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Title: Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe ISBN: 0-312-93734-2 Publisher: St Martins Pr Pub. Date: 01 November, 1986 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An entertaining story that nobody else could have told.
Comment: With `Soldier of the Mist' Gene Wolfe attempts to tell a story
that would stop any other author in their tracks. `Soldier of
the Mist' is the diary of Latro, a soldier of ancient Rome (maybe)
who suffered a head wound on the battlefield. Every day when
Latro awakens, he has a new case of amnesia. Not only does he
not know who he is, but whatever he learns lasts only one day.
He has found travelling companions in his search for his identity,
and every morning they have him read his diary to learn who he
is. Every night he makes new entries, hoping they will be useful
in the coming day. The next morning he will face the world
as new, knowing only what he's written and what he sees in front
of him.
Latro wanders ancient Greece dealing with war, politics, gods
and goddesses. His lack of knowledge and prejudices let him
(and you) see the world of the ancients in an entirely new light.
Rating: 4
Summary: An interesting idea, deftly rendered.
Comment: Someone said elsewhere that this felt like an exercise for Wolfe, and I know what they mean-- using a Memento-like plot (a main character who loses his memory at the end of every day) Wolfe sketches the world of ancient Greece through the eyes of a soldier named Latro.
The details are compelling-- I was uninterested in the real historical value (people shouldn't be trying to derive history lessons from fantasy novels anyhow) but Wolfe does a good job, as usual, of creating a realistic and detailed world for Latro to move in.
The plot is somewhat less compelling. It is nearly a necessity of the trope that he chose that the plot should get confusing (particularly in times when Latro couldn't write his journal) and I'm sad to say that I often didn't feel any kind of guiding line that was coherent enough to motivate me through the confusion.
Interesting for Wolfe completists or real fans of historical fiction, not a place to begin with his work otherwise.
Rating: 5
Summary: GOOD FICTION IF NOT GOOD HISTORY
Comment: Soldier of the Mist follows the exploits of the (Roman?) mercenary Latro, serving in the Persian army during the invasion of Greece 2400 years ago (give or take a few decades). Wandering under the curse of an offended diety, Latro is doomed to forget all previous days with the arrival of each new sunrise, and his only form of memory is a diary kept on a scroll of papyrus, on which he records each day's activities at the urging of a young girl who has attached herself to him. While each new dawn inflicts amnesia on Latro, his curse brings with it the ability to see and interact with the various Gods, Goddesses, and other mythical creatures of classical mythology that are invisible to the other mortals around him. Other critics on this site have pointed out several flaws in Wolfe's re-creation of history, but whatever mistakes the author makes with history, he makes up for it with sublime, existential prose, albeit, with a sometimes baffling narrative. Definately not for everyone, but if you have a taste for unusual reading, Soldier of the Mist merits consideration.
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Title: Soldier of Arete by Gene Wolfe ISBN: 0812511557 Publisher: Tor Books (Mm) Pub. Date: 01 October, 1990 List Price(USD): $4.95 |
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Title: The 5th Head of Cerberus: Three Novellas by Gene Wolfe ISBN: 0312890206 Publisher: Orb Books Pub. Date: 15 March, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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