There is another book I read that turned out to be quite different from what I had expected it to be, but this time I liked how it was developing. “The Fifth Head of Cerberus“, a science fiction novel written by Gene Wolfe and published in 1972, consists of three tales that make up the story. The tales are set on the twin planets Sainte Croix and Sainte Anne which have been colonised for about 100 years by settlers from Earth. There used to be some native population on Sainte Anne, hunter-gatherers with shapeshifting abilities. But these aborigines have since died out. Or have they? That is the question that John Marsch, an anthropologist from Earth, wants to answer. It is this quest that binds the three parts together.
The first part is told by a man from Sainte Croix and gives an insight into the society of the settlers living on this planet. Educated by a machine, he is later tested by his father, a scientist, before realising there is a secret running in the family. John Marsch makes an entry towards the end of this tale in the form of an observer.
The second part is the story of Sandwalker, one of the natives from Sainte Anne, and it is set directly before the arrival of the first human settlers. It is an introduction to the aboriginal society and its rites and also gives an overview of what creatures populated that planet. This part is written like someone is retelling the legend of Sandwalker.
The third part tells of John Marsch’s field work on Sainte Anne and it becomes clear that he has returned to Sainte Croix after some time. I especially liked how this third part was written. In it, an officer reads randomly selected journal entries, interview transcripts and forms, and listens to interrogation sessions. This means that as a reader you have some information here and there that aids you in making up your mind and developing your own theory of what actually happened. I have my theory. Read the book and make up your own mind.
Quick, think of a witty title. 