[March 23, 2023]

Gene Wolfe is my favorite author. I have spent more time reading and rereading his prolific body of work than any other writer. The "problem" with that, though, is that Wolfe typically stayed within the boundaries of science fiction and fantasy, even while stretching them to their very limits. So for the purposes of this website, I have to similarly stretch the boundaries of the definition of "historical fiction" in order to include a work by my favorite author.  However, his "Latro" books -- the first two of which are collected in Latro in the Mist -- are very much inspired by real history. Appearing at the beginning of the initial volume, Soldier of the Mist, is even a dedication to Herodotus of Halicarnassos and a note that the story is based on actual events of 479 B.C.

Wolfe was Genius with a capital "G". Before becoming a science fiction Grand Master, he was an industrial engineer at Procter & Gamble and then edited Plant Engineering magazine. As Wolfe's rabid fans are always quick to point out, he even helped create the process that makes Pringles potato chips (although there is no evidence the distinctive Pringles logo is based on Wolfe despite clear similarities in appearance). The issue with works of genius, unfortunately, is that they are not often for everyone. Wolfe's oeuvre is no exception, and even among experienced science fiction aficionados his books are notorious for their dense, "allusive and elusive" text. His novels are meant to be read slowly and actively and then read again. These are not easy, breezy beach reads. 

Wolfe was also known for playing with narrative structure and using his narrators in intriguing ways. Severian, the infamous protagonist of Wolfe's masterpiece, The Book of the New Sun, claims to have a memory "which in the final accounting loses nothing," though the series is peppered with inconsistencies that belie that attestation. Here, we have the opposite conceit, with Latro our hero suffering from short-term memory loss due to a wound sustained in a battle that precedes the story. He cannot form new memories so must write down what happens to him and then read these journal entries each morning (he chooses this route rather than tattooing himself a la Memento). The injury has also seemingly pierced the veil that hides the gods, goddesses, and supernatural creatures of the ancient Greek world, and readers familiar with these elements will begin to pick up on the undercurrent of mythology running through the work, even when Latro does not. Much of the challenge of these books is figuring out what is actually going on, as they are written in Wolfe's trademark cryptic style. Yet, that challenge mirrors Latro's own. Thanks to his memory malady and the ambiguous meddling of the gods, Latro often has even less information than the reader. It makes for a frequently puzzling reading experience, but a rather enjoyable one for those willing to attempt to make sense of it all. 

The demanding nature of these books -- particularly the second volume, Soldier of Arete -- is both their greatest strength and biggest flaw. It makes it hard to recommend them to just anyone, as a reader not familiar with Wolfe's style could spend much of the time lamenting that he or she has no idea what is happening. Yet, the challenge also greatly rewards readers with a feeling of accomplishment when sense is made of the mysterious and mythical goings on. There were one or two occasions when the narrative became so opaque that it threatened to cross over into being just plain frustrating. Those parts keep Latro in the Mist from being a 5/5 "Masterpiece," though it is possible that a reread can clear those up and push it into the rarefied air of perfection. 

Regardless, Latro in the Mist is an incredible and memorable reading experience, which is ironic for a book that explores memory loss and the confusion it causes. The "series" does continue with Soldier of Sidon, which was written several years after these initial two volumes. I have not yet read Sidon, but I understand it is more in keeping with Wolfe's later, more straight-forward (though in many ways more puzzling) style. It also apparently ends on more of an outright cliffhanger, and, unfortunately, Wolfe never got around to writing a concluding volume before sadly passing away in 2019. However, Latro in the Mist can certainly be read on its own and should be read by anyone in search of a challenging take on historical fiction with a more mythological twist.