Innocents Aboard: New Fantasy Stories Book

Another superb collection of short stories from Gene Wolfe. This one focuses on fantasy and horror. I loved it from start to finish, but it's not the best introduction to Wolfe's short fiction. For that, I recommend Wolfe's collection, The Island of Dr. Death and Other Stories and Other Stories. For the experienced Wolfe reader, however, there's a lot to love in this collection.

Here are my notes on the individual stories:

"The Tree Is My Hat" is in the same "universe" as Wolfe's novel, An Evil Guest, and his chapbook, Christmas Inn. Not my favorite story, but it fits in nicely with those other two stories while standing on its own.

"The Old Woman Whose Rolling Pin Is the Sun" is Wolfe at his best. This story is perhaps best described as alternate mythology. It's a fable told by an old man to his granddaughter. It has just the right amount of sentiment and symbolism, which warmed my heart and tickled my fancy.

"The Friendship Light" is a tale of horror and well done. Creepy and effective.

"Slow Children at Play" is a clever inversion of the tale of the Wise Men and the Nativity. This time the birth that is foretold is the Antichrist's, I think. Accompanied by a couple fallen angels who have been kicked out of Hell for not being evil enough, the not-so-wise guy gets to the birth too soon and is turned back by Lucifer. Most of this isn't obvious on first reading, and that illustrates in my mind what makes Wolfe so great. His best writing works on multiple levels. Most authors just try to tell an entertaining story, but Wolfe aspires to something greater. I think he often achieves that greatness.

"Under Hill" is a fun story about a knight on a quest to rescue a princess. Of course, it's Wolfe, so that cliché is twisted. Expect the unexpected.

"The Monday Man" would be right at home in a modern Lovecraftian collection, and it would be better than most of the stories in the collection. Seeing as how I recently read New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird, I can say that with certainty. Nicely done.

"The Waif" is about a backwards community who is contacted by aliens (of a sort). Surprising and effective.

"The Legend of Xi Cygnus" is another fable or alternate mythology. As with many of Wolfe's stories, there's some Christian symbolism underneath the entertaining surface.

"The Sailor Who Sailed After the Sun" is absolutely brilliant, one of the very best short stories I've read by Wolfe. The prose is gorgeous, a real pleasure to read. It came about when Wolfe was doing research in Egyptology, possibly for his novel Soldier of Sidon. He came across a pictograph showing a monkey on Ra's barge. How did a monkey get on Ra's barge? This tale of alternate mythology gives the answer.

"How the Bishop Sailed to Inniskeen" is part ghost story, part Christmas story. An unusual combination, but it somehow works.

"Houston, 1943" has some tantalizing autobiographical details from Wolfe's childhood, but it's mixed with voodoo, characters from a child's storybook, and murder.

"A Fish Story" is another ghost story, but not a particularly good one.

"Wolfer" is an intriguing story about a woman who finds a purpose in rescuing wolves.

"The Eleventh City" is part of a series of short stories with the same central character. This one relates to an exorcism from the Gospels. Creepy and full of meaning.

"The Night Chough" is set on Blue, one of the worlds from Wolfe's The Book of the Short Sun, and it features Oreb, a talking bird and a fan favorite. Oreb tries to help a man whose fiancée has been raped and murdered. Poignant.

"The Wrapper" is about a man who can see into another world. Or he's going crazy. You decide.

"A Traveler in Desert Lands" is an enthralling tale set in the Middle East. Wonderful attention to detail, delicious prose.

"The Walking Sticks" nicely employs Wolfe's trope of an unreliable narrator to horrific effect.

"Queen" tells the story of messengers who have been sent to bring an old woman to the coronation of her son. Surprisingly overt for Wolfe.

"Pocketsful of Diamonds" is about the loss of innocence. It beautifully evokes childhood. A strong piece.

"Copperhead" is perhaps the weakest effort in the collection. The President ill-advisedly uses an alien artifact which can transform things into evil or good analogs.

"The Lost Pilgrim" is a charming tale of a lost time traveler who joins the heroic crew of a fabled ship. Fantastic, and a great way to finish the collection. Fans of Wolfe's "Latro" books will especially enjoy this one!