They are often filled with obscure English which even those with a commanding vocabulary won't always recognise. His books require undivided attention and eschew the lazy and casual reader. So why does such an incredibly talented author get such mixed exposure? I think part of that answer lies in the way he writes. Novels in the Book of the New Sun series have won the British Science Fiction award, the World fantasy award, the Locus (twice), the Campbell Memorial award and the British Fantasy award. Wolfe has won some of the genre's most prestigious awards including the Locus Award six times, the Nebula twice, the August Derleth Award, the Campbell Award, the BSFA, the World Fantasy Award four times and to top all that the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1996. Many have listed him as inspiration, and yet if you look on Amazon you will see many one and two star reviews for his finest works - including The Book of the New Sun, which was voted third all-time best fantasy novel by Locus subscribers back in 1998. a sentiment echoed by other influential authors and readers.

Ursula K LeGuin is frequently quoted as saying Wolfe is our Melville Authors Michael Swanwick and Patrick O'Leary have gone so far as to say he is: The best writer alive today. The New Yorker recently called him Sci-Fi's Difficult Genius. Gene Wolfe is perhaps one of the most under-rated and criminally overlooked writers in genre fiction.

Shadow of the torturer review