyptian priest-scribe, an Egyptian sorcerer-priest, two “singing girls” (aka temple prostitutes who become the “river wives” of Latro and Muslak), an Athenian wine-merchant, several eldritch familiars, and various sailors and soldiers. As before Latro is pulled in several directions by the machinations of the various gods and supernatural creatures he is able to see, as well as by the all-too human people who want to make use of him for their own ends. Aside from the new locale I have to admit that I didn’t notice a lot of difference between this volume and the others and little, if any, final resolution is forthcoming from Wolfe. Still, I enjoy being in Latro’s company and seeing the ancient world (both natural and supernatural) through his eyes.
I like the way, throughout the Soldier series, that Wolfe is able to make the gods into a real living and breathing element of the civilizations that spawned them. They don’t come across merely as archetypes or placeholders (though they do indeed serve those purposes, at least partially), but they are also not just humans with superpowers. There is something distinctly ‘other’ about them that seems equally tied to their roles as both stewards of particular elements of creation and embodiments of basic aspects of the human psyche. Within this ‘god-as-archetype’ role, however, they still retain distinct personalities that elevate them beyond being mere ciphers. The gods of Egypt seem different from those of Greece not only in their physical forms, but also in that they seem to have a less vested interest in Latro. I got the sense from the first two volumes that the Greek pantheon had a specific purpose in mind when they ‘recruited’ Latro as a pawn to their internecine fighting, but while the Egyptian gods are more than willing to make use of him, they seem to be doing so for much less personal reasons. Of course I still have no idea what exactly those reasons were for the Greek pantheon, so the jury’s still out on that one.
As in the other volumes Latro is once again led by prophecy to visit various temples along his path, this time following the Nile river to its source. Various gods and powers meet him along the way and help or hinder him as they see fit. He overcomes a variety of vicissitudes including enslavement, betrayal, and abandonment; he also meets an unexpected old friend in a time of great need, but ultimately ends this phase of his adventures perhaps worse off than he was when he started and on the verge of yet another seemingly hopeless quest. One hopes that this cliffhanger will be resolved in a subsequent volume and that the wait won’t be another 17 years.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
-I really wish Wolfe had finished Latro's story...or at least continued it with another volume. Of course, given the state of Latro's memory I suppose that ending it in such an inconclusive way is rather appropriate.
-I think Latro may be Wolfe's most sympathetic hero, though his condition does make him nearly as frustrating as most of the others are.
- I was struck by the similarities between Latro and Able from _The Wizard Knight_ duology. I think the latter is far less sympathetic (at least until most of the way through the books) and it may have something to do with the fact that Latro's memory condition makes him almost child-like and naive in many ways, not unlike the boy-in-a-man's-body Able.
Original review: Gene Wolfe’s third volume of the Soldier series is divorced from the first two in several ways. The most obvious is the fact that it was written 17 years after the last volume, leaving quite a cliffhanger for contemporary readers (and actually no indication that there would even be a sequel). The other is the fact that even in-story the events occur at a significant remove from those that transpired in Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete. As Sidon opens we find that Latro has been living back at home, apparently with his wife, for some time (though given that this is a Gene Wolfe book I’m not sure if I quite believe that everything is exactly as it appears) though his condition is no better than when last we saw him and he tends to sit despondently in front of his door where the word “Riverland” (aka Egypt) is written (apparently he believes that going to this distant country will enable him to heal himself…we’ve heard something similar before I think). Latro is visited by an old friend, the Persian ship captain Muslak who is one of the few remaining links to the previous two volumes, and his friend promptly decides to bring Latro with him as he just so happens to be taking a shipment of goods to the Nile delta.
What follows is an adventure similar to what we have already seen Latro undertake, though this time the setting is ancient Egypt and Nubia and the secondary cast of characters is different. In a nutshell Muslak’s ship is commandeered by the Persian satrap of Egypt to cruise down the Nile and discover anything that may be of use to him from the countries to the south. Travelling in this band are a Persian magi and his Egyptian priest-scribe, an Egyptian sorcerer-priest, two “singing girls” (aka temple prostitutes who become the “river wives” of Latro and Muslak), an Athenian wine-merchant, several eldritch familiars, and various sailors and soldiers. As before Latro is pulled in several directions by the machinations of the various gods and supernatural creatures he is able to see, as well as by the all-too human people who want to make use of him for their own ends. Aside from the new locale I have to admit that I didn’t notice a lot of difference between this volume and the others and little, if any, final resolution is forthcoming from Wolfe. Still, I enjoy being in Latro’s company and seeing the ancient world (both natural and supernatural) through his eyes.
I like the way, throughout the Soldier series, that Wolfe is able to make the gods into a real living and breathing element of the civilizations that spawned them. They don’t come across merely as archetypes or placeholders (though they do indeed serve those purposes, at least partially), but they are also not just humans with superpowers. There is something distinctly ‘other’ about them that seems equally tied to their roles as both stewards of particular elements of creation and embodiments of basic aspects of the human psyche. Within this ‘god-as-archetype’ role, however, they still retain distinct personalities that elevate them beyond being mere ciphers. The gods of Egypt seem different from those of Greece not only in their physical forms, but also in that they seem to have a less vested interest in Latro. I got the sense from the first two volumes that the Greek pantheon had a specific purpose in mind when they ‘recruited’ Latro as a pawn to their internecine fighting, but while the Egyptian gods are more than willing to make use of him, they seem to be doing so for much less personal reasons. Of course I still have no idea what exactly those reasons were for the Greek pantheon, so the jury’s still out on that one.
As in the other volumes Latro is once again led by prophecy to visit various temples along his path, this time following the Nile river to its source. Various gods and powers meet him along the way and help or hinder him as they see fit. He overcomes a variety of vicissitudes including enslavement, betrayal, and abandonment; he also meets an unexpected old friend in a time of great need, but ultimately ends this phase of his adventures perhaps worse off than he was when he started and on the verge of yet another seemingly hopeless quest. One hopes that this cliffhanger will be resolved in a subsequent volume and that the wait won’t be another 17 years.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
June 11, 2008
If I were Gene Wolfe I would never get any writing done, because I would be stopping every two paragraphs to high five myself and punch the sky and yell HOLY CRAP I AM SO AWESOME HOW DO I EVEN DO IT
Four stars because it was easier to read than the first two. Is this guy going soft in his old age? I did not feel challenged; in fact I felt kinda spoon-fed. Good thing i was being spoon-fed FUCKING AWESOME
Four stars because it was easier to read than the first two. Is this guy going soft in his old age? I did not feel challenged; in fact I felt kinda spoon-fed. Good thing i was being spoon-fed FUCKING AWESOME
December 29, 2019
Δεκαεφτά (!) χρόνια ύστερα από τον δεύτερο τόμο μιας φαινομενικά ολοκληρωμένης σειράς, έρχεται ο τρίτος να κλείσει τελικά τις περιπέτειας του βραχυμνήμωνα, αβέβαιας καταγωγής, πρωταγωνιστή. Δεν λέγεται Λάτρο, όπως πολύ τον αποκαλούν, και το οποίο σημαίνει μισθοφόρος, αλλά κάπως αλλιώς. Όσο κι αν μοιάζουμε τελικά με τους προγόνους μας, και όσο γοητευτικό κι αν φαίνεται πως τελικά πάντα ίδιοι ήμασταν, είναι εξίσου γοητευτικό να βλέπεις πως ήταν η ζωή χιλιετίες πριν, διαφορετική, δύσκολη, αλλά πιο κοντά στην πλάση. Οι άνθρωποι αποζητούσαν την φιλία, να γνωρίσουν άλλους ανθρώπους και άλλους κόσμους. Υπήρχαν πολλά που δεν γνώριζαν και χρησιμοποιούσαν λέξεις και χειρονομίες που θεωρούσαν πως άρμοζαν στις περιστάσεις, για να συννενοηθούν με ξένους.
Τούτο καταφέρνει κατ' εμέ ο Γουλφ, του οποίου το κρυπτικό ύφος, και η γραφή του, που δεν είναι για τους περιστασιακούς αναγνώστες, εξυπηρετεί απόλυτα τον στόχο του. Πως μπορεί να αναπλαστεί ένας κόσμος, για τον οποίο μέσα από θραύσματα πληροφοριών, γνωρίζουμε ελάχιστα; Ο Γουλφ κάνει τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα σαχλά αναγνώσματα. Έτσι γράφεται, κυρίες και κύριοι, ένα σωστό ιστορικό ανάγνωσμα! Υπήρξαν οι μύθοι, υπήρχαν οι θεοί και κάποτε χάθηκαν. Γιατί τους έπλαθε το μυαλό μας, και ό,τι το μυαλό ξεχνάει, χάνεται. Κάπως έτσι, καταλήγει ο πρωταγωνιστής στα μισά του βιβλίου, η ζωή γεννιέται και χάνεται, και ο κόσμος γίνεται στάχτες, όπως οι αναμνήσεις μας διαλύονται.
