The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe

Review by Bowden P (Trey) 

In the last volume of the Book of the New Sun, the campaign against the Accians is the focus of the story. A large part of it is spent in a Pelerine hospital, where Severian finds himself after the events of Sword of the Lictor. He’s hurt, he’s exhausted and literally wrung out after the climatic battle. There, he and his companion (picked up in the first chapters of the novel) are taken for a pair of wounded – Miles as a wounded and amnesiac soldier, Severian as a civil servant attached to the administration of the army. Miles, recovers more quickly than Severian, so Severian, so he is left in a tent with other soldiers suffering long term injuries.

While there, he’s asked to judge a story contest between the soldiers and one Accian prisoner, all for the hand of a female soldier. These little stories help showcase Wolfe’s talents as a writer. Despite his busyness and illness, he even manages to return the Claw to its proper home. Which is a minor miracle of itself given the skepticism of the Pelerines. After his recovery, and errand that takes him far away (Wolfe continues to play with time and space here) to the enigmatic Father Ash, Severian returns to a massacre and then truly goes to war.

So… is it good? Yes. Wolfe goes back to some of his earlier tricks with vocabulary of looting the and out of use for terms. Its refreshing to see and returns the earlier flavor of the series. We readers are also introduced to the fantastic – anpiels (angels in all but name), mastiff men and cat ladies. And with the last two, it seems Wolfe has some fun with their personal names as well. More importantly than the games Wolfe plays with language and history, he revisits Severian’s past for new spins on past events and characters of the novels. Specifically:

• The Autarch returns and he has laid plans for Severian.
• Wolfe begins to answer questions, closing plot holes and time loops.
• Chekhov’s guns introduced in the earlier volumes are fired with great enthusiasm.

Wolfe crafted Citadel of the Autarch with great skill. It has very well done plot, good characterization and some sense of wonder moments (with wonder’s dark twin of horror not far behind). As before, I love the little stories Wolfe weaves into the book. They’re recognizable confabulation of myth, history and fable, and readers may even be able to spot the origins. I was particularly taken with the tale of the Accian Prisoner, Loyal to the Group of Seventeen, because it was so unsettling – a nightmare fairy tale from 1984. Again, I maintain if Wolfe had gotten into writing children’s books with a good illustrator, he’d have given Geisel a run for his money.

The verdict: 5 stars.  As a close to the series, Citadel of the Autarch is worth it. What’s more, the title refers less to the Autarch’s incredible palace with its hidden inner citadel, but more to the very nature of the Autarch him/herself. I hope I’m not spoiling it with that, but read the book. Or if you have, please feel free to comment.

Likes: The closing of plot holes; The use of earlier Chekhov’s guns (totally worth it to get the collected SFBC edition and Michael Andre-Druissi’s Lexicon Urthus to help keep track of them all); The return to playing with discarded and old terms – but still having a good idea of what they mean; Revisiting characters and what they did; Closing plot holes and time loops – often at the same time; Sense of wonder and horror moments; The little stories braided in among the novel.

Dislikes: As before, I’m not sure how I feel about what Wolfe demands of his readers. Its not an easy or fast read. I have to take it a few chapters at a time. But the pay off has been worth it so far…

Suggested for: Gene Wolfe fans, those that like challenging books and science  fiction that verges onto literature.

Review by VickyJo

Working in a public library is never dull.  People come in all day long, looking for all kinds of information, or searching for the next great book to read.  Once, an elderly lady returned her books to me at the front desk, and then asked if I could recommend another book for her to read.  I asked what types of books she enjoyed.  She said, “I’d like a nice murder.  You know, nothing too bloody. Just…something nice.”  It’s a strange phrase, “nice murder.”  But what she wanted was a “cozy mystery.”

In the publishing world, a cozy mystery has specific guidelines.  It’s a murder mystery that features a bloodless crime, and has very little to no graphic violence, sex or language.  Quite often, the murder victim is someone the reader hardly knows, like the rich uncle or the reclusive neighbor, and thus isn’t someone we really miss.

The main character is very often an amateur sleuth, who gets involved and solves the crime for personal reasons.  The fun part about cozies is that the reader is encouraged to solve the crime first; the author gives clues to help the reader along, and all loose ends are always tied up by the end of the novel.

Agatha Christie wrote cozies, and her novels made the small English village a very popular cozy setting, but cozies take place anywhere.  They do tend to happen in small towns or settings, so that the pool of suspects is small and the murder can be solved.  You won’t usually find serial killers in a cozy.  Believe it or not, they are considered “feel good” stories; justice always prevails in the end, and the community is restored to peace and order.

The trend lately is to have a cozy series: a likeable character with a fun job who solves crime after crime in his or her small town.  Think Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote.  Cabot Cove, Maine had a million murders, but intrepid, likeable mystery author Fletcher managed to solve them all (with a little help from her friends).

I’ve just finished reading a cozy series that I really enjoyed.  The author is Tim Myers, and he has written The Candle Making Series of mysteries, featuring Harrison Black.

