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Endangered Species by Gene Wolfe
01/06/2005 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: TOR/Orb. 506 page enlarged paperback. Price: $16.95 (US), $23.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-31033-3. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.tor.com
There is something very special about being able to write a short story. You have so little time and space to satisfy the reader. The story will usually be read in one session and it may be re-read straight away if it intrigues enough. It 's a singular skill which Gene Wolfe possesses in spades.
I can think of nothing wrong with any of the stories in this collection. There are 35 tales that read like myths and legends. Like the fairy tales that we enjoy as children these, too, have a knowing edge to them. There are modern and ancient settings and somewhere in between. They are often moving and always thought-provoking and occasionally head-scratchingly frustrating. It is marvellous to be treated to an author who has such a profound and fecund imagination.
Although it's difficult to pull out superior stories there are those that really tickle the space on the top of your head. In particular my oohs and ahs came from 'In The House Of Gingerbread', 'A Cabin On The Coast' and 'The Last Thrilling Wonder Story'. The first is a chuckler, the second a sigh of recognition and the third is the Twilight Zone on paper. The third is also a very literary discussion on the power of the author over his characters.
None of these stories lie quietly on the page They are restless as smoke and trickle out and into your own imagination. Setting up ponderings that continue long after the book is put away.
Very enjoyable. More. More.
Sue Davies
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