Δεν είναι τυχαία αυτή η σειρά στην εργογραφία του Γουλφ. Μια από τις πολλές εμμονές του είναι η ταυτότητα και η προέλευση μιας ιστορίας: πως καταλήγει στον αναγνώστη; Αυτά που απασχολούν τον καημένο -καταδικασμένος να ξεχνάει κάθε μέρα τα πάντα-, και κατά τ' άλλα γοητευτικό και γενναίο Λάτρο, απασχολούν όλους μας. Προσπαθεί να γραπωθεί από ό,τι του φέρνει η μέρα, για να συνθέσει την ζωή του, γράφοντας το ημερολόγιο του. Φυσικά, αυτά που ζει, είναι μια καταπληκτική περιπέτεια, που μόνο ο Γουλφ θα μπορούσε να συλλάβει.
Δίνω 4 αστέρια και όχι πέντε, γιατί, παρότι καλό, νιώθω πως ήταν κάπως κλούβιο στις επιδιώξεις του σε σχέση με τα άλλα δύο: ο πρωταγωνιστής από την Ελλάδα κατέληξε στην Αίγυπτο και μπλέχτηκε σε περιπέτειες, ως έρμαιο των θεοτήτων, όπως και στα άλλα δύο. Κάτι μικρό, όμως, έλειπε. Κάτι που δεν μπορώ να προσδιορίσω, δεν έκανε την ανάγνωση τόσο απολαυστική, αντάξια όσων είχαν προηγηθεί.
Υ.Γ. Υπό άλλες συνθήκες μπορεί να έδινα τρία αστέρια. Η ιδιαίτερη γραφή του Γουλφ είναι μια συντροφία ανεκτίμητης αξίας για εμένα, εδώ και 12-13 χρόνια που διαβάζω ευλαβικά τα βιβλία του. Είναι μεγάλος πια, και κάποια στιγμή θα ξέρω πως δεν θα μπορέσω να διαβάσω άλλες σελίδες του. Ένα αστεράκι παραπάνω, είναι μια σταγόνα στον ωκεανό της ευγνωμοσύνης που νιώθω για όσα μου έχει δώσει.
Τούτο καταφέρνει κατ' εμέ ο Γουλφ, του οποίου το κρυπτικό ύφος, και η γραφή του, που δεν είναι για τους περιστασιακούς αναγνώστες, εξυπηρετεί απόλυτα τον στόχο του. Πως μπορεί να αναπλαστεί ένας κόσμος, για τον οποίο μέσα από θραύσματα πληροφοριών, γνωρίζουμε ελάχιστα; Ο Γουλφ κάνει τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα σαχλά αναγνώσματα. Έτσι γράφεται, κυρίες και κύριοι, ένα σωστό ιστορικό ανάγνωσμα! Υπήρξαν οι μύθοι, υπήρχαν οι θεοί και κάποτε χάθηκαν. Γιατί τους έπλαθε το μυαλό μας, και ό,τι το μυαλό ξεχνάει, χάνεται. Κάπως έτσι, καταλήγει ο πρωταγωνιστής στα μισά του βιβλίου, η ζωή γεννιέται και χάνεται, και ο κόσμος γίνεται στάχτες, όπως οι αναμνήσεις μας διαλύονται.
Δεν είναι τυχαία αυτή η σειρά στην εργογραφία του Γουλφ. Μια από τις πολλές εμμονές του είναι η ταυτότητα και η προέλευση μιας ιστορίας: πως καταλήγει στον αναγνώστη; Αυτά που απασχολούν τον καημένο -καταδικασμένος να ξεχνάει κάθε μέρα τα πάντα-, και κατά τ' άλλα γοητευτικό και γενναίο Λάτρο, απασχολούν όλους μας. Προσπαθεί να γραπωθεί από ό,τι του φέρνει η μέρα, για να συνθέσει την ζωή του, γράφοντας το ημερολόγιο του. Φυσικά, αυτά που ζει, είναι μια καταπληκτική περιπέτεια, που μόνο ο Γουλφ θα μπορούσε να συλλάβει.
Δίνω 4 αστέρια και όχι πέντε, γιατί, παρότι καλό, νιώθω πως ήταν κάπως κλούβιο στις επιδιώξεις του σε σχέση με τα άλλα δύο: ο πρωταγωνιστής από την Ελλάδα κατέληξε στην Αίγυπτο και μπλέχτηκε σε περιπέτειες, ως έρμαιο των θεοτήτων, όπως και στα άλλα δύο. Κάτι μικρό, όμως, έλειπε. Κάτι που δεν μπορώ να προσδιορίσω, δεν έκανε την ανάγνωση τόσο απολαυστική, αντάξια όσων είχαν προηγηθεί.
Υ.Γ. Υπό άλλες συνθήκες μπορεί να έδινα τρία αστέρια. Η ιδιαίτερη γραφή του Γουλφ είναι μια συντροφία ανεκτίμητης αξίας για εμένα, εδώ και 12-13 χρόνια που διαβάζω ευλαβικά τα βιβλία του. Είναι μεγάλος πια, και κάποια στιγμή θα ξέρω πως δεν θα μπορέσω να διαβάσω άλλες σελίδες του. Ένα αστεράκι παραπάνω, είναι μια σταγόνα στον ωκεανό της ευγνωμοσύνης που νιώθω για όσα μου έχει δώσει.
January 5, 2018
3.5 stars rounded down because while the novel is polished and entertaining, it’s slower and less involving than its predecessors.
This is not the conclusion of Latro’s journey, it’s more like a standalone-ish addition to the series than a proper continuation since the second book provided more of an ending; anyway I couldn’t pass up the chance and I’m happy I spent more time in Latro’s world. This time, the tale is set down the Nile and I really appreciated the philosophy, the mythology and the dream scenes.
Latro’s prowess is undisputed, he's gods-touched but he’s also at the mercy of others' words and vulnerable; his record is pervaded throughout with his weariness at the reality of his predicament and with his constant, almost compulsive need to write and reread in order to remember his reality. The writing style is poised and perfunctory; I think it efficiently conveys Latro’s struggles and possibly Wolfe's evolution as a writer, too, since there is a sizable time gap with the previous novel
Yet this detached Latro is never without hope or humanity (or humour) and that makes his tale very enjoyable. He is still the quintessential unreliable narrator, but not because he tries to deceive himself or the reader; he strives to pursue the truth and retain a semblance of control, to find the strength to make a decision for himself and stay focused even if he has amnesia.
As usual, the interactions between the characters, their mutual dependencies or conflicting desires and the historical/geographical background are impressive.
Definitely not my last Gene Wolfe!
Soldiers fight, and kings take the spoil. What does a soldier get? A few coins, perhaps, a ring from a dead man's finger, and many scars. What does a horse get? Only death. We ride them, and they--our kings--ride us.<\i>
This is not the conclusion of Latro’s journey, it’s more like a standalone-ish addition to the series than a proper continuation since the second book provided more of an ending; anyway I couldn’t pass up the chance and I’m happy I spent more time in Latro’s world. This time, the tale is set down the Nile and I really appreciated the philosophy, the mythology and the dream scenes.
Latro’s prowess is undisputed, he's gods-touched but he’s also at the mercy of others' words and vulnerable; his record is pervaded throughout with his weariness at the reality of his predicament and with his constant, almost compulsive need to write and reread in order to remember his reality. The writing style is poised and perfunctory; I think it efficiently conveys Latro’s struggles and possibly Wolfe's evolution as a writer, too, since there is a sizable time gap with the previous novel
Yet this detached Latro is never without hope or humanity (or humour) and that makes his tale very enjoyable. He is still the quintessential unreliable narrator, but not because he tries to deceive himself or the reader; he strives to pursue the truth and retain a semblance of control, to find the strength to make a decision for himself and stay focused even if he has amnesia.
As usual, the interactions between the characters, their mutual dependencies or conflicting desires and the historical/geographical background are impressive.
Definitely not my last Gene Wolfe!
Soldiers fight, and kings take the spoil. What does a soldier get? A few coins, perhaps, a ring from a dead man's finger, and many scars. What does a horse get? Only death. We ride them, and they--our kings--ride us.<\i>
May 18, 2008
I actually debated a bit whether to give this book three stars or four, because while it's very good in a lot of ways, it's also very frustrating in some.
First, the good bits. Gene Wolfe provides a fascinating depiction of the ancient world (primarily Egypt and Nubia), and a very interesting narrator: Latro, because of an old head wound and/or a god's curse, has no long term memory. He forgets everything while he sleeps, and so he keeps a scroll with him in which he jots down accounts of events. His periodic re-reading of this scroll has to serve him in place of a memory. The novel takes the form of the text of his scroll.
This makes for a fascinating and challenging read. We, as readers, have memories of things that Latro doesn't. It's often up to us to make connections between events. If something prevents Latro from writing in the scroll, there's no record of it, and we have to puzzle things out from any available clues. There are several such small gaps in the story, and one quite substantial gap, where I'm still not sure I've put everything together correctly. Not an easy read, but if you've got any taste for solving puzzles, you'll probably enjoy it.
