In the revised edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, John Clute describes Gene Wolfe as ‘quite possibly the most important writer’ working in the science fiction (SF) field. From Clute's assured tone, the reader could be forgiven for accepting this comment as the conclusion of a dynamic critical debate. It is, however, nothing of the sort. While Wolfe has received considerable acclaim for his stylistic versatility, his ability to produce detailed and credible fictional worlds, and his skill at characterisation, he remains one of the most neglected and misunderstood writers of contemporary science fiction and fantasy.

As this bio-bibliographical introduction reveals, Wolfe's work has provoked little academic interest (possibly because of its complexity), except for a number of reviews and articles that have disregarded perhaps the most crucial factor in understanding his writing: the effects on the reader of his literary techniques and strategies. If Wolfe's fiction is to receive the analytical attention it deserves, there is a need therefore to argue why he should be considered as one of the ‘most important’ writers of SF. Attending Daedalus seeks to provide that argument by progressing from an overview of Wolfe's career to a detailed examination of his magnum opus: The Book of the New Sun (1980–83) and its sequel, The Urth of the New Sun (1987).

The style, subtlety, range and intricacy of Wolfe's stories and novels belie his non-literary background. Born an only child on 7 May 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, Wolfe spent the first 10 years of his life moving from state to state before his family finally settled in Houston, Texas. Wolfe's love of books was inherited from his parents and fostered further by his mother, who read to him throughout his childhood.

It was in Houston that Wolfe first read pulp magazines, the influence of which can be seen, on one level or another, in many of his tales, but most notably in ‘The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories’ (1970). He continued to read SF at every possible opportunity, especially those stories featuring Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. Providentially, Wolfe was enrolled at the Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School, an institution he found entirely conducive to his burgeoning interest in science- and supernatural fiction.