Though I often speak of Wolfe's stories, and constantly recommend them to friends, I've found it particularly hard to write my thoughts down. In conversation, one can state and retract, meander and backtrack, and that may be essential to understanding the layers of anything Gene Wolfe puts to page. He is, therefore, capable of what I am not.
Much of the difficulty can be put out of the way by saying not to bother with this story if, 1.) you have never read any of Wolfe's other work, and/or 2.) you believe yourself incapable of finishing a difficult book and then rereading it. As is often said, most of the draw to Wolfe is his subtlety, and the thousand things that happen just out of sight, usually only hinted at in the prose. The author even said, in a letter to Neil Gaiman, "My definition of good literature is that which can be read by an educated reader, and reread with increased pleasure." There are plenty of wonderful novels out there that only need to be read once, and I wouldn't hold it against you if you stuck to that sort. Signing up for a dual reading can be daunting.
As for this particular novel, in an intentionally pulpy style, we have a magically enhanced actress caught between a billionaire/alchemist/king and professor/private investigator/wizard, all leading up to a sort of showdown with the eldest of all the aliens/skygods that has made its way to Earth. There is shapeshifting, alchemy, acting, invisibility, a host of bizarre creatures only briefly mentioned, a sci-fi take on 1930's America, and a brief cameo by George W. Bush. In short, nothing is what it seems, and as I've said before, your second reading will be much more revelatory. If you can handle this sort of mind job in 300 pages, cozy into your Cthulu slippers and dig in.
As far as an actual rating is concerned, I must use several different scales. In comparison to his Sun Cycle (between 3 and 12 novels, depending on whether you are a "lumper" or a "splitter"), I can say this feels rushed, and that the protagonist is not wonderfully developed. Compared to other novels like An Evil Guest, well, I can safely say there isn't much out there even remotely like this, so in that sense I can assure you that there are none better. I'm not sure if anyone else has even tried to publish a noir-mystery-horror-sf jaunt through Lovecraft's mind while exploring the day-to-day behind theatrical performances.
My final scale today will be for those who've not yet crossed paths with Wolfe or his works. As an introduction to his writing, I cannot recommend starting with An Evil Guest; however, if it seems more interesting to you than the summaries of his other books, I must warn you that it may change your reading habits afterward. You'll pick up a rather straightforward novel and find yourself digging for clues, rereading lines for hints, and drive yourself mad wondering, "Why did the author use this word rather than that one?" By all means, if you believe yourself up to the task, you will be rewarded. Just don't say you weren't warned.