Now, on to the frustrating parts. To a reader who has read a lot of Wolfe, some aspects of the book start to seem familiar. With his interesting memory problem set aside, here is Latro's story in a nutshell: a somewhat directionless but basically goodhearted man goes on a long journey. He becomes the protector of a prostitute with a heart of gold, meets an old man with mysterious powers who pretends to be his friend but seems to have ulterior motives, and receives messages and instructions from a bunch of gods, most of whom can only be seen by him. I get the feeling that I've read this one before. Was it The Knight? Or maybe The Book of the Long Sun? Or maybe The Book of the New Sun? Or maybe all of them?
Second frustration - this is the third book in Latro's story (after Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete). Fans of the earlier books had to wait over a decade for this installment. Personally, I was hoping for some resolution, but at the end of the book, we don't seem much closer to finding the key to Latro's memory loss than we were before.
Despite these frustrations, I gave it four stars because I had a hard time putting it down, and I'll buy the sequel in a heartbeat when/if it comes out.
First, the good bits. Gene Wolfe provides a fascinating depiction of the ancient world (primarily Egypt and Nubia), and a very interesting narrator: Latro, because of an old head wound and/or a god's curse, has no long term memory. He forgets everything while he sleeps, and so he keeps a scroll with him in which he jots down accounts of events. His periodic re-reading of this scroll has to serve him in place of a memory. The novel takes the form of the text of his scroll.
This makes for a fascinating and challenging read. We, as readers, have memories of things that Latro doesn't. It's often up to us to make connections between events. If something prevents Latro from writing in the scroll, there's no record of it, and we have to puzzle things out from any available clues. There are several such small gaps in the story, and one quite substantial gap, where I'm still not sure I've put everything together correctly. Not an easy read, but if you've got any taste for solving puzzles, you'll probably enjoy it.
Now, on to the frustrating parts. To a reader who has read a lot of Wolfe, some aspects of the book start to seem familiar. With his interesting memory problem set aside, here is Latro's story in a nutshell: a somewhat directionless but basically goodhearted man goes on a long journey. He becomes the protector of a prostitute with a heart of gold, meets an old man with mysterious powers who pretends to be his friend but seems to have ulterior motives, and receives messages and instructions from a bunch of gods, most of whom can only be seen by him. I get the feeling that I've read this one before. Was it The Knight? Or maybe The Book of the Long Sun? Or maybe The Book of the New Sun? Or maybe all of them?
Second frustration - this is the third book in Latro's story (after Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete). Fans of the earlier books had to wait over a decade for this installment. Personally, I was hoping for some resolution, but at the end of the book, we don't seem much closer to finding the key to Latro's memory loss than we were before.
Despite these frustrations, I gave it four stars because I had a hard time putting it down, and I'll buy the sequel in a heartbeat when/if it comes out.
August 11, 2012
"The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there," was L.P. Hartley's nostalgia-fraught opening line in the novel, The Go-Between. That quality of foreignness, when well captured and faithfully presented, is what ensorcels the devoted reader of historical novels. Its noticeable absence -- as when some medieval captain of archers orders his men to "ready, aim, fire!" -- jars the aficionado's anachronism detector, and harshly cancels the spell.
In Soldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe's long-awaited resumption of the travels of a brain-damaged Roman of the fifth century BCE, the enchantment never falters. In this episode we reconnect with the centurion Lucius (or Latro, as he was known in the first two books, Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete), some years after he made it home from Greece after the Hellenes had fought off the last invasion by Persia. Lucius had served on the losing side, a mercenary in King Xerxes's army that was slaughtered by Spartan and Athenian hoplites at the Battle of Plataea. There he suffered a catastrophic head wound that left him with a great scar on his scalp and a brain that can only remember the last twelve hours.
As Soldier of Sidon opens, Lucius's Phoenician friend, Masluk, a sea captain he freed from slavery, has come to see if the Roman has recovered from his peculiar affliction. He
finds him no better, but Lucius has written the name "Riverland" above his door, as a reminder that he must go to Egypt to discover what has happened to him. Why Egypt? We don't know. Unlike the straight-flowing Nile, where much of this novel is set, a Wolfe novel is not made for easy navigation. Masluk, motivated to help his benefactor, has brought Lucius along on a trading voyage to the Nile delta. After selling his cargo of fine leather, the Phoenician hires out his ship to the local Persian satrap (Egypt then being under Persian rule); he is to take an expedition up-river to learn what he can about the sources of the Nile. Along the way, they will try to do what they can for the Roman.
Wolfe then assembles an interesting collation of voyagers: a Persian magus to be in charge of the expedition; two Egyptian priests, devoted to two different gods and not on the best of terms with each other; two "river-wives," dancing girls hired to be Lucius's and Masluk's comforts for the voyage; a handful of Persian and Egyptian soldiers for Lucius to command; an Athenian wine merchant acting for an Egyptian whose son has been captured by a Nubian king who would prefer to keep secret the location of his gold mines.
There are also some less visible passengers and wayside encounters -- demons, familiars, gods -- and a wax effigy of a woman that can be brought to life if her cheeks are smeared with fresh blood. Each of these characters has his or her own agenda. They may tell the truth or they may lie and dissemble and intrigue against each other as their various interests dictate. And all of their doings and sayings are presented to us through the diary of the brain-injured stranger, who tries to write down everything he needs to remember on a scroll that he carries with him.
It makes for a remarkable tale-telling, because Lucius is a perpetual innocent, struggling to make sense of the new world that is offered to him over every morning's breakfast. Sometimes he is able to consult his scroll and match his intuitive liking or distrust of the individuals around him to his own record of their past behaviors; sometimes he is fooled, as when the woman of wax works her wiles upon him. Yet his instincts are usually reliable, and his essential character is noble, for all the blood that stains his hands.
This book, the two that went before, and the one to follow (for Lucius is not yet done with his quest), are offered to us as fantasies. I think they are not fantasies, but well-wrought historical novels; they are faithful recreations of a long-vanished world from the viewpoint of a person who might well have existed. True, Lucius sees more gods and demons than most of his contemporaries, and some of them are more interested in him than in his companions, but those deities and spirits are part of the normal intellectual furniture of the ancient mind. Ancient Egypt is doubly foreign country, and Gene Wolfe has got the "differently" part of Hartley's famous line just right.
After waiting fifteen years for Latro to continue, I am once again looking forward to what happens next.
In Soldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe's long-awaited resumption of the travels of a brain-damaged Roman of the fifth century BCE, the enchantment never falters. In this episode we reconnect with the centurion Lucius (or Latro, as he was known in the first two books, Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete), some years after he made it home from Greece after the Hellenes had fought off the last invasion by Persia. Lucius had served on the losing side, a mercenary in King Xerxes's army that was slaughtered by Spartan and Athenian hoplites at the Battle of Plataea. There he suffered a catastrophic head wound that left him with a great scar on his scalp and a brain that can only remember the last twelve hours.
As Soldier of Sidon opens, Lucius's Phoenician friend, Masluk, a sea captain he freed from slavery, has come to see if the Roman has recovered from his peculiar affliction. He
finds him no better, but Lucius has written the name "Riverland" above his door, as a reminder that he must go to Egypt to discover what has happened to him. Why Egypt? We don't know. Unlike the straight-flowing Nile, where much of this novel is set, a Wolfe novel is not made for easy navigation. Masluk, motivated to help his benefactor, has brought Lucius along on a trading voyage to the Nile delta. After selling his cargo of fine leather, the Phoenician hires out his ship to the local Persian satrap (Egypt then being under Persian rule); he is to take an expedition up-river to learn what he can about the sources of the Nile. Along the way, they will try to do what they can for the Roman.
Wolfe then assembles an interesting collation of voyagers: a Persian magus to be in charge of the expedition; two Egyptian priests, devoted to two different gods and not on the best of terms with each other; two "river-wives," dancing girls hired to be Lucius's and Masluk's comforts for the voyage; a handful of Persian and Egyptian soldiers for Lucius to command; an Athenian wine merchant acting for an Egyptian whose son has been captured by a Nubian king who would prefer to keep secret the location of his gold mines.
There are also some less visible passengers and wayside encounters -- demons, familiars, gods -- and a wax effigy of a woman that can be brought to life if her cheeks are smeared with fresh blood. Each of these characters has his or her own agenda. They may tell the truth or they may lie and dissemble and intrigue against each other as their various interests dictate. And all of their doings and sayings are presented to us through the diary of the brain-injured stranger, who tries to write down everything he needs to remember on a scroll that he carries with him.
It makes for a remarkable tale-telling, because Lucius is a perpetual innocent, struggling to make sense of the new world that is offered to him over every morning's breakfast. Sometimes he is able to consult his scroll and match his intuitive liking or distrust of the individuals around him to his own record of their past behaviors; sometimes he is fooled, as when the woman of wax works her wiles upon him. Yet his instincts are usually reliable, and his essential character is noble, for all the blood that stains his hands.
