Introductions

[Beamish]

Beamish here and I am just a reader (and an engineer...but that part does not define me as well. )

I read the Book of the New Sun cycle about 10 years ago, but never got around to reading the others. I will be curious how the ten-years-older version of me responds to a re-read with an additional decade's worth of references and life experience to draw on while reading the book. I am really looking forward to diving into the rest of the series with the continuity of reading them in order.

[Carl Vincent]

Hi everyone. My name is Carl Vincent and I host the website Stainless Steel Droppings-- http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com . I consider myself a Gene Wolfe fan simply because of the incredible experience I had reading The Knight and The Wizard a couple of years ago. I was blown away by those novels and have preached their greatness whenever the opportunity has presented itself. I have collected many other Wolfe tomes since that time but have yet to make the time to read any of them (guess that would make me a bad fan). I've felt especially negligent about not reading this, his most well-known series, and am thrilled at the motivation this group will give me to finally dive in and enjoy them. Thank you so much for hosting this club and I look forward to the group enjoyment of these novels.

[Triskele]

Hey all. Just discovered this board. I usually post at George R.R. Martin's asoiaf.westeros.org board. I discovered Wolfe over there. I just finished my first re-read of Book of the New Sun. Have not read anything else by Wolfe.

I have read a little bit of epic fantasy and sci-fi. Really not that much. But I frickin' loved Book of the New Sun. Found it difficult if not ultimately satisfying on the first read. Found it breathtaking on the second. I really believe it will be something that I go back to every few years or so.

Picked up some used versions of Litany and Epiphany over the break so I do intend to move on to Long Sun but I havent' gotten into it yet.

Anyhow, just wanted to introduce myself. I would be thrilled if this turned into a great New Sun discussion place.

[Tord]

Hi all!

I'm Tord Romstad, a mathematics, music, AI and history nerd and Gene Wolfe addict from Oslo, Norway. Like Triskele, I discovered this forum thanks to a post on the asoiaf.westeros.org. I've occasionally been reading in the urth mailing list archives in the past, but I hate mailing lists and never registered for the list. I look forward to following the discussions on this board.

Are the discussions limited to the Solar Cycle, or are we free to discuss Wolfe's other books as well?

[structuregeek]

My name is James Crowley. I'm a native New Yorker and borderline-compulsive reader. I've always been a genre fan, but I burned out on too much bad popular fiction in my late teens and spent a decade in the wilderness. A couple of years ago I found myself reading science fiction & fantasy again, triggered by online exposure to authors like Doctorow, Stross and Scalzi.

Predictably, I gorged myself after too long a fast. Among the hundred or so novels I read last year were the four volumes of The Book of the New Sun. I burned through them in about a week, interspersed with Neuromancer, Cryptonomicon, and A Canticle For Leibowitz. I knew I was shortchanging myself, though, and decided not to continue with the Solar Cycle until I re-read the first series with a bit more care.

The appeal of this book club for me thus lies in providing a reason and method for reading the cycle with the attention that I suspect it deserves. Looking forward to it.

[MrProven3]

My name is Tom Proven and I will likely be your resident lurker. The books were first recommended to me at UC San Diego by Professor Stephen Potts. I have not gotten to them yet (approx 18 years later). My TBR pile is tall and foreboding, but I have made my way through some of it, just these.

Since much of my earlier book collection is in storage in California (following a move to Pennsylvania), I have the first 2 anthologies (covering the first 4 books) on the way from the library.

I look forward to reading (and potentially - no promises) participating in the discussion.

Enjoy!
Tom

[markteppo]

Are the discussions limited to the Solar Cycle, or are we free to discuss Wolfe's other books as well?

The board is structured to focus on the Solar Cycle, but that shouldn't stop anyone from sparking up a conversation about other Wolfe books. If there's enough of a thread going, we'll build a separate place to house it. Don't feel shy if there's other books you want to cover. We figured one a month was work enough that we didn't want to make this burdensome.

[jeffc666]

I'm Jeff. I live in the Virginia suburbs of the regal city, Washington, DC, where next week there will be a coronation, ahem, I mean inauguration. In a fit of frenzy, about 2 years ago, I read the first 5 books of the Solar Cycle over the course of a few months. To this day, my mind (nearly daily) conjures images, textures, and aromas straight from the pages of these books. What does a fuligin cloak smell like anyhow?

I rarely re-read books, but I relish re-reading these and finally reading the later books. Hopefully I can keep pace and read, if not participate in, the discussion.

One last thing, I propose that a new board is added where we can discuss (and lobby for) the creation of Severain: A Tortured Soul an IMAX production brought to you by Jerry Bruckheimer.

[Triskele]

To this day, my mind (nearly daily) conjures images, textures, and aromas straight from the pages of these books. What does a fuligin cloak smell like anyhow?

This is absolutely my experience. I can't stop thinking about this book and I think that's a great endorsement.

[Aaron Singleton]

Hello. My name is Aaron Singleton (if you couldn't tell) and I have been reading Wolfe's stuff for about four years now. I have read the entire Solar Cycle twice, the New Sun books about four times and the Long Sun books three times. I have read almost everything Wolfe has published. He is a writer like no other. I joined because I would like to participate in some discussions and see some other interpretations of the work. If anyone here wishes to discuss any of Wolfe's other works, I am all for it. Looking forward to it.