Well, here’s an idea. I was talking to a friend last night about ‘unreal books’. Going over details of what you would or wouldn’t add to a ‘best’ of Kim Stanley Robinson. During the discussion I mentioned the idea that it’d be interesting to see what would go into a Best of Gene Wolfe. The book would be limited to a single volume, one hundred thousand words maximum (give or take a few percent).
I had a few ideas, and then I began to think about it. Wolfe is the author of more than two hundred short stories, which have been collected in at least thirteen collections. And he continues to write prolifically, so there are always more stories to consider. There are any number of ‘major’ stories — classics of the field like “Seven American Nights”, “The Death of Doctor Island” and so on – which seem essential. The question is, which ones would you put into a short ‘best of’, a reader, if you will, that is intended to introduce the uninitiated into the world of Wolfe. No repetition, nothing ‘average’: just the best of the best.
There is any number of reasons why, in the real world, such a book might not happen (not the least that I think all of his collections may be in print), but I’d love to see what you guys think should go in such a book. Fill up the comments thread, go wild. For mine, and this is off the top of my head (I’d go and read or re-read ALL of his stories before compiling such a book), I’d start with:
- The Death of Doctor Island
- Seven American Nights
- A Cabin on the Coast
- The Map
What about you guys…?
I would have to re-read it to make sure that it held up, but one of his stories that has always stuck with me is, ‘When I was Ming the Merciless’ (from Endangered Species).
I am still stuck on Fifth Head of Cerberus. Might be too much though. I had been avoiding him for years because of those hideous 70s-80 covers on the paperbacks
then I overcame my distaste and read those novellas, and was converted
“The War Beneath the Tree,” definitely. The story’s a corker, but the sting that comes in that last little line, and what it suggests about what comes next, is truly horrific.
One of my favorites is “The Marvelous Brass Chess-Playing Automaton”. Also, and somewhat lighter in tone, so maybe good for contrast: “How I Lost the Second World War and Helped Turn Back the German Invasion”.
A story I love that seems less well-known than some, but which I love is “Forlesen” (though I suspect it would have to be excluded from a 100,000 word book considering that so much of Wolfe’s best work is at novella length).
I adore “The Fifth Head of Cerberus” (the opening novella), but I suppose one might exclude that because it is part of the novel.
“How the Whip Came Back”
“La Befana”
(And I have a sneaky fondness for “The Rubber Bend”, though maybe that’s just a bit too slight.)
—
Rich
I’d compiled this list several months ago…
The Fifth Head of Cerberus
The Tree is My Hat
The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories
The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton
The Hero as Werwolf
The War Beneath the Tree
The Ziggurat
In Looking-Glass Castle
The Death of Doctor Island
Houston, 1943
And When They Appear
No Planets Strike
Golden City Far
Talk of Mandrakes
The Boy Who Hooked the Sun
How I Lost the Second World War and Helped Turn Back the German Invasion
The Eyeflash Miracles
The Walking Sticks
Parkroads: A Review
Checking Out
Feather Tigers
Counting Cats in Zanzibar
La Befana
Queen of the Night
Straw
Seven American Nights
There are many excellent stories:
Forlesen
Tracking Song
In Looking-Glass Castle
The Marvellous Brass Chessplaying Automaton
At The Volcano’s Lip
Parkroads – A Review
The Changeling
Many Mansions
The Toy Theatre
And that’s only from the collections that I’ve read. Wolfe tends IMO to be better when he has a bit of space to work with and many – if not most – of his best stories are novellas. It might therefore be a good idea to give a best of collection a bit more space than what’s usual.
Rich: I think you put your finger on a real problem. A number of Wolfe’s very best stories are long. I still think keeping the book short is important, though.
Bruce: Thanks for the list. Too long! Too long!, if excellent. The trick is to do a single volume book that is short, tightly edited. It’s got to *hurt* to leave stories out. Then you know you’ve got it right.
You’re killing me, Jonathan! :0)
How about…
The Fifth Head of Cerberus
The Tree is My Hat
The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories
The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton
The Hero as Werwolf
The War Beneath the Tree
A Cabin on the Coast
In Looking-Glass Castle
The Death of Doctor Island
No Planets Strike
The Boy Who Hooked the Sun
Parkroads: A Review
Checking Out
The Eyeflash Miracles
Feather Tigers
Queen of the Night
Straw
Seven American Nights
yes The Fifth Head of Cerberus is a must