LAKE OF THE LONG SUN

Second in Wolfe's far-future saga (Nightside the Long Sun, p. 190) in which religious-political upheavals are shaking a city located inside a super-colossal spaceship. The young priest Patera Silk, whose mission to save his temple has been inspired by a god, the Outsider, receives further revelations when he learns that a young prostitute, Chenille, has been possessed by the goddess Kypris. Pressured by corrupt businessman Blood's associates for the payments he has agreed to make, Silk and Chenille decide to attempt to blackmail Dr. Crane, whom they know to be a spy, and follow Crane to the nearby Lake Limna. Here, numerous adventures befall: Silk and Crane are both captured by the powerful robot Lemur, one of the shadowy group now ruling the city Viron in defiance of legality and tradition. Becoming allies, Silk and Crane manage to kill Lemur and escape from his submarine. But a bloody civil war engulfs Viron, with troops loyal to Lemur battling a new faction determined to install the now famous and revered Silk as the rightful ruler. Silk, meanwhile, begins to lose his faith in the gods. After a slow, confusing start—no summary of events to date- -Wolfe's blend of exotic characters, intricate plotting, and narrative immediacy exerts a powerful grip. And readers will learn somewhat more about the mysterious, intriguing backdrop—huge spaceship, gods, computers, robots, and what-all—but not enough to decide whether it all adds up.