Delayed effect...
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I came to this book after reading Gene Wolfe's New Sun books, and to be honest I was disappointed - it seemed flat and a little obscure. In fact, I gave the book to a charity shop as soon as I finished it. I really regret that now though, as I often find myself thinking about it, three or four years on. This is definitely a book that grows in your mind, and my only advice is to hold on to your copy, as you'll want to read it again some day...
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wonderful SF love story
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In two words this is a 'stunning book'. It creates the compulsion to read it in one haul, the book is not to be put down till you've read the end. And then you get homesick. That's the best recommendation that I know of for a book. After you've read it you miss it terribly and can't bring yourself to reading another book.
It is not a novel which is situated in the Whorl, familiar to most Gene Wolfe readers. Its stage is an 'ordinary' every day middle sized town in the U.S., in an uncertain time period in the near past. In this novel Gene Wolfe gives us his version of the universal science fiction theme of parallel universes. The protaganist ends up in a world very similar to this one, with the exception that Gods actually walk the streets. The story then evolves in a magical love story which invoke strong empathical emotions in the reader. It is a genuine cracker, a must for Gene Wolfe adepts!Gert-Jan
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A poignant story that grows on you over time
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This novel is a bit of a departure from the usual genre, as it is first and foremost a love story, with elements of fantasy and science fiction enmeshed in the plot. We start the novel as the protagonist's relationship with his lover comes to a sudden, unexpected end. Searching for her, he enters into a world like and yet unlike our own, and he starts wondering if he has gone insane. It is here that the novel truly begins to shine, as the themes of reality and sanity are explored. Is our hero mad, or is he experiencing it all for real? The answer will surprise you, and the denouement of the story has an almost heartbreaking poignancy rarely seen in the genre.
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