Is Gene Wolfe perhaps the best pure writer working today in science fiction and fantasy? Sometimes it seems so; he can do almost anything. From the depth and complexity of the various Sun series to the pared-down rocklike prose of the Latro Soldier series, he is a master of words and style, perfectly painting his imagined world and allowing us to look not just at the surface, but at the brushstrokes that make the work what it is.
The Latro series (SOLDIER OF THE MIST, SOLDIER OF ARETE) becomes a trilogy with the newest, SOLDIER OF SIDON. It features the mercenary strongman who goes by many names: Lewqys, Lucius or Latro. He is a damaged soul, for though he seems hale and hearty, he has no memory. He cannot remember his name from one day to the next, and only knows that he has a wife because others tell him so. His quest is to rediscover himself – to not only know who he is and was, but who the gods have chosen him to become.
For there are a multitude of gods in Latro’s world. This is proto-historical fiction, set in ancient Egypt and the land to the south known as Nubia. It is written from Latro’s perspective, in a sort of diary form he keeps as a memory aid. Latro can see the gods that he and others worship, and he believes in them and their omens well, religiously. While there are certainly fantastical occurrences, this is fantasy in only a limited sense. It is the spiritual reality of the Egyptian belief system.
Wolfe brings all this across in lapidary minimalist prose. The diary has a perfect tone, in that it reads exactly as it should. As Latro travels, he records his thoughts and the things he sees with a placid banality, recounting the landscape and visits from gods equally matter-of-factly. It reads like any other travelogue. Well, except for the fact that Latro forgets just about everything day after day. This is both a curse and a blessing. He falls in love with his wife anew each day, and his continual rebirthing and rediscovery perhaps make him more open to the presence of gods.
SOLDIER OF SIDON is a story extension with the way wide open for another entry in the series. This is somewhat unsatisfying in that practically all the story threads are left dangling, but there is very little else wrong with the book. If you have any attraction to ancient Egypt or historical fiction, the adventures of Latro should be of great appeal. –Mark Rose
Buy it at Amazon.
Discuss it in our forums.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }