Phillip Mann - Wulfsyarn

I first read Wulfsyarn when it was published in the early 1990s. I thought I would remember almost nothing about it, but I quickly found I remembered key imagery from the book even though I'd forgotten much of the story. The thoughtfully portrayed artificial beings that are at the heart of the story turned out to be particular memorable. The story is told by Wulf, the autoscribe. Wulf is a massive floating object shaped like a Spartan helmet. Alongside Wulf is Lily, a medical robot, whose bulky body is designed to protect and treat injured humans. On her front in faded paint, is a cheerful face, painted to comfort the orphan she used to look after on a war ravaged planet. There's more than a hint of comic cyberpunk to these characters, but the book takes things in a very different direction.

Both Lily and Wulf are extremely old. Thus Wulfsyarn covers only part of their personal stories, though he fills up gaps with both of their histories - cleverly fleshing out the universe that the main tale is part of. The two robots care for Jon Wilberfoss, the captain of the Nightingale, a massive transport, hospital ship and exploring vessel that disappeared. Wilberfoss was the only survivor. The remainder of the crew - human and alien - perished in some unknown disaster.

Though Wulf's retelling (and occasional embellishment), the reader gradually pieces together the story of the Nightingale's first and last voyage. We learn about what drove Wilberfoss to be a member of the religious order that built the Nightingale, his marriage to a non-human and the fears that torment him. Seemingly minor events in his youth, and smaller parts from other characters all contribute to the crisis that engulfs Wilderfoss' ship and his escape. The religious backdrop to this novel might surprise some readers - with a power church it reminded me a little of Simmon's Hyperion novels or the steampunk future of Roberts' Pavane. But for Mann the religious is less about creating a intergalactic empire like the Hyperion Cantos and more about giving substance and motivation to Wilberfoss, and those who abandon him when they perceive his failure.

I didn't expect to enjoy Phillip Mann's novel as much as I did. My memories weren't positive, but in the early 1990s I preferred a diet of action and adventure to more cerebral SF&F. My edition has a quote from The Times' review "Here by tygers of the mind" - I don't think I quite understood the meaning until my re-read.  But while the story at the heart of Wulfsyarn is fairly straightforward, its retelling by Wulf (with small contributions from Lilly) and Phillip Mann's cleverly constructed universe makes for a work that ought to be read more widely. 

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Roberts - Pavane
Simmons - Hyperion
Willis - Doomsday Book
Anders - The City in the Middle of the Night