Epiphany of the Long Sun: Calde of the Long Sun and Exodus from the Long Sun

I don't have enough superlatives in my vocabulary to praise this work. Once again, our irritating narrator is given to leaving out the important stuff and assuming you know what is obvious to him; much of these books tell bits and pieces of a story while huge, catastrophic events take place just out of view- sort of like real-life. I found that sometimes the parts that seemed very meaningful on the first read turn out to be just the 'bits', and the parts that seem most obnoxiously tedious are the most 'important' later. Pieces come together from previous books, and the settings' larger context seems to peek out of the fog on occasion; the end (as usual) leaves you hanging somewhere you don't really understand.

New characters and threats are revealed. Patera Silk continues to grow in unexpected ways. Mysteries are solved only to open up new complexities. If you have already enjoyed other works by Gene Wolfe, you will be right at home here. Pay close attention, read huge chunks at a time, and just enjoy both the story and the language. I will add these volumes to my "read again" list.

I started reading The Book of The Long Sun series after a professional re4viewer called Gene Wolfe "the best science fiction writer you've never heard of". I was drawn into the first book (Nightside The Long Sun) by the first line, and I have never enjoyed reading any novel more than these.The Long Sun storyline is epic -- It's essentially about the end of a world and the struggle for a new beginning, told in the most intimate "ground level" way possible. It's about religion, power, intrigue, and even romance. The lead character, Silk, is a young man who posseses wisdom and power he does not know he has, and it's wonderful to watch him develop. One must read these books in order, as each volume of the four picks up where the previous one left off.Wolfe creates a world (he calls it the "whorl") slowly and carefully, starting with wonderful human (and animal) characters, allowing the reader to learn by observation rather than by description. The story is intensly human, and the technology which makes this "science" fiction is revealed bit by bit. One starts by thinking the "whorl" is almost medieval, but Wolfe's misdirection here is masterful.Truly, the Long Sun series is among the best fiction -- not just science fiction -- I have ever read. It's up there with Tolkien, Bradbury, and Asimov for sure.

I've read the Long Sun Books six times, so far. They continue to amaze and surprise me, as if I've never read them before. For instance: They are extremely funny--something I've not heard much about. (For example: The scene where Patera Silk meets Patera Gulo. And nearly every time the night chough Oreb speaks.) These books are also deep and moving. Sometimes, great art is too big for words. Or, perhaps, we have to enlarge ourselves in order to absorb it. So I feel I am still reading this astonishing story; it is still working on me, changing me, and someday I may be able to express its achievement. Just now, I can't. And wait until you finish Wolfe's Short Sun books. I feel certain you'll understand then.

Some Wolfe fans find the Long Sun books disappointing. At first glance, the writing doesn't seem to be of the same beauty and complexity as that in the books narrated by Severian; the philosophical and metaphysical insights here seem less breathtaking. However, this is a Gene Wolfe novel, so appearances are expected to be deceiving. Patera Silk alone is worth the price of admission, and the plot of Long Sun is Wolfe's best yet, intimately connected to the presentation of the varied and fascinating cast of characters. THE BOOK OF THE LONG SUN rewards rereading perhaps even more than most of Wolfe's work.It is nice that all four volumes of this series are back in print. THE BOOK OF THE SHORT SUN, now two-thirds complete, may be Wolfe's best work to date (high praise indeed), and THE BOOK OF THE LONG SUN should be read before beginning on SHORT SUN.