AN EVIL GUEST by Gene Wolfe

Once again I can say that I have read every Gene Wolfe novel. AN EVIL GUEST is written in the same silky prose that elevated PIRATE FREEDOM to such heights. I would place this among Wolfe's finest books. And by that I mean PEACE and THERE ARE DOORS. For me, Gene Wolfe is a different writer for each of his novels. For this one, he is a screenwriter for a 1940's light comedy. The dialog is witty and the characters engaging. As I was reading, I got to the point where I didn't care what happened next because I was enjoying the moment so much. I tried not to finish GUEST too fast, only reading one chapter a day, but then one day I read fifty pages, and today seventy. The book has one major fault: it is far too short. How I would love to still be reading it; to look forward to another chapter of Wolfe's prose streaming directly into my brain like a Tasp. But now, for lack of self-control, I have no more new Wolfe to read. But what fun it was while it lasted. I hesitate to recommend this book too highly, fearing that you will go out and read this book before you have waded through hundreds of other enjoyable books. This book will spoil your reading enjoyment of these other books, for it is so fine that you can never forget the feeling you had when you were reading it, and the lesser books will be diminished in your eyes. So, I recommend that you do not read this book. Go. Live your life, read other books, enjoy them. For me reading can now only be an exercise in futility, seeking to match the experience had while reading AN EVIL GUEST. For you it is not too late.