Michael Andre-Driussi

Nominally, a dictionary of the various obscure or archaic words that Gene Wolfe peppered the text with in his The Book of the New Sun. It’s actually not very useful for that - if you want to know what an arquebus is, or what it means to be noctilucent, you’ll find more extensive and more reliable definitions at Wikipedia and Wiktionary.

It’s still useful for the sufficiently dedicated fan of the TBotNS, though, partly because it lists just about every character that appears in it (where show more we incidentally learn that an awful lot of them are named for obscure saints), partly because it discusses various obscure points of the plot and setting. show less

In Lexicon Urthus, Michael Andre-Driussi compiled an encyclopedic reference work, invaluable to the serious reader of Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, one of the high points of speculative fiction. The Lexicon identified the denotations and connotations of the many real but unfamiliar words that Wolfe used. Additional
brief essays on major characters and themes made the Lexicon a must-read for serious readers of TBotNS.

Wolfe went on to publish The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the show more Short Sun, both set in the universe of New Sun, but more closely tied with one another than either is with the original series. The challenges here are different: in Long Sun, we must decode the relationships, including kinship, among numerous key characters, and follow the fast-paced course of Silk's path from simple priest to revolutionary leader. In Short Sun, while it's clear that several different characters are in fact the same person, the sequence of events
requires substantial parsing, and the exact nature of several characters' interactions require a couple of reads and substantial reflection.

Andre-Driussi tackles these challenges for us Gate of Horn, Book of Silk, another tremendous effort of scholarship. The format is again encyclopedic, with separate sections for Long Sun and Short Sun. I would say his most valuable contributions this time lie in the detailed timelines that he has assembled for each series; these allow the reader to see the sequences of events more clearly, understand just who is involved at different points, and have a much clearer idea of what Wolfe is up to and why. He also provides explanations of the expressions used by numerous characters as well as speculation on how they are related and why it matters.

Silk and Horn are among the most well drawn and fascinating characters in speculative fiction. Their combined story is complex and laden with symbolism. The exegesis provided in Gate of Horn, Book of Silk goes a long way toward helping the reader who has puzzled over Wolfe's novels to solve several mysteries and make more sense of these fine novels. Highly recommended for anyone wanting a better understanding of Wolfe's work. show less

A little light. Lexicon Urthus, by the same author, was such a source of insight on The Book of the New Sun. Reading it not only helped me keep the characters straight, but taught me how to read the series itself by revealing things I'd missed. Never mind that some of them were theories I know enough to be skeptical about now, because any such reference about a Gene Wolfe book would have the same caveat. That's part of the fun. But The Wizard Knight Companion lacks that depth, and seems like show more a much more pro forma reference work without the same spark of inspiration and fun. show less

I entered a Goodreads giveaway for this book mostly because my teenager has been trying to get me to play the Fallout games for a few years now. I'm a die-hard Skyrim fan....and that's usually the only video game I play. When I finish the game....I pick a new race, start over and make new choices. My son rolls his eyes and gives me the usual speech...."There are thousands of great games out there. Try something new!'' So, I think winning a copy of this book was an excellent opportunity to show more get me at least considering trying Fallout. Getting a taste of the plot and world feel involved...good starting place. I love dystopian, apocolyptic type books....so I figured this would not only be an enjoyable story collection but also a way to get me excited about trying a different video game.

Mission accomplished.

This book has 9 stories, a couple little articles on Fallout/video games, and a list of stories similar to Fallout and even a book list. The stories are enjoyable, and a nice mixed collection. Everything from alternate history, to nukes, to robots. I enjoyed the comparison of Fallout to The Omega Man in one of the articles. The stories are well-written and entertaining. I had a great time reading this entire book!

I think I'm ready to give Fallout a try. Skyrim is still my main video game home.....but I'm a bit miffed they keep pushing back the release time frame for the new game. I got all excited about a return to Skyrim....and then the date kept slipping back, back, back.... Dammit Bethesda! lol Just kidding....I want it to be the best it can be, so I'm willing to wait. I will just take a sidestep and try the Fallout games. :) (But please put the new game out before I'm too old to see the screen! lol)

Enjoyable stories! And, I'm going to take my son's advice and try the Fallout games! And, he sends a sincere salute to Michael Andre-Driussi for getting me to finally take the plunge.

**I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads.com giveaway. I write this review voluntarily and the free copy had no bearing on my review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** show less