Peace

by Gene Wolfe

Book Overview

Hailed as one of the literary giants of SF by the Denver Post, Gene Wolfe has repeatedly won the field's highest honors, including the Nebula, the Hugo, and the World Fantasy awards.

Peace is Gene Wolfe's first full-length novel, a work that shows the genius that later flourished in such acclaimed works as The Fifth Head of Cerberus and The Book of The New Sun.

Originally published in 1975, Peace...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765334569
• ISBN13: 9780765334565
• Release Date: December 2012
• Publisher: Orb Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Amazing first novel from Gene Wolfe.

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Find PEACE

This book must be read by everyone. Wolfe usually writes SF, but this is like nothing so much as a haunting and frighteningly literate retelling of "Spoon River Anthology" -- the spirit of an early-twentieth century man endlessly reenacts a series of vignettes that illuminate (obtusely) the story of his life, which is also the story of the end of the small town in America. The prose is meditative and elegaically beautiful, but the novel itself is uncomfortably honest in the manner of someone who pretends to make light of something about which they are, in fact, quite serious. Wolfe claims that his narrator, Alden Dennis Weer, is "more autobiographical than anyone suspects" -- odd, given that it's hinted that Weer may be a mass murderer. Very meaty, rich stuff that I commend to any reader without reservation.

An Unusual Yet Satisfying Reading Experience

Gene Wolfe's "Peace" is one of the strangest, yet most satisfying books I've read in a long time. It's very hard to talk about the plot, except that it is largely a reflection of an old man on his life experiences. The book says so many things that almost overwhelm the reader, but I imagine looking back over a lifetime of experiences can be overwhelming. I recently read an interview with Wolfe in which he said that authors often reveal clues several times in their books. He only reveals a clue once. He presupposes that the reader is smart enough to stay with him on his level. The ability to do that, at least for me, was difficult, but the journey was extremely worthwhile.

One of the Masterpieces of Modern Fiction

PEACE is a beautiful, strange, intricate novel; it is also a puzzle, but the puzzle is not concerned with cleverness or authorial tricks--rather, here, the puzzle is the essential human question: "What kind of story is this?" PEACE, as it invokes Lovecraft, the Arabian Nights, Sherwood Anderson, Borges, Flann O'Brien, and other restless spirits, answers and re-asks this final question. This is Wolfe at his finest, and Wolfe at his finest is as good as it gets. PEACE is also an excellent introduction to Wolfe, for those daunted by THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN. The only better introduction, in my opinion, is the equally touching and marvelous THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS, which may especially be preferable for long-time readers of science-fiction.

All the World is a Relic

The entire Universe is contained in this book. So much pathos and so much wisdom have not been seen in an American novel since MOBY DICK. The intelligence brought to bear in Wolfe's understated and brilliantly layered book lies somewhere between Dickens and Joyce, with a little Shakespearean flair thrown in for good measure. Wolfe's primary topic here is memory and its effects (causality?) on human existence, and the shaping of human existence by story. Layered and interlocking stories relate the life of the narrator, and significantly, the stories merge together, the boundary between stories becoming increasingly blurred as the book winds down. It is, in essence, The Book of the Dead (and here is the significance of the title), telling the tales of the dead, so that they ultimately rest in Peace. It is not an easy read, but one which patient readers will treasure and hold dear--and reread incessantly--forever.

Don't give up at the beginning

It took several attempts for me to get past the first chapter of this book, but it is well worth it, so don't give up! I really don't know what this book is "about", but it concerns a dying man's look back over his life. Hmmm... sounds deadly dull. Luckily, Gene Wolfe's intricate prose breathes life into an eclectic set of personal recollections which winds around and finally swallows itself. It has all the complexity, the secrets within secrets, and the knowing asides better left unsaid that characterize all of Wolfe's work. Whatever he's trying to say, he says it well.