The first book, “At Wick’s End“ introduces Harrison.  His great-aunt Belle has just died in a mysterious fall from a ladder, and she left her candle making shop to Harrison in her will.  Harrison decides to comply with Aunt Belle’s wishes and continue running the shop.  Once he arrives in the small town of Micah’s Ridge, he is surprised to discover that, not only does he own At Wick’s End, but he owns the converted, two-story warehouse that the shop is in, called River’s Edge.  There are several other shops, which make Harrison’s inheritance a bit more complicated than he originally thought.

Harrison also moves into Aunt Belle’s apartment above At Wick’s End, and is immediately suspicious when the apartment is broken into and searched.  Could his Aunt Belle’s death have been, not an accident, but murder?  Harrison decides he has no choice but to try and find out who would want to kill Aunt Belle—and why.

The second novel, “Snuffed Out” finds Harrison a little more settled in his shop.  He is getting used to retail selling and is finding that he has a real love and talent for making candles.  He is also becoming more comfortable in his role as landlord for the other shop owners at River’s Edge: Heather, who runs a New Age shop called The New Age; Millie, who runs a coffee/snack shop called The Crocked Pot, and several others.  So when the power goes out unexpectedly, Harrison is called upon to find the solution.  What he discovers is something else entirely: Aaron, who owns a pottery shop called The Pot Shot, is found dead at his pottery wheel, a frayed electrical cord and a spilled bucket of water telling the dismal tale of how he died.  Or does it?  Heather tells Harrison that Aaron hated electric wheels, and never used them to throw his pots.  He only had one for his students to use.

Harrison immediately becomes suspicious, but the local police seem content to accept Aaron’s death as accidental.  Besides, most of the admittedly small force in Micah’s Ridge is out with the flu.  So it looks like it’s up to Harrison to do some discreet investigating on his own.

In the meantime, Harrison does have a business to run.  He needs to find a new tenant for Aaron’s shop, and he thinks he’s found the perfect choice in Aaron’s ex-wife, Sanora, also a potter.  He gives her a two month lease, to see how things work out.  Little does he know that Sanora worked with Aaron before their divorce, and left about the same time some money mysteriously disappeared from another shop.  Needless to say, the other tenants of River’s Edge are not exactly thrilled to have Sanora back.  Heather, the owner of The New Age is especially put out; seems she and Aaron had been dating, but he dropped her when he thought he had a chance to reconcile with Sanora.  Harrison now finds himself between two women who both loved and lost the same man.  Could Sanora have killed Aaron out of jealousy?  Or, harder to believe, could Heather have killed him?  Harrison has become friends with Heather and doesn’t want to believe she could kill anyone.  But strange things keep happening around River’s Edge as Harrison gets closer and closer to solving Aaron’s murder.  And it doesn’t look good for Heather.

This second installment is another fun read.  If you’re looking for blood, chills, serial killers and nightmares, this series isn’t for you.  But if you want a quick, fun read with lots of atmosphere and candle making tips, try Tim Myers’ series.  He’s written four altogether; the third book is “Death Waxed Over” and the fourth is “A Flicker of Doubt.”  All four books are perfect for getting away for a few hours!

Angel Cats: Divine Messengers of Comfort by Allen & Linda Anderson

Review by McGuffyAnn M. (nightprose)

This is a spirituality book written specifically for cat lovers. The authors are the founders of The Angel Animals Network. They offer newsletters, are inspirational speakers, and clergy.

In this book, there are a variety of true accounts of cat messengers. These cats offer divine intervention of comfort and encouragement from beyond The Rainbow Bridge. There are photos of the cats in each story. In addition, at the end of each account is a meditation, by Cuddles the cat.

Each cat brings a message, something important to impart on its human left behind. Whether it is Alpha the cat, whose message was one of deep unconditional love, or Shadow who taught trust, each cat had a purpose in life and in death.

One particular story that illustrates the bond between cats and their people is the story of the cat who watched over her little girl through the Holocaust. Anne Frank even mentions the comfort of Peter’s cat, Mouschi, in hiding. Perhaps this was the way the cat she was forced to leave behind, Moortje, looked over Anne.

I know there have been times when my own cats have comforted me through times of stress, tragedy, or illness. I have had times when I came across a photo, or a toy that had belonged to one who had crossed that Rainbow Bridge. Even those little things are a comfort, just knowing they are there.

All cat lovers know the pleasure of a warm furry body with a comforting purr. This book goes beyond the Bridge to show that “Angel Cats” remain by our side, not only in our hearts. I am one of those who believe that animals do go to Heaven. It just wouldn’t be Heaven without them. Love surpasses death.

Behind that Curtain by Earl Derr Biggers

Review by Matt B. (BuffaloSavage)  

This novel is the third Charlie Chan mystery.  San Francisco is evocatively described so we readers can enjoy the vivid sense of place Biggers put across in the first two Chan outings. He handled the setting of Hawaii beautifully in the first one The House Without a Key (1925) and described the Mojave desert country in the second The Chinese Parrot (1926).