This book, the two that went before, and the one to follow (for Lucius is not yet done with his quest), are offered to us as fantasies. I think they are not fantasies, but well-wrought historical novels; they are faithful recreations of a long-vanished world from the viewpoint of a person who might well have existed. True, Lucius sees more gods and demons than most of his contemporaries, and some of them are more interested in him than in his companions, but those deities and spirits are part of the normal intellectual furniture of the ancient mind. Ancient Egypt is doubly foreign country, and Gene Wolfe has got the "differently" part of Hartley's famous line just right.
After waiting fifteen years for Latro to continue, I am once again looking forward to what happens next.
November 15, 2019
Unfortunately I failed to see the point of this book. Gene Wolfe is my favorite writer and the first book of the Latro series is a masterpiece but this one was mediocre. Still, mediocre Wolfe is very good. Only for the completist.
June 28, 2023
LATRO!!!!
“I have said I am free; but surely no man is free who does not know how he came to be so.”
I would have finished this in 4 days if not for FFXVI coming out last Thursday but man this was a really good read. The story does have gaps in terms of the time periods written in the scroll, which mostly appear after Part 2 but I might have enjoyed this cast more than the first 2 Latro books.
Getting to see a couple familiar faces was nice but I think I think Latro’s wife and the people Latro was traveling with were more interesting to deal with. It sucks we will never get another book in this series because you can tell Wolfe wanted to write another novel for this character, but I really did love seeing how this story progressed now with Egyptian gods.
Soldier of Sidon was even more tough I believe than the first 2 because it felt like to me there was more the reader had to piece together by themselves from what Latro was leaving out or may have been prevented from writing. He didn’t seem to have a person always forcing him to write and was doing it whenever he could and always seemed to be in a hurry under little to no light.
“Will the gods by whom I swore condemn me for breaking an oath I will soon have forgotten?
Surely they will. That is the way of gods.”
“I have said I am free; but surely no man is free who does not know how he came to be so.”
I would have finished this in 4 days if not for FFXVI coming out last Thursday but man this was a really good read. The story does have gaps in terms of the time periods written in the scroll, which mostly appear after Part 2 but I might have enjoyed this cast more than the first 2 Latro books.
Getting to see a couple familiar faces was nice but I think I think Latro’s wife and the people Latro was traveling with were more interesting to deal with. It sucks we will never get another book in this series because you can tell Wolfe wanted to write another novel for this character, but I really did love seeing how this story progressed now with Egyptian gods.
Soldier of Sidon was even more tough I believe than the first 2 because it felt like to me there was more the reader had to piece together by themselves from what Latro was leaving out or may have been prevented from writing. He didn’t seem to have a person always forcing him to write and was doing it whenever he could and always seemed to be in a hurry under little to no light.
“Will the gods by whom I swore condemn me for breaking an oath I will soon have forgotten?
Surely they will. That is the way of gods.”
May 13, 2008
It's been a long, long time since Wolfe's wonderful pair of novels--Soldier in the Mist and Soldier of Arete--came out and dazzled me to no end. Wolfe's tremendous knowledge of ancient lands, his unique take on a most unreliable narrator, Latro the soldier with no long term memory (the complete opposite from Severian in the Book of the New Sun who cannot forget), and a unique take on ancient mythology. I simply LOVED those books.
20 or so years later, along comes a continuation of the Latro series, Soldier of Sidon. I avoided the book for over a year, because I knew there was no way it could measure up to the expectations I held.
Well, I was wrong.
Sure, this 3rd novel is much more "accessible" than the previous two, as the earlier works, particularly the second, were dense and often hard to navigate, to say the least. But accessible is certainly not a bad thing. I Latro's latest adventures, now in Egypt, quite enjoyable. He continues to drift through a series of adventures, yearning to cure his curse of forgetting, hoping to no longer need to write down his life in scrolls in order to create a written "memory". The gods are still visible to Latro, and little touches such as Latro admiring the beauty of the sun god's boat carrying the sun still give this reader pleasure.
I must admit, the book was somewhat frustrating. Occasionally I recall thinking that Latro has done this sort of thing before, whether it's encounter an odd mythological creature no one else can see, or get propositioned by an inhumanly beautiful woman, and so forth. So the "newness" has worn off slightly.
What was surprising to me was the fact Wolfedoesn't tie up the sequence, but appears to leave room for another novel. Oh well. I can wait. I waited 20 years for this one.
20 or so years later, along comes a continuation of the Latro series, Soldier of Sidon. I avoided the book for over a year, because I knew there was no way it could measure up to the expectations I held.
Well, I was wrong.
Sure, this 3rd novel is much more "accessible" than the previous two, as the earlier works, particularly the second, were dense and often hard to navigate, to say the least. But accessible is certainly not a bad thing. I Latro's latest adventures, now in Egypt, quite enjoyable. He continues to drift through a series of adventures, yearning to cure his curse of forgetting, hoping to no longer need to write down his life in scrolls in order to create a written "memory". The gods are still visible to Latro, and little touches such as Latro admiring the beauty of the sun god's boat carrying the sun still give this reader pleasure.
I must admit, the book was somewhat frustrating. Occasionally I recall thinking that Latro has done this sort of thing before, whether it's encounter an odd mythological creature no one else can see, or get propositioned by an inhumanly beautiful woman, and so forth. So the "newness" has worn off slightly.
What was surprising to me was the fact Wolfedoesn't tie up the sequence, but appears to leave room for another novel. Oh well. I can wait. I waited 20 years for this one.
January 22, 2017
Plots to Gene Wolfe books always strike me as secondary. Yes there's a goal of sorts but the real pleasure is in the journey and the beautiful language Wolfe employs to get you there.
Here, mercenary Latro finds himself in Egypt floating southward up the Nile on a mission from Xerxes to learn and document the lands to the south (i.e. Africa). As with his adventures in Greece, Latro can't remember things from day to day and must write them down in a scroll. His head wound also has the effect of his being able to see physical manifestations of gods and goddesses. It makes for some surreal scenes that are captivating.
There are so many wonderful lines in this book, here are few I noted (and they all appear within 5 pages of each other!):
"No one can be good unless he is brave; and any man who is brave is good in that, if it no other way. If he is brave enough, there must always be some good in him."
...
"Any wife who is loved has been good enough."
...
"I have said I am free; but surely no man is free who does not know how he came to be so."
Seriously? It's just not fair.
Here, mercenary Latro finds himself in Egypt floating southward up the Nile on a mission from Xerxes to learn and document the lands to the south (i.e. Africa). As with his adventures in Greece, Latro can't remember things from day to day and must write them down in a scroll. His head wound also has the effect of his being able to see physical manifestations of gods and goddesses. It makes for some surreal scenes that are captivating.
There are so many wonderful lines in this book, here are few I noted (and they all appear within 5 pages of each other!):
"No one can be good unless he is brave; and any man who is brave is good in that, if it no other way. If he is brave enough, there must always be some good in him."
...
"Any wife who is loved has been good enough."
...
"I have said I am free; but surely no man is free who does not know how he came to be so."
Seriously? It's just not fair.
March 21, 2024
There are no common men... only those others consider so.
A superb third entry if a bittersweet finale.
Despite a wild shift in setting, Latro is ever a good man on a hard road, the constant purifier of powers seeking to control him. New companions and confidants here, and new enemies… Frenemies? You can never quite tell with these Egyptians. And we'll likely never really know how to interpret them.
The first book in this series hid the keys to its mysteries in its sequel. This volume seems to have attempted the same, yet remains partnerless. The venerable Wolfe passed before he could complete Latro's tale. Luckily, even if its depths will never be officially fathomed, it's still worth exploring, lovingly, with friends.
April 4, 2024
A very vibesy conclusion to a very vibesy series. The continuation of the theophany/amnesia theme was very cool in Egypt and Ethiopia.
The series as a whole seems to be missing a real landing punch in terms of what we’re supposed to do with that connection, but the conclusion did feel satisfying in a way. The repetition of the priest’s claim that most men would be envious of his ability to forget was, I thought, chilling and poetic, but sadly unresolved.
The series as a whole seems to be missing a real landing punch in terms of what we’re supposed to do with that connection, but the conclusion did feel satisfying in a way. The repetition of the priest’s claim that most men would be envious of his ability to forget was, I thought, chilling and poetic, but sadly unresolved.
April 8, 2025
Continúan las historias de un Latro más olvidadizo que nunca, atisbando el mundo de los dioses e incluso acercándolos al resto de los mortales. El estilo narrativo sigue siendo cautivador, con esa inocencia bárbara de cada despertar, pero esta vez se pierde esa conexión con hechos históricos como en las partes anteriores, o al menos en Egipto no las supe encontrar.
Interesante la geografía, los dioses, las peleas y algunos personajes, casi todos nuevos...creo.
Interesante la geografía, los dioses, las peleas y algunos personajes, casi todos nuevos...creo.
September 20, 2011
��ltimo libro de la temporada.
