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About product Roman-finalist of the awards «Hugo», «Nebula», «Locus», «Stalker». Gene Wolfe’s novel consists of three related parts, full of graceful reflections on self-identity, similarity, and strangeness. The scene is the vibrant colonial worlds of Saint-Croix and Saint-Anne, twin planets balancing in a common orbit. Brothel owner’s sons discuss genocide and plot murder; a young alien wanderer is pursued by his shadow double; a political prisoner tries to confirm his identity, and not least to himself. Clones loaded into robotic personalities, aliens who may have been so successful in imitating humans that they themselves have forgotten who they are, the French culture of ruthless colonialists — there are many ways to lose yourself, and worst of all, to think freedom is to have other people … «It’s easy to be impressed by the intellectual play of Wolfe’s stunning book and forget that you’ve always been the most moral of science fiction writers.» — Amazon.co.uk «This is an amazing book filled with images and riddles, leaving behind a nagging feeling of sadness and anxiety, making you think and worry, come back and re-read, trying to grasp the elusive mirages and hints.» — FantLab “Gene Wolfe is unique. If there were forty or fifty such first-class authors — no, let’s be prudent and ask the Higher Institution for only four or five, then all American literature would be extremely enriched. » — Chicago Sun-Times «One of the main works of art of the decade … Wolfe’s novel, with its elusiveness and beauty, haunts a person long after reading it.» — Pamela Sargent, Rich Creative Exploration of the Nature of Identity and Individuality. — Science fiction encyclopedia «Fiction for the thinking reader … The style of high literature, sophisticated and thoughtful ideas.» — Amazing SF “Gene Wolfe is the greatest living English-speaking author. Let’s say it again: Gene Wolfe is the greatest living English-speaking author! I’m completely serious. Shakespeare surpasses Wolfe as a stylist, Melville is superior to American literary history, and Dickens is more masterful in writing characters. But no one of the living authors now comes close to comparing with Wolfe in the magnificence of prose, clarity of ideas and the depth of the underlying meanings. » — Michael Swanwick “If any of the modern fiction writers deserves the title of Great Writer, then it is undoubtedly Wolfe … who reads like Dickens, Proust, Kipling, Chesterton and Nabokov, fused together, and then seasoned with the influences of a variety of science fiction writers — from HG Wells to Jack Vance, from H.F. Lovecraft to Damon Knight … In general, he is one of the best American authors … Modernist or postmodernist, formal allegorist or anatomist of the human soul — he is simply a miracle, a true talent!» — Washington Post Book World “There are two types of smart writers. Some stick out their mind, while others have absolutely no reason to stick it out. Gene Wolfe is one of the second, and intelligence is not the main thing for him, the main thing is to tell a story. He’s smart not to make you look like a fool, but to make you smarter too. » — Neil Gaiman One of the 100 Best Science Fiction Novels … A truly extraordinary work. One of the most ingeniously crafted narratives in all of modern fiction, a masterpiece of disorientation, subtle clues, and seemingly random revelations. » — David Pringle “Stylistically and literally executed at the highest level; besides, it is a very, very scary book. » — FantLab Abstract Gene Wolfe’s book «The Fifth Head of Cerberus» is an acclaimed masterpiece of science fiction, written by one of the most brilliant writers in the genre. Far from Earth, two twin planets, Saint-Anne and Saint-Croix, circle each other in eternal dance. It is said that werewolves once lived here, but their race became extinct when humans arrived. True, one person believes they are in hiding and can still be found … Science fiction and fantasy grandmaster Jean Wolfe skillfully weaves three bizarre stories to create a mesmerizing pattern: the heartbreaking tale of the son of a mad genius who discovers a hideous legacy; the mythical search by a young aborigine of his dark half; a bizarre chronicle of a scientist’s nightmare conclusion. Like an intricate knot, the pattern finally unfolds to reveal an amazing truth against the backdrop of a strange alien landscape. …
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