Return to the Whorl

Book of the Short Sun, Book 3

By: Gene Wolfe

Narrated by: Jason Culp

Gene Wolfe's Return to the Whorl is the third volume, after On Blue's Waters and In Green's Jungles, of his ambitious SF trilogy The Book of the Short Sun.

It is again narrated by Horn, who has embarked on a quest in search of the heroic leader Patera Silk. Horn has traveled from his home on the planet Blue, reached the mysterious planet Green, and visited the great starship, the Whorl, and even, somehow, the distant planet Urth. But Horn's identity has become ambiguous, a complex question embedded in the story, whose telling is itself complex, shifting from place to place, present to past. Perhaps Horn and Silk are now one being.

Return to the Whorl brings Wolfe's major new fiction, The Book of the Short Sun, to a strange and seductive climax.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2001 Gene Wolfe (P)2022 Audible, Inc.

So satisfying!

I can’t believe these books aren’t more renown and celebrated- such a great ending to a loooong journey. So happy to revisit the story on audio format. Excellent narration that’s consistent the whole way through from character to character. A+

A fantastic ending

The short sun books increased in excellence as they went along. This final book is a great end app to not only that series but the long sun books as well. I loved the action and adventure but especially the deep philosophical and theological themes and exploration.

The performance was great as well. Clearly read with distinct characters and voices without overacting.

My favorite author

I’m always amazed by the depth of Wolfe. This is my 3rd time through the long and short sun series and I continue to find new insights.

Peak Wolfe experience

A magestic, complicated, and bewildering treatise on identity and the lies storytellers must tell. What makes a person when one body contains multiple spirits? How many bodies can one spirit inhabit at once? A story can change depending on the narrator, but can the story also change the narrator?

My one qualm is that the text is slightly reordered from my Tor edition physical copy.

The final chapter of my physical copy is "Afterword" penned in-world by Daisy as the final denouement to not only Return to the Whorl but bto the Book of the Short Sun as a whole and even the entire Solar Cycle.
It is missing from this audio edition, and instead reads the letter "To my hosts" (penned in-world by Jahlee) which ought to be placed before chapter 1.

It still feels complete at a Gene Wolfe book, he often does not close every door and turn off every light on his way out, but it does feel a slight shame that this, my favorite of all Wolfe's books, ends with a minor hiccup.

This series will remain with me

This feels so real and personal, I feel bad for the majority of people, who have never learned of the series or gene wolfe

They left off the ending!

Gene Wolfe is a beautiful, thoughtful writer and this is one of his most amazing works. It's a complex and rich character portrayal set on a vivid world that allows a tale of identity, belief, morality, and adventure. Wolfe easily rivals not just the fantasy and sci-fi greats, but writers like Herman Melville and John Irving.

The reading and production are great, too. Culp understands the text and catches nuances of the main character that are easily missed.

But this recording leaves off the last chapter. No idea why. It would be a perfect recording otherwise. All the books are worth the listen, but you'll have to get a physical copy to know how it ends. Hopefully thet will fix that.

Last chapter missing!

the physical copy of this book has an afterward that is VERY IMPORTANT to the story. if you listen you will NEED to still get a physical copy to complete.