Soldier of the Mist
Publication(s)
- First publication 1986 by Tor.
Analysis
Summary
Complete plot summary -- SPOILERS (incomplete)
Latro is a soldier in King Xerxes' army during the Greco-Persian war. He receives a head wound and, as a result, he remembers nothing for longer than a day. We read his diary that he writes for himself so that he can find out who he is and what he is doing. He does however have unexpected flashbacks and unexplained memories from time to time. He also sees and talks to gods and spirits that others cannot see, unless he touches them.
One aspect of all this is that Wolfe casts some doubt regarding Latro's conversing with gods due to his bad head wound. Could it be that he hallucinates his supernatural experiences? If he is hallucinating, then his delusions are having a surprisingly real influence on events.
There's a good page here describing the setup and background to the opening of the book: http://ubikcan.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/gene-wolfes-soldier-of-the-mist-decoded-asopusplataea/
Comments
- General comments on place in Wolfe's corpus
- Sources of quotes
- Meanings of names
- References to other works
- Etc.