The Fifth Head of Cerberus

I've been told that second and third readings of Wolfe's stories allow you to find layers of interesting meaning; my intent with reading this for a book club was to do two readings, but I'm not sure I'm up for a second reading of it–we'll see.

I get it. He's a genius. I just think he's not my flavor of genius. Interesting themes here, a puzzle-that-maybe-isn't-meant-to-be-solved sort of structure. Deep examination of colonizers becoming colonized (and vice versa!), of identity, of how stories are told. This is the kind of thing that sci-fi is made for, in my mind. And yet.

And yet, I like my stories interesting on the surface first, with all of the deep stuff there as well; instead, these stories aren't particularly interesting on the surface, with one-dimensional characters and some 40-year old sci-fi tropes that feel 140 here (ooooooh! cloning! it's so weird!). Yes, yes, yes, the deeper themes are explored in a wonderful way, but only if you dig pretty deeply in the text. Sure, that can be fun, but I'd rather read something like The Left Hand of Darkness, which explores similar themes in a deep way, but which can also/instead be read for its plot alone. I'd even rather read Dhalgren, which has a crazy, non-linear structure but at least is a wild ride, even if you set the themes to the side.

Maybe my thoughts will shift on a second reading? We'll see...