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1 Beaverton Science Fiction and Fantasy- A to Z

The Fifth Head of Cerberus: Three Novellas

by Gene Wolfe

The Fifth Head of Cerberus: Three Novellas Cover

ISBN13: 9780312890209
ISBN10: 0312890206
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Back in print for the first time in more than a decade, Gene Wolfe's The Fifth Head of Cerberus is a universally acknowledged masterpiece of science fiction by one of the field's most brilliant writers.

Far out from Earth, two sister planets, Saint Anne and Saint Croix, circle each other in an eternal dance. It is said a race of shapeshifters once lived here, only to perish when men came. But one man believes they can still be found, somewhere in the back of the beyond.

In The Fifth Head of Cerberus Wolfe skillfully interweaves three bizarre tales to create a mesmerizing pattern: the harrowing account of the son of a mad genius who discovers his hideous heritage; a young man's mythic dreamquest for his darker half; the bizarre chronicle of a scientists' nightmarish imprisonment. Like an intricate, braided knot, the pattern at last unfolds to reveal astonishing truths about this strange and savage alien landscape.

Synopsis:

First published in 1972, this SF masterpiece has been out of print for most of a decade. Now, this "subtle, ingenious, and poetic book" (Ursula Le Guin) entertains a new generation of readers with the story of two far-flung sister planets and a man's quest to find remnants of a lost.

About the Author

Gene Wolfe has been called "the finest writer the science fiction world has yet produced" by The Washington Post. A former engineer, he has written numerous books and won a variety of awards for his SF writing.

Table of Contents

The fifth head of Cerberus — "A story," by John V. Marsch — V.R.T.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
blake.peterson, April 9, 2007 (view all comments by blake.peterson)
Gene Wolfe's subtle mastery is shown here in abundance, as he weaves together three tales to show a complex history of human involvement on an alien world. But at its heart, like much of Wolfe's work, Fifth Head of Cerberus is a profoundly moral tale that places the ethical burden on the reader by keeping his fictional world firmly in shades of gray. Wolfe's intelligence and masterful craft make this book a joyful read.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780312890209
Subtitle:
Three Novellas
Author:
Wolfe, Gene
Publisher:
Orb Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Science Fiction - General
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Science / General
Edition Number:
1st Orb ed.
Edition Description:
Orb
Series Volume:
no. 91
Publication Date:
March 1994
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
256
Dimensions:
8.27x5.51x.65 in. .55 lbs.

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