Book 51: The Sorcerer’s House – Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe is a new author for me. I discovered him via Neil Gaiman, who lavishes praise on Wolfe at the slightest invitation. Take this, from his Guardian piece, ‘My Hero: Gene Wolfe’…

He’s the finest living male American writer of SF and fantasy – possibly the finest living American writer. Most people haven’t heard of him. And that doesn’t bother Gene in the slightest. He just gets on with writing the next book.

My Hero: Gene Wolfe by Neil Gaiman

Thought I should try one of Wolf’s novels and picked ‘The Sourcererer’s House’ more of less at random. 

The story is a dark, foreboding fantasy delivered through series of letters. The narrative builds from seemingly normal to increasingly unhinged as the narrator, Bax Dunn (an academic, ex-con), deals with the various supernatural phenomena present in a sorcerer’s house that he mysteriously inherits. There’s layers in the story that aren’t always obvious at first and there’s a sizeable twist in the tale at the end.

Wolfe is a masterful storyteller this was a pleasure to read.

Recommended.