Han pasado 20 años desde que Gene Wolfe publicó la primera parte de esta serie de novelas, primero fue Soldado de la niebla y un par de años después Soldado de areté. Aún recuerdo lo bien que lo pasé leyendo esta primera novela con 15 añitos de edad, y quedando para siempre enganchado con la Grecia clásica.
En esta tercera entrega de la serie, Latro el protagonista (muy semejante al amnésico de la película Memento) remonta el río Nilo y se da un paseo por Egipto. Si no has leído las dos partes anteriores (y que después de 20 años no creo que sean fáciles de encontrar en papel) te pierdes bastante, pero teniendo en cuenta que la amnesia del personaje principal no repite prácticamente nada de lo que le ha pasado en las otras novelas por que simplemente no se acuerda. En la reseña de Lothlórien profundizan mucho más, así que léela.
Le he dado 3 estrellas, supongo que por cariño, pero bien podrían ser solo 2. Ahora, que si reeditan o encontráis la primera de las novelas no dudéis en comprarla, esa si que merece la pena. Otra cosa que se debe tener en cuenta es que termina de manera inconclusa, y apunta a otra continuación, supongo que menos espaciada en el tiempo.
Reseña de Soldado de Sidón en Lothlórien
Gene Wolfe en la wikipedia
Han pasado 20 años desde que Gene Wolfe publicó la primera parte de esta serie de novelas, primero fue Soldado de la niebla y un par de años después Soldado de areté. Aún recuerdo lo bien que lo pasé leyendo esta primera novela con 15 añitos de edad, y quedando para siempre enganchado con la Grecia clásica.
En esta tercera entrega de la serie, Latro el protagonista (muy semejante al amnésico de la película Memento) remonta el río Nilo y se da un paseo por Egipto. Si no has leído las dos partes anteriores (y que después de 20 años no creo que sean fáciles de encontrar en papel) te pierdes bastante, pero teniendo en cuenta que la amnesia del personaje principal no repite prácticamente nada de lo que le ha pasado en las otras novelas por que simplemente no se acuerda. En la reseña de Lothlórien profundizan mucho más, así que léela.
Le he dado 3 estrellas, supongo que por cariño, pero bien podrían ser solo 2. Ahora, que si reeditan o encontráis la primera de las novelas no dudéis en comprarla, esa si que merece la pena. Otra cosa que se debe tener en cuenta es que termina de manera inconclusa, y apunta a otra continuación, supongo que menos espaciada en el tiempo.
Reseña de Soldado de Sidón en Lothlórien
Gene Wolfe en la wikipedia
October 12, 2009
Imagine a version of the movie "Memento" where the hero has lost his ability to remember anything for more than a short time -- only set in ancient times. That gives a taste of this novel.
It's the third in a series and I didn't read the earlier entries. But I soon caught up. The Greek or Roman soldier Latro retains his grasp on reality by writing down everything that happens to him -- because every day is a blank slate to him. He is on a quest down the Nile River to Nubia and beyond.
Latro also has the ability to interact with other-wordly creatures, a waxen woman who sleeps in a coffin and comes to life at night, a mysterious cat or leopard and other strange supernatural creatures.
The writing is very good. Wolfe has a way of putting down words in a crystal clear way. Latro is a gifted observer and kind of idiot-savant, incapable of telling a lie. His relationship with his concubine Myt-Ser'eu, is sweet -- an ancient version of the Adam Sandler movie "Fifty First Dates."
But ultimately, I have to say that I became a bit bored with this book. There wasn'[t enough of a narrative arc -- just one thing after another. It never really reached any kind of climax or resolution.
It's the third in a series and I didn't read the earlier entries. But I soon caught up. The Greek or Roman soldier Latro retains his grasp on reality by writing down everything that happens to him -- because every day is a blank slate to him. He is on a quest down the Nile River to Nubia and beyond.
Latro also has the ability to interact with other-wordly creatures, a waxen woman who sleeps in a coffin and comes to life at night, a mysterious cat or leopard and other strange supernatural creatures.
The writing is very good. Wolfe has a way of putting down words in a crystal clear way. Latro is a gifted observer and kind of idiot-savant, incapable of telling a lie. His relationship with his concubine Myt-Ser'eu, is sweet -- an ancient version of the Adam Sandler movie "Fifty First Dates."
But ultimately, I have to say that I became a bit bored with this book. There wasn'[t enough of a narrative arc -- just one thing after another. It never really reached any kind of climax or resolution.
September 7, 2011
Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars.
It's fairly interesting, but the writing is clean to the point of blandness. There is a very high "what the fuck" factor, as stuff just happens and happens and happens. Latro (or whatever his name is; he's called by at least 4 different names throughout the book) floats from location to location, doing ... stuff.
Random dude #1: Hey Latro! Let's go rescue this guy.
Latro: Okay.
Random dude #2: Hey Latro! We need to go find this magic doodad.
Latro: Sure.
Random dude #3: Hey Latro! Would you do me a favor and kill these guys?
Latro: No problem ... could you remind me who you are again?
Rinse, repeat. Sometimes the random dudes are replaced by deities.
Wolfe does a good job with the memory loss thing. In the hands of another author, I could see it being terrifically painful. As it is, it's mildly interesting, though at least once I had a horrible sense of dislocation in time and place and had to backtrack a chapter to figure out what was going on.
Not sure if I'm going to read any more books about the forgetful soldier. I might try some of Wolfe's short stories (I had a bad experience with The Death of Doctor Island, but I'm hoping they're not all like that).
It's fairly interesting, but the writing is clean to the point of blandness. There is a very high "what the fuck" factor, as stuff just happens and happens and happens. Latro (or whatever his name is; he's called by at least 4 different names throughout the book) floats from location to location, doing ... stuff.
Random dude #1: Hey Latro! Let's go rescue this guy.
Latro: Okay.
Random dude #2: Hey Latro! We need to go find this magic doodad.
Latro: Sure.
Random dude #3: Hey Latro! Would you do me a favor and kill these guys?
Latro: No problem ... could you remind me who you are again?
Rinse, repeat. Sometimes the random dudes are replaced by deities.
Wolfe does a good job with the memory loss thing. In the hands of another author, I could see it being terrifically painful. As it is, it's mildly interesting, though at least once I had a horrible sense of dislocation in time and place and had to backtrack a chapter to figure out what was going on.
Not sure if I'm going to read any more books about the forgetful soldier. I might try some of Wolfe's short stories (I had a bad experience with The Death of Doctor Island, but I'm hoping they're not all like that).
August 30, 2017
This is clearly later stage Wolfe - he's moved from being subtle to so sharp that he could cut himself, and sometimes does. The book is good, but it lacks the sweep and grandeur of the prior Latro tales, instead being very much like his other 21st century books such as Pirate Freedom, where the action is in most scenes confined and the there are mysteries of time and place to be sussed out from incomplete conversations and unreliable narrators. Yes, Wolfe has always used unreliable narrators, but it's more pronounced in his 21st century works.
Taking Latro and moving him to the Egypt of his time produces many interesting places to visit and cultures to explore, so it's worth reading for that alone. The nature of the storytelling serves to hide the "And then Latro and company go here, and got on this short adventure, in which inexplicable and magical things happen" that makes up the surface level of the story. When you add in Wolfe's skill with language and the challenges he poses it gets even better. it's just not as exceptional as the first two - in part because there isn't as much going on under the surface as there is in Mist and Arete.
Taking Latro and moving him to the Egypt of his time produces many interesting places to visit and cultures to explore, so it's worth reading for that alone. The nature of the storytelling serves to hide the "And then Latro and company go here, and got on this short adventure, in which inexplicable and magical things happen" that makes up the surface level of the story. When you add in Wolfe's skill with language and the challenges he poses it gets even better. it's just not as exceptional as the first two - in part because there isn't as much going on under the surface as there is in Mist and Arete.
November 5, 2007
Every Wolfe book is a treasure to be savored.
This novel follows the journey of Latro, a Hellene who has been touched by the gods and forgets everything each morning when he wakes. SoS is the third book in the Latro sequence (the previous ones being _Soldier of Arete_ and _Soldier of the Mist_) so don't start off with this one.
Wolfe is an apt historian, and his descriptions of Egypt and Nubia, their people and their gods are both lively and accurate. Wolfe is such a fantastic writer. This book was as 'filling' for me as any of his others have been.
EDIT: This novel won the 2007 World Fantasy Award (for books published in 2006)!
This novel follows the journey of Latro, a Hellene who has been touched by the gods and forgets everything each morning when he wakes. SoS is the third book in the Latro sequence (the previous ones being _Soldier of Arete_ and _Soldier of the Mist_) so don't start off with this one.
Wolfe is an apt historian, and his descriptions of Egypt and Nubia, their people and their gods are both lively and accurate. Wolfe is such a fantastic writer. This book was as 'filling' for me as any of his others have been.
EDIT: This novel won the 2007 World Fantasy Award (for books published in 2006)!
