book 3 of The Book of the Long Sun

by Gene Wolfe

isbn: 0812534204
subject: SF, Fiction and Literature
finished: 1/11/2000

As the title implies, Silk has been named Caldé of his city, Viron. The transition from auger to politician, however, is not so easy: the ruling Ayuntamiento is not about to give up power without a fight, and an enigmatic airship from another city circles above Viron. Caldé of the Long Sun follows a number of different threads: Auk becomes the blind god Tartaros's prophet while he and Chenille are trying to escape from the tunnels, General Mint and her forces fight against the soldiers loyal to the Ayuntamiento, and Silk tries to stay alive long enough to meet Hyacinth, the prostitute he met and fell in love with at Blood's in Nightside the Long Sun. Following the plot requires careful reading; when writing for breadth, Wolfe turns out to be as formidable a writer as he is when writing for depth (see The Book of the New Sun). Recommended.