''The Land Across'' is a fantasy novel by Gene Wolfe published in 2013 by Tor Books.

Synopsis

Grafton is a travel writer who decides to write the first ever travel guide to "the land beyond the mountains", an otherwise-unnamed Eastern European nation that is almost impossible to reach.

Reception

Gary K. Wolfe Gary K. Wolfe (born Gary Kent Wolfe in 1946) is an American science fiction editor, critic and biographer. He is an emeritus Professor of Humanities in Roosevelt University's Evelyn T. Stone College of Professional Studies. Life Wolfe was ...

describes ''Across'' as reminiscent of Kafka, and of "classic horror fiction", while specifying that it "never stops being compelling" and is a "tribute to Wolfe's narrative virtuosity".Science Fiction review: 'The Land Across' by Gene Wolfe and more
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, in the '' Chicago Tribune''; published February 14, 2014; retrieved January 11 2015 Similarly,

Alan Cheuse Alan Stuart Cheuse (January 23, 1940 – July 31, 2015) was an American writer, editor, professor of literature, and radio commentator. A longtime NPR book commentator, he was also the author of five novels, five collections of short stories and n ...

called it "strange and engrossing".Review: 'The Land Across,' By Gene Wolfe
by

, at NPR; published November 27, 2013; retrieved January 11 2015

Charlie Jane Anders Charlie Jane Anders is an American writer and commentator. She has written several novels, published magazines and websites, and hosted podcasts. In 2005, she received the Lambda Literary Award for work in the transgender category, and in 2009, t ...

considered it "charming, not to mention thrilling", with "some real poetry and some great moments of describing people", but conceded that the plot "(felt) somewhat random" and was "really hard to summarize".Don't expect to figure out Gene Wolfe's new novel on a first reading
by

, at Io9; published December 16, 2013; retrieved February 6, 2019 At Tor.com, Mordicai Knode noted that the Latin for "across" and "beyond" is "trans", and combined this with the novel being set in Eastern Europe to conclude that it is "Wolfe's Transylvania novel"; he also posited connections to ''

The Third Policeman ''The Third Policeman'' is a novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It was written in 1939 and 1940, but after it initially failed to find a publisher, the author withdrew the manuscript from circulation ...

''.Gene Wolfe’s ''The Land Across'' is Lonely Planet Meets the Necronomicon
by Mordicai Knode, at Tor.com; published November 12, 2013; retrieved February 6, 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Land Across, The Novels by Gene Wolfe American fantasy novels