December 3, 2010
I am not as familiar with Egyptian mythology as with Greek. This may be why I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the earlier series. Still really good. I will come back to it if I ever become more familiar with the Egyptian lore.
December 12, 2010
In general, I found this installment way less gripping than the previous two -- both masterpieces. Certainly a good book, just not as good.
October 10, 2024
I liked it, though it didn't have quite the same impact on me as most of Wolfe's work, including the other two books in the trilogy.
It's a lot easier to read, and I think on balance that's just neutral. I got through it a lot faster than normal (once I got started) but it didn't feel like it had quite as much depth or give that sense of reward for paying attention that other books of Wolfe give.
There's a recurring theme of fidelity, but it went over my head or it isn't followed through with. There's a lot of questions of or concerns about fidelity but it doesn't really say much beyond that those concerns happen, at least that I could make out.
The overall story remains unfinished at the end of this book, and I think that's fine. It's about as wrapped up as it was at the end of Soldier of Arete. Latro losing his memory each day is like a window in to his life in each chapter, so the trilogy being just a window into his overall story feels natural.
It's a lot easier to read, and I think on balance that's just neutral. I got through it a lot faster than normal (once I got started) but it didn't feel like it had quite as much depth or give that sense of reward for paying attention that other books of Wolfe give.
There's a recurring theme of fidelity, but it went over my head or it isn't followed through with. There's a lot of questions of or concerns about fidelity but it doesn't really say much beyond that those concerns happen, at least that I could make out.
The overall story remains unfinished at the end of this book, and I think that's fine. It's about as wrapped up as it was at the end of Soldier of Arete. Latro losing his memory each day is like a window in to his life in each chapter, so the trilogy being just a window into his overall story feels natural.
April 25, 2018
Pesadito. La fórmula estaba más que acabada con los dos anteriores. La forma de narrar (obligada al tratarse de un amnésico en plan memento) desespera.
July 5, 2018
Latro, somewhat surprisingly and years after his last appearance (in publishing terms, at least), is back, this time in Egypt and Nubia, nominally on a reconnaissance mission for the Persian satrap, but essentially still on his quest to reclaim the memory he lost (or the goddess Gaia took from him) at the battle of Clay (Platea).
A unique figure in literature, Latro has no memory, yet retains all objective knowledge. He can still recall his languages, the names and purposes of things, his skills as a soldier, his instinct for quality and the difference between right and wrong, both in the people he meets as well as the objects he handles.
In this way, he is in many ways the purest of all Wolfe's characters, and his opinions often have the unadorned ring of truth and wisdom about them , i.e. 'Women are ever affectionate where there is danger, and there would be less danger if it were not so', or: 'All gods are very great, I think, when their priests speak of them'.
He can also see the gods, and the local deities are once again visible to him and involved in his fortune, with the goddess Hathor apparently looking out for him from the start, and the ancient desert god, Set, keen to seduce him and utilise him as a tool for his earthly agent, the enigmatic Egyptian priest Sahuset.
The Egyptians were an entirely conquered people by the middle of the fifth century BC, their mighty line of pharaohs ended by the Persians fifty years previously, so this belated continuation of Latro's story missed the momentous historical and mythical backdrop of the Greco-Persian wars.
Instead Wolfe delves into the ancient and traditional Egyptian tensions between their upper, northern kingdom and the lower, southern kingdom; the fertile, 'black' soil of the Nile and the arid 'red' sand of the desert.
The cow-headed goddess Hathor symbolizes the more youthful and joyous north, whilst the serpentine Set symbolizes the older and crumbling south, a contrast which Wolfe delineates through the very distinct structures and tones of his two part tale.
I can't tell you how glad I was that Wolfe resurrected this character and placed him in a new setting, but I found that my enjoyment, even after a second reading (which Wolfe demands and deserves), still left me with some major reservations.
Firstly, the novel simply does not have a satisfying ending. It seems certain that this novel was intended, as with Soldier in the Mist, to be the first part of a two book story, the second of which would involve a journey back up the Nile, and perhaps onto Babylonia.
But nearly a decade later, where is the concluding part?
Also, latter-day Wolfe never attempts to recreate the more lyrical prose of his earlier work, which included the first two Soldier books. This may help with narrative clarity, but this restraint can itself border on excess, a slavish asceticism that makes me long for him to indulge himself in his old age a little!
Latro is something of a Conan character, albeit a much superior figure to the barbarian in a literary sense. Maybe Wolfe intends to leave Latro on the field, a perfect, indestructible character for others to cast into future adventures?
A unique figure in literature, Latro has no memory, yet retains all objective knowledge. He can still recall his languages, the names and purposes of things, his skills as a soldier, his instinct for quality and the difference between right and wrong, both in the people he meets as well as the objects he handles.
In this way, he is in many ways the purest of all Wolfe's characters, and his opinions often have the unadorned ring of truth and wisdom about them , i.e. 'Women are ever affectionate where there is danger, and there would be less danger if it were not so', or: 'All gods are very great, I think, when their priests speak of them'.
He can also see the gods, and the local deities are once again visible to him and involved in his fortune, with the goddess Hathor apparently looking out for him from the start, and the ancient desert god, Set, keen to seduce him and utilise him as a tool for his earthly agent, the enigmatic Egyptian priest Sahuset.
The Egyptians were an entirely conquered people by the middle of the fifth century BC, their mighty line of pharaohs ended by the Persians fifty years previously, so this belated continuation of Latro's story missed the momentous historical and mythical backdrop of the Greco-Persian wars.
Instead Wolfe delves into the ancient and traditional Egyptian tensions between their upper, northern kingdom and the lower, southern kingdom; the fertile, 'black' soil of the Nile and the arid 'red' sand of the desert.
The cow-headed goddess Hathor symbolizes the more youthful and joyous north, whilst the serpentine Set symbolizes the older and crumbling south, a contrast which Wolfe delineates through the very distinct structures and tones of his two part tale.
I can't tell you how glad I was that Wolfe resurrected this character and placed him in a new setting, but I found that my enjoyment, even after a second reading (which Wolfe demands and deserves), still left me with some major reservations.
Firstly, the novel simply does not have a satisfying ending. It seems certain that this novel was intended, as with Soldier in the Mist, to be the first part of a two book story, the second of which would involve a journey back up the Nile, and perhaps onto Babylonia.
But nearly a decade later, where is the concluding part?
Also, latter-day Wolfe never attempts to recreate the more lyrical prose of his earlier work, which included the first two Soldier books. This may help with narrative clarity, but this restraint can itself border on excess, a slavish asceticism that makes me long for him to indulge himself in his old age a little!
Latro is something of a Conan character, albeit a much superior figure to the barbarian in a literary sense. Maybe Wolfe intends to leave Latro on the field, a perfect, indestructible character for others to cast into future adventures?
July 2, 2009
Gene Wolfe wrote one of the classics of modern science fiction, the four-volume Book of the New Sun. For whatever reason, it has not been accorded the iconic status it deserves, and first, I urge any of you who have not read it to go get ‘Shadow and Claw,’ which collects the first two volumes, and read it immediately.
Wolfe’s other works, though praiseworthy, have not surprisingly fallen short of the standard set by his masterpiece, and the third volume in the Latro series is no different. ‘Soldier of Sidon’ (Tor, $14.95, 319 pages) is wonderfully written, granted, but its strange premise ultimately can’t quite work.
The setup is this: Latro is a Roman soldier in the third century BCE who suffers a serious head wound that renders him incapable of retaining short-term memories. Every night when he goes to sleep, he wakes up having forgotten what has happened to him since his injury. He can still talk and fight and think and observe, but every morning he needs to be reminded of who the people are that he’s working and living with.
The conceit is that the book is Latro’s diary, written on a long scroll, and ‘Soldier of Sidon’ is about Latro’s adventures in ancient Egypt – but the gods and goddesses are extremely real. In fact, one of the byproducts of Latro’s injury is that he can see spirits and demons that normal people can’t. Gods talk to him, and his companions recognize this, and honor him as god-touched.
This fantasy element makes all of the Latro books more than just very well done historical fiction (you can find the first two novels in ‘Latro in the Mist’), but Latro’s inability to remember anything means that he can’t really grow or develop as the plot unfolds. He’s the same person every day no matter what has happened – and it’s also hard for him to write every day, especially if there are battles, so much of the action is offstage and some must be inferred.
But Wolfe is a master, the pages turn, and Latro’s quest for healing is couched in a detailed and fascinating portrait of life in a different world. ‘Soldier of Sidon’, and the previous two novels, aren’t quite The Book of the New Sun, but then again, what is?
Wolfe’s other works, though praiseworthy, have not surprisingly fallen short of the standard set by his masterpiece, and the third volume in the Latro series is no different. ‘Soldier of Sidon’ (Tor, $14.95, 319 pages) is wonderfully written, granted, but its strange premise ultimately can’t quite work.
The setup is this: Latro is a Roman soldier in the third century BCE who suffers a serious head wound that renders him incapable of retaining short-term memories. Every night when he goes to sleep, he wakes up having forgotten what has happened to him since his injury. He can still talk and fight and think and observe, but every morning he needs to be reminded of who the people are that he’s working and living with.