Like all the other Chan novels, this was originally published as a serial in the magazine The Saturday Evening Post, so some chapters end with cliffhangers. The plot is intricate, involving murders committed years apart and a woman who changes identities at the drop of a hat. Or in this case, the drop of a pair of Chinese slippers, which is the only clue that ties the two killings together.

Another plus is Biggers’ understated sense of comedy. His stand-in who gets off witty observations, Barry Kirk, is a rich bon-vivant who has funny exchanges with his society matron grandmother and his would-be girl friend, an assistant district attorney named Miss Morrow. Biggers is sensitive to the career obstacles faced by working women, though he will often refer to Miss Morrow as “the girl.” Biggers was born in 1885, after all.

Activists and critics nowadays disrespect poor Charlie Chan for his inscrutability, servility, dainty walk, sing-song voice, and unidiomatic English (in Behind That Curtain, he says, “The facts must be upearthed”). Writer Gish Jen even dismisses Chan’s astute intelligence, designating him as “the original Asian whiz kid.” I wonder sometimes if nowadays critics are annoyed with Chan less because of the novels but more because of the movies which had Caucasian actors playing Chan and period stereotypes of blacks, Asians, and women.

For what it’s worth, I think in both the novels and movies Charlie Chan is wise, courageous, modest, patient, devoted to his family, and loyal to his friends. Like many non-native speakers, he uses English in his own unique way that, as a speaker of broken Japanese, I can’t help but respect him for the time and effort that he put in to get fluent in a second language as an adult. The Chan novels overturn Chinese stereotypes because Chan was playing the role of the Good Guy, whereas most Chinese characters in fiction back then were villains.  Generally speaking, I like detective fiction from 1920s and 1930s.  As formulaic as it is, I like the atmosphere, characterization, and narrative push. I like it that violence happens off stage. There is little or no moral relativism, film noir-ish nihilism or sociopathic tough-mindedness.  I must not be alone in this preference – for once  – since the Chan novels never stay out of print and are available on these new-fangled contraptions like Kindle.

Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe

Review byBowden P. (Trey)

Sword of the Lictor was interesting, if only for some of the contrasts. The quiet of Severian wandering the sculpted mountains of the Andes and his time with his adopted son. And the conflicts with an ancient tyrant and then his one companion. Its also some very fine writing and makes me wonder how the Book of the New Sun will wrap up.

The novel opens with Severian and Dorcas in Thrax and Severian thriving in his new position. He’s reformed the local prison and carrying out his trade. Dorcas, however, isn’t doing as well. She’s no longer Severian’s council and aide there, and her memories are returning. This leads to her going missing with Severian seeking her out (and giving us the reader a walking tour of Thrax). After finding her and making sure she’s safe, Severian returns home. There, the archon asks him to a party and carry out a commission. Naturally, Severian assents.

At the party, he meets a woman who he thinks is a Pelerine (remember The Shadow of the Torturer?) and plans to give her the Claw. She thinks he’s a torturer in truth and faints. After she recovers, we get the Tale of the Library which gives us a very abstract view of the history of humanity and its expansion to the stars and how it came to its current state.

Of course, the woman he meets is his commission…

From there, its a tale of Severian the fugitive as he salves his conscience with the Claw and flees the city into the mountains.

And that is as far as I want to go. Even though the book is almost thirty years old, I don’t want to spoil it for new readers.

Its also notable for Severian being philosophical, whether its in his walking tour of Thrax, or as the captive of sorcerers before a magical duel. And for what its worth, as a fan of stage magic and sleight of hand, the capture and duel with the sorcerers was worth the price of admission alone.

The tale of “The Boy Called Frog” is also a wonderful confabulation of the myth Romulus and Remus and the Jungle Book, making me periodically wish that Wolfe had written children’s stories. I think if he had, he would have been great at it.

So, what makes it good? Severian is interesting, but not all that sympathetic. However, he is very human and aware of his faults, more so than most. That makes him unique. And for all his faults, he’s not that unlikable.

Another thing that makes it good is wondering what Wolfe will steal from, or twist a trope in an unique way. “The Boy Called Frog” is an excellent example of that. As are some of Severian’s confrontations with the past. Wolfe also plays with the reader’s expectations. When Dr. Talos opens a door for Severian, its a bit surprising. Finding out Dr. Talos’ role is even moreso, just as Severian’s conversation with the Cacogens reveals more about life at the end of history and their role in it.

In short, its a interesting well drawn character and a sense of discovery paired with a desire to see what happens next.

Likes: Severian, because he’s human; The walking tour of Thrax and Severian’s musings on people; Capture and magical duel; The final battle of Lake Diuturna; Wolfe’s confabulation of disparate myths and stories into something unique; His play with language and knowledge of history and cultures.

Dislikes: That for all of Severian’s humanity, he does get repetitive; Fate of Little Severian; Loss of Terminus Est.

Suggested for: Gene Wolfe fans, fans of the Dying Earth sub-genre, folks who like a challenging read.