Gene Wolfe's standalone fiction isn't as beloved as his solar cycle, but An Evil Guest is criminally underrated even by Wolfe fans. On the surface it is a tale of a broadway singer caught in the crossfire of competing government agencies: the CIA, FBI, and ATF (at least) all vie to be the first to capture a rogue ambassador to another planet and the technological, almost magical, secrets he employs. Underneath all this, eldritch gods roil with their own designs, and above it hangs our constellated firmament portending fates for certain characters. Admittedly, this sounds cluttered and incoherent, but those familiar with Wolfe's other works will trust that the clues are there and what little is spelled out for the reader only hints at a deeper structure.

I'm looking forward to returning to this after rereading some Greek myths, the Book of Judges, and reading The Circus of Dr. Lao.