The conceit is that the book is Latro’s diary, written on a long scroll, and ‘Soldier of Sidon’ is about Latro’s adventures in ancient Egypt – but the gods and goddesses are extremely real. In fact, one of the byproducts of Latro’s injury is that he can see spirits and demons that normal people can’t. Gods talk to him, and his companions recognize this, and honor him as god-touched.
This fantasy element makes all of the Latro books more than just very well done historical fiction (you can find the first two novels in ‘Latro in the Mist’), but Latro’s inability to remember anything means that he can’t really grow or develop as the plot unfolds. He’s the same person every day no matter what has happened – and it’s also hard for him to write every day, especially if there are battles, so much of the action is offstage and some must be inferred.
But Wolfe is a master, the pages turn, and Latro’s quest for healing is couched in a detailed and fascinating portrait of life in a different world. ‘Soldier of Sidon’, and the previous two novels, aren’t quite The Book of the New Sun, but then again, what is?
April 20, 2019
This is the continuing story of Latro, a Greek warrior who fought for the Romans and is blessed (or cursed?) by the gods. A head injury took from him his ability to make new memories (yes, like Memento) and so he must write down everything that happens to remember anything. At the same time, he is able to see the gods and demons that others follow on blind faith: although he does not know who they are, since he cannot remember their names.
One other element of the story is that the author claims that this is a translation of an ancient scroll written in broken Latin, full of mysterious abbreviations and illegible words... So a translation of a partially unreadable story written by someone with a severe brain injury. This conceit piles layer upon layer of mystery, creating the ultimate expression of one of Wolfe's favorite devices: the unreliable narrator. Here we can never be sure what is "really happening," and what's more, neither can the protagonist. There are, in fact, times when we as readers know more of what is happening than the MC since we can remember, but he cannot.
It's a fascinating story, but even without the convoluted depth, it's also just interesting. Soldier of Sidon takes Latro into Africa, through Egypt of the Ptolemies and south into Kush/Nubia (the borders are unclear, and the names change like water).
It's complex, and maddening, and fun, and exciting, and endlessly explorable. Just like the lands Latro stumbles through.
One other element of the story is that the author claims that this is a translation of an ancient scroll written in broken Latin, full of mysterious abbreviations and illegible words... So a translation of a partially unreadable story written by someone with a severe brain injury. This conceit piles layer upon layer of mystery, creating the ultimate expression of one of Wolfe's favorite devices: the unreliable narrator. Here we can never be sure what is "really happening," and what's more, neither can the protagonist. There are, in fact, times when we as readers know more of what is happening than the MC since we can remember, but he cannot.
It's a fascinating story, but even without the convoluted depth, it's also just interesting. Soldier of Sidon takes Latro into Africa, through Egypt of the Ptolemies and south into Kush/Nubia (the borders are unclear, and the names change like water).
It's complex, and maddening, and fun, and exciting, and endlessly explorable. Just like the lands Latro stumbles through.
January 18, 2014
A weak and disappointing finale to the Latro books. It started out strong: Latro in Egypt under Persian rule; he's there to find a cure for his memory loss. A cast of characters, almost entirely new to this book, with only several holdovers is presented. The command of the Persian satrap to Latro and company is to sail down the Nile and to explore the South, including Nubia, then to report back. Latro still sees and has converse with deities, this time Egyptian. Adventures ensue. From Wolfe's writing, the fantasy is not to be believed, of course; but I didn't know even how far to trust his information on culture and customs, etc. The only plot resolution is Latro's possible identity as a "Lucius the Roman." At the close of the novel, Latro and three others [a dog and two human companions] are setting off on a quest to find Latro's sword, Falcata. There is room for another sequel, but I think the whole basic idea is getting stale. And--if a sequel's ever written, I wonder if the Falcata quest will be a red herring, like the proposed journey to Syracuse in Book II turned out to be.
December 28, 2024
A Boring Attempt at Turning a Duology into a Trilogy
I really liked Gene Wolfe’s Soldier of the Mist (1986) and Soldier of Arete (1989), in which the amnesiac Latin mercenary Latro wanders among Greek city-states circa 480 BC, and so on as he tries to find a solution to his memory loss and learn his identity and home, being helped or hindered by a series of interesting gods, monsters, and human companions and writing down whatever he witnesses or experiences on any given day because he’ll forget everything upon waking the next morning. The duology ended without resolution, with Latro still amnesiac and still far from home, but left a strong, good impression on me due to Wolfe’s vivid depiction of the ancient Mediterranean world, development of compelling supporting characters, and handicapped narrator’s elliptical relating of his brutal, comedic, or sublime experiences.
As Soldier of Sidon (2006) opens circa 480 BC, Latro (now mostly called Lewqys) finds himself on a ship on the Nile without knowing how he got there. He has forgotten his first- and second-novel friends and companions. He soon joins a mission sent by the Persian Satrap of Kemet (Egypt) to investigate the lands to the south. Aboard the ship captained by Muslak (a merchant friend he made between the second and third novels) are a scribe, a sorcerer-physician, two dancing girls from the Temple of Hathor (one of whom, Myt-ser’eu or Kitten, is his comely young “river-wife” for the duration of the trip), and assorted Egyptian and Persian soldiers. And Sabra, a mysterious woman who’s unintentionally summoned by Latro while spending most of her time in a box as a wax doll. And, at one point, Latro is given a serpent-man servant/slave called Uraeus. And a formidable baboon and a large black panther occasionally reveal themselves to Latro.
If you are a fan of ancient Egypt, you should find much of interest in this novel, including the gods and supernatural beings and a neat scene where Latro’s soul (divided into five selves) is interrogated by the gods and his heart weighed by Osiris. There are some action scenes, like a river horse (hippopotamus) hunt. I liked the relationship between Myt-ser’eu and Latro. I liked the wax woman Sabra.
But despite my love of ancient Egyptian history and culture, etc., this book increasingly bored me and made me question why Wolfe wrote it seventeen years after completing his Latro duology. Did he do a lot of Egyptian research and then want to indulge in his Egyptology hobby? He didn’t have a good story to tell. Thus, although he introduces many exotic deities and rituals and magics and animals and locales, this was finally a boring book that was a chore to finish.
The problems are these:
First, in the first two novels Wolfe wrote similar experiences for Latro in the Mediterranean around Greece with different gods (which for Wolfe may really all be the same gods or god), so there is too much a feeling of familiarity here, despite it happening in Egypt and Nubia (Kush).
Second, Latro is still too passive, too great a fighter, too invulnerable (although cursed by a goddess before the first novel begins, he is protected by many divinities thereafter), and too great a lover, sought after by multiple women, from common and mortal to royal and supernatural. He’s too good to be true, too much of a nerdy fan boy projection, and I found myself not caring what happens to him or worrying about him much.
Third, the quests and stakes in this third book are obscure and/or unimpressive, e.g., investigate the south for the Satrap, rescue some rich guy’s son from some gold mining area, recover Latro’s sword, etc. It is refreshing not to find here a Quest to Save the World from Evil, but Latro’s almost aimless participation in small scale adventures he soon forgets is unaffecting.
Fourth, Latro’s disability leads to too much repetition and elliptical narration. He’ll say something like, “My wife’s name is Myt-ser’eu,” or “Myt-ser’eu wanted me to buy a horse for my slave, whose name is Uraeus,” and we’ve already been told umpteen times that she’s his wife and Uraeus his slave. He repeatedly describes people he’s traveling with but forgotten (though we remember them). Furthermore, he often resumes his tale after suspenseful things have happened that he has forgotten because he was unable to write them down. And even when he does write important things, upon waking he’ll forget having written them and only “remember” them if he rereads them in his scroll. Because he can’t always read his book, he ends up having to be reminded of events and people and situations by his companions. Such narrative devices seemed cool and even moving in the first two books, but here they seem contrived and increasingly irritating.
Fifth, although Wolfe does do plenty of fine writing, like “her laugh was forgotten gold, shaken in a cup,” he also does plenty of bad writing, like “I need protection, Latro, and I need it pretty bad.” And he writes too many low-tension conversations over none too important matters, some covering already covered ground that Latro has forgotten and needs to be reminded of.
Sixth,
Finally, the above problems are exacerbated by the monotonous audiobook reading by Gregory Connors. He also redundantly coughs etc. when the narration says something like, “he coughed.” I liked his reading of the first two books, but here he increases the boredom and irritation of the reading experience.
So. Completists and fans of Gene Wolfe (and ancient Egypt) might like this novel a lot, but I wish I had stopped after Soldier of Arete.
I really liked Gene Wolfe’s Soldier of the Mist (1986) and Soldier of Arete (1989), in which the amnesiac Latin mercenary Latro wanders among Greek city-states circa 480 BC, and so on as he tries to find a solution to his memory loss and learn his identity and home, being helped or hindered by a series of interesting gods, monsters, and human companions and writing down whatever he witnesses or experiences on any given day because he’ll forget everything upon waking the next morning. The duology ended without resolution, with Latro still amnesiac and still far from home, but left a strong, good impression on me due to Wolfe’s vivid depiction of the ancient Mediterranean world, development of compelling supporting characters, and handicapped narrator’s elliptical relating of his brutal, comedic, or sublime experiences.
