Sun Tzu uses language that may be unusual in a Western text on warfare and strategy. For example, the eleventh chapter states that a leader must be "serene and inscrutable" and capable of comprehending "unfathomable plans". The text contains many similar remarks that have long confused Western readers lacking an awareness of the East Asian context. The meanings of such statements are clearer when interpreted in the context of Taoist thought and practice. Sun Tzu viewed the ideal general as an enlightened Taoist master, which has led to "The Art of War" being considered a prime example of Taoist strategy. The book
The Book of the Long Sun the original "New Sun" is made clear. The Mythopoeic Society considered "The Book of the Sun" as a whole for annual literary awards. It was one of five finalists for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award in 1997. "Locus" magazine and the American SF writers considered the volumes separately for "Best Novel" awards. A young priest Patera Silk tries to save his "manteion" (neighborhood church and school) from destruction by a ruthless crime lord. As he learns more about his world, a vast generation ship called the Whorl, he learns to distrust the gods he has worshiped and to revere the supposedly