As Soldier of Sidon (2006) opens circa 480 BC, Latro (now mostly called Lewqys) finds himself on a ship on the Nile without knowing how he got there. He has forgotten his first- and second-novel friends and companions. He soon joins a mission sent by the Persian Satrap of Kemet (Egypt) to investigate the lands to the south. Aboard the ship captained by Muslak (a merchant friend he made between the second and third novels) are a scribe, a sorcerer-physician, two dancing girls from the Temple of Hathor (one of whom, Myt-ser’eu or Kitten, is his comely young “river-wife” for the duration of the trip), and assorted Egyptian and Persian soldiers. And Sabra, a mysterious woman who’s unintentionally summoned by Latro while spending most of her time in a box as a wax doll. And, at one point, Latro is given a serpent-man servant/slave called Uraeus. And a formidable baboon and a large black panther occasionally reveal themselves to Latro.
If you are a fan of ancient Egypt, you should find much of interest in this novel, including the gods and supernatural beings and a neat scene where Latro’s soul (divided into five selves) is interrogated by the gods and his heart weighed by Osiris. There are some action scenes, like a river horse (hippopotamus) hunt. I liked the relationship between Myt-ser’eu and Latro. I liked the wax woman Sabra.
But despite my love of ancient Egyptian history and culture, etc., this book increasingly bored me and made me question why Wolfe wrote it seventeen years after completing his Latro duology. Did he do a lot of Egyptian research and then want to indulge in his Egyptology hobby? He didn’t have a good story to tell. Thus, although he introduces many exotic deities and rituals and magics and animals and locales, this was finally a boring book that was a chore to finish.
The problems are these:
First, in the first two novels Wolfe wrote similar experiences for Latro in the Mediterranean around Greece with different gods (which for Wolfe may really all be the same gods or god), so there is too much a feeling of familiarity here, despite it happening in Egypt and Nubia (Kush).
Second, Latro is still too passive, too great a fighter, too invulnerable (although cursed by a goddess before the first novel begins, he is protected by many divinities thereafter), and too great a lover, sought after by multiple women, from common and mortal to royal and supernatural. He’s too good to be true, too much of a nerdy fan boy projection, and I found myself not caring what happens to him or worrying about him much.
Third, the quests and stakes in this third book are obscure and/or unimpressive, e.g., investigate the south for the Satrap, rescue some rich guy’s son from some gold mining area, recover Latro’s sword, etc. It is refreshing not to find here a Quest to Save the World from Evil, but Latro’s almost aimless participation in small scale adventures he soon forgets is unaffecting.
Fourth, Latro’s disability leads to too much repetition and elliptical narration. He’ll say something like, “My wife’s name is Myt-ser’eu,” or “Myt-ser’eu wanted me to buy a horse for my slave, whose name is Uraeus,” and we’ve already been told umpteen times that she’s his wife and Uraeus his slave. He repeatedly describes people he’s traveling with but forgotten (though we remember them). Furthermore, he often resumes his tale after suspenseful things have happened that he has forgotten because he was unable to write them down. And even when he does write important things, upon waking he’ll forget having written them and only “remember” them if he rereads them in his scroll. Because he can’t always read his book, he ends up having to be reminded of events and people and situations by his companions. Such narrative devices seemed cool and even moving in the first two books, but here they seem contrived and increasingly irritating.
Fifth, although Wolfe does do plenty of fine writing, like “her laugh was forgotten gold, shaken in a cup,” he also does plenty of bad writing, like “I need protection, Latro, and I need it pretty bad.” And he writes too many low-tension conversations over none too important matters, some covering already covered ground that Latro has forgotten and needs to be reminded of.
Sixth,
Finally, the above problems are exacerbated by the monotonous audiobook reading by Gregory Connors. He also redundantly coughs etc. when the narration says something like, “he coughed.” I liked his reading of the first two books, but here he increases the boredom and irritation of the reading experience.
So. Completists and fans of Gene Wolfe (and ancient Egypt) might like this novel a lot, but I wish I had stopped after Soldier of Arete.
June 3, 2024
A very Gene Wolfe story if ever there was. I found myself cursing Wolfe's name after the first couple chapters when I realized that the end to the previous two stories I had wished for happened and passed, and now we were on to other things. Soon I was locked into the world of Riverland and all of the events there.
My next time through the series I'll have to puzzle through some of the gods I didn't figure out, though some may be other spirits or whatnot. I do love that Wolfe stuck so well with the meta-story about the scrolls, which, much to the consternation of every reader, means that the endings happen as they do. Who continues to write a travel journal when they're home, or keeps a cheat sheet current after graduation?
Glad I read the series, and as I mentioned, I'll read it again sometime. That is the way with Wolfe. He's always worth another pass.
My next time through the series I'll have to puzzle through some of the gods I didn't figure out, though some may be other spirits or whatnot. I do love that Wolfe stuck so well with the meta-story about the scrolls, which, much to the consternation of every reader, means that the endings happen as they do. Who continues to write a travel journal when they're home, or keeps a cheat sheet current after graduation?
Glad I read the series, and as I mentioned, I'll read it again sometime. That is the way with Wolfe. He's always worth another pass.
February 12, 2009
Oh, I'll never stop loving Gene Wolfe or badass protagonists with amnesia. Ergo, this book is pretty sweet.
May 1, 2023
It feels unfinished
This will be a brief review of Soldier of Sidon, in addition to my previous review of the three books of the series. The previous review describes the premise of the Soldier of the Mist series, (which Goodreads calls the Latro series).
Soldier of Sidon feels different from the first two books, Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete, which tell of Latro's time among the Greeks. Soldier of Sidon was published after a gap of seventeen years (Mist: 1986, Soldier of Arete: 1989, Sidon: 2006). It also follows a narrative gap. We are given to understand at the beginning of Soldier of Sidon that Latro has been living on a farm (in Luhitu, wherever that might be) with a wife and relatives for some years. His old friend Muslak lured him away on a trading voyage, and would not allow his wife to accompany him.
The story begins in Sais, a city in Egypt. Muslak is called to the satrap (a servant of the Great King, who rules Egypt at this time) and hired for an exploratory voyage upriver (i.e., to the South). Latro comes along as a soldier. Latro is given a scroll in Sais, in which he writes to preserve his memories, since, as a consequence of a battle injury (explained in Soldier of the Mist) he forgets events of more than a day ago. Soldier of Sidon purports to be a translation by Gene Wolfe of that scroll.
It tells of his voyage upriver, through Egypt to the African nations of Nubia and Kush. The story is much like that of Mist and Arete -- Latro sees gods. In thise case, however, they are the gods of Egypt, not Greece.
The story seemed to me more confused than Mist and Arete. There are fairly long stretches where Latro is on his own, and at these times, without companions to remind him of his book, he becomes rudderless and both confused and confusing. Also, the book ends on a cliffhanger. I'm a little surprised Wolfe never followed this up. He lived until 2019, and published several more books after Soldier of Sidon.
Still, all the Soldier of the Mist books are very good.
This will be a brief review of Soldier of Sidon, in addition to my previous review of the three books of the series. The previous review describes the premise of the Soldier of the Mist series, (which Goodreads calls the Latro series).
Soldier of Sidon feels different from the first two books, Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete, which tell of Latro's time among the Greeks. Soldier of Sidon was published after a gap of seventeen years (Mist: 1986, Soldier of Arete: 1989, Sidon: 2006). It also follows a narrative gap. We are given to understand at the beginning of Soldier of Sidon that Latro has been living on a farm (in Luhitu, wherever that might be) with a wife and relatives for some years. His old friend Muslak lured him away on a trading voyage, and would not allow his wife to accompany him.
The story begins in Sais, a city in Egypt. Muslak is called to the satrap (a servant of the Great King, who rules Egypt at this time) and hired for an exploratory voyage upriver (i.e., to the South). Latro comes along as a soldier. Latro is given a scroll in Sais, in which he writes to preserve his memories, since, as a consequence of a battle injury (explained in Soldier of the Mist) he forgets events of more than a day ago. Soldier of Sidon purports to be a translation by Gene Wolfe of that scroll.
It tells of his voyage upriver, through Egypt to the African nations of Nubia and Kush. The story is much like that of Mist and Arete -- Latro sees gods. In thise case, however, they are the gods of Egypt, not Greece.
The story seemed to me more confused than Mist and Arete. There are fairly long stretches where Latro is on his own, and at these times, without companions to remind him of his book, he becomes rudderless and both confused and confusing. Also, the book ends on a cliffhanger. I'm a little surprised Wolfe never followed this up. He lived until 2019, and published several more books after Soldier of Sidon.
Still, all the Soldier of the Mist books are very good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews