The Citadel of the Autarch

The Book of the New Sun #4

by Gene Wolfe

alternate cover for ISBN 0099320606

In a journey fraught with peril and wonder Severian the Torturer travels across the lands of Urth. A devouring blackness gnaws at the heart of the Old Sun and Urth waits for the coming of the Conciliator, the New Sun long foretold. A new age is to be born — and Severian must face an awesome destiny that he dare not refuse.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Science Fiction Fantasy, Classics, Novels

317 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Gene Wolfe was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying a Catholic. He was a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the field.

The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is given by SFWA for ‘lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.’ Wolfe joins the Grand Master ranks alongside such legends as Connie Willis, Michael Moorcock, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Joe Haldeman. The award will be presented at the 48th Annual Nebula Awards Weekend in San Jose, CA, May 16-19, 2013.

While attending Texas A&M University Wolfe published his first speculative fiction in The Commentator, a student literary journal. Wolfe dropped out during his junior year, and was drafted to fight in the Korean War. After returning to the United States he earned a degree from the University of Houston and became an industrial engineer. He edited the journal Plant Engineering for many years before retiring to write full-time, but his most famous professional engineering achievement is a contribution to the machine used to make Pringles potato crisps. He lived in Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

A frequent Hugo nominee without a win, Wolfe has nevertheless picked up several Nebula and Locus Awards, among others, including the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. He is also a member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/genewolfe

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever stood in line for a roller coaster ride, climbed aboard, strapped in, took off and threw yours hands wide, screamed like a kid, came to the stop and said, “Again, we’re riding this again!” got back in line and did it all again?

That’s me, I’ve come to the end of Gene Wolfe’s magnificent Book of the New Sun tetralogy and I picked up book one and started over again.

Here’s the crazy thing: I think this might be the Never-Ending Story. Taking off again from book one, The Shadow of the Torturer, I am picking up on narrative elements I just finished from the fourth book, and better understand what was going on in the first few pages. This is Frank Herbert Dune-like in its intricate detail.

I’ve heard other reviewers say that these four books should be read in sequence and I absolutely agree. I’ll do one better – rent a cabin in the woods for a week and bring these four books with you. And some chips.

Wolfe has in Severian created a complicated figure that could be Christ-like but could also be a pilgrim, or a journeyman, or a seeker of truth and penitence (the actual name of his guild, commonly referred to as the Torturer’s Guild).

Why did Wolfe choose for his protagonist the occupation of torturer / executioner?

I don’t know.

Maybe it suggests the violent nature of man, or Moorcock-like the harsh tension between law and chaos. And this is a bloodily competent headsman who is also humane and shows mercy.

This is also, of course, reminiscent of Jack Vance’s Dying Earth stories and I’m going to have to go back and read those too.

These books have me, Elvis-like, all shook up and I’m going to need to read them all over again to figure out what in the hell to say about them when I’m all done.

*** 2021 reread

This is top tier speculative fiction, on the same level as Dune and LOTR. I had always considered Dune to be the ultimate SFF, blending elements of science fiction and fantasy, but Wolfe gives Herbert a run for his money in this magnificent story (and this review is really for all four books, in my mind, one book - The Book of the New Sun).

Ursula K. LeGuin, herself in the rare category as author of literary science fiction said that Wolfe was "our Melville". His writing is amazing and I'll say that this book is as War and Peace or One Hundred Years of Solitude - it has everything. There is peace and war, violence, love, mystery, mysticism, family, friendships, professionalism, loyalty and betrayal and all under the red light of a dying sun.

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The rusted chains of prison moons are shattered by the sun. I walk a road, horizons change, the tournament’s begun. The purple piper plays his tune; the choir softly sings three lullabies in an ancient tongue for the court of the crimson king.” Reading The Citadel of the Autarch I often remembered the Court of the Crimson King song – they both boast the same enthralling atmosphere of luxuriant decadence.

The dead Autarch, whose face I had seen in scarlet ruin a few moments before, now lived again. My eyes and hands were his, I knew the work of the hives of the bees of the House Absolute and the sacredness of them, who steer by the sun and fetch gold of Urth’s fertility. I knew his course to the Phoenix Throne, and to the stars, and back. His mind was mine and filled mine with lore whose existence I had never suspected and with the knowledge other minds had brought to his. The phenomenal world seemed dim and vague as a picture sketched in sand over which an errant wind veered and moaned. I could not have concentrated on it if I had wished to, and I had no such wish. The black fabric of our prison tent faded to a pale dove-gray, and the angles of its top whirled like the prisms of a kaleidoscope.

Now Severian is standing at the gates of his destination and at the portal of his destiny so his long journey seems to have reached a desired end…
The Book of the New Sun is beyond fantasy and it is beyond science fiction – it belongs to the modern mythology and to the mythology of the future.
Every quest has its aim and its conclusion.

[Książkowe Bajdurzenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

O JACIEŻ PIERDOLE CO.

Materiałoaudiowizuale (tak naprawdę, nie umiem po włosku):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_fd...

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is more than a month since I finished the tetralogy The Book of the New Sun, but I have not, until now, reviewed its final volume, The Citadel of the Autarch. I am not yet certain I even like these books, let alone how to think about them.

Perhaps this is a sign of Wolfe’s greatness, for writers of genius often require serious reflection and re-reading. (Ursula Le Guin has called Wolfe “our Melville,” and this reminds me that I don’t believe I adequately appreciated Moby Dick until at least my second time through.) I can sincerely say that I am even more impressed with Gene Wolfe’s gifts at the end of this first journey than I was at the beginning of it: his mastery of architectonics, his sly allusiveness, his subtle Christian symbolism, his tasteful manipulation of a deliberately arcane vocabulary, his deft use of detail in the planning of small things, the assurance of his self-aware yet unreliable narrative voice, the majestic confidence with which he builds his world.

Still, there is something I long for in a narrative that The Book of the New Sun fails to provide.

I keep coming back to one of my favorite pronouncements about the arts, a well-known statement of Goethe’s: “Architecture is frozen music; music is liquid architecture.” This strikes me as surprising, yet altogether right . . . but what does it have to say to us about other forms of artistic creation? What about the novel? What of a whole series of novels?

It seems to me that narrative fiction lies directly in the middle of the frozen-liquid spectrum that Goethe’s observation implies. The novel requires of its author an alternation of stasis and dynamism, a balance that—at least in the greatest examples of narrative art—suggests at once a great edifice and a superb symphony.

Although I am sure counter-examples may be found, The Book of the New Sun, in a larger sense, does not achieve this balance. Magnificent in its solidity, like a great Gothic cathedral, it is frozen nevertheless. Its characters are a series of gargoyles perched on finials; its metaphysical framework is a cyclopean roof which only appears to be soaring, a roof of great weight that would smash to earth if not buttressed by expert craftsmanship. And the music of The Book of the New Sun? It is there, undeniably, but for me remains frozen; it is mute, like a score unplayed.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

So now that all the big reveals have come through, plus a very nice one to redefine the rest of the series, I can officially say that I *like* this series instead of just sitting around being mystified and weirded out by it while wondering how to justify the traditional action events with the truly odd.

And now I know.

It's pretty awesome, but not quite up to the level of mindfuqery that I was prepared to expect based on all the multiple time-travel and memory-cannibalisms that we've been subjected to. I mean, it's been four whole novels of what appeared to be straightforward adventure before it got super weird, and I'm not even including the humaniform robots, the dying of the sun, the idea-form aliens, living gods or locations jettisoned out of the time-stream. As if those weren't quite enough, right?

Still, one has to be impressed by the almost Dune-like scope near the end, the complete and utter laying out of reveals, the expected solution for the sun, and of course, Severian's Fate. And those inside him, of course. :)

A word to the wise, for anyone contemplating taking on this admittedly daunting work: Read all four books straight through. It won't be as frustrating. Ignore Serverain's epilogue and stick with the tale.

And by all means, have faith that it comes together in the end, because it does.

I'm actually kind of tempted to do them all again to start really connecting the dots instead of just *thinking* that I'm connecting all the dots. :) It's an impressive work, but let me be perfectly honest... it's not the end-all of all SF. It's good, it's very literary in both the regular mainstream and classics as well as the SF field, but it's not quite the grand masterpiece I was led to believe it was.

Being able to incorporate so many other works inside a single adventure, however impressive, technically, is not the same thing as being a wild and fun read.

Although, I *DID* love the occasion for the marriage stories. Those were all pretty well brilliant and fun as hell. :)

I'm glad I made it through. :)

[Palmyrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am by no means competent to review this literary masterpiece, but — having read the litany of confusion on the review pages of this volume and its companions — I wish to state the following, simply in order to be helpful.

1. The four volumes of The Book of the New Sun are one long novel, not four separate books. It was originally published in four volumes because it was too expensive and cumbersome to print as one. Don't expect the satisfaction of an ending at the conclusion of every volume. Expect cliffhangers.

2. You will almost certainly doubt it more than once while you are reading, but the novel, taken as a whole, does tell a coherent, linear story. It is the story of how and why Severian, the narrator and hero, became what he is at the end of the last book. Everything you read, however irrelevant it may seem, is part of that story and vital to the plot. The apparently (but only apparently) meandering style of the narrative is designed to confuse. This book, more than most, is a game the reader is invited to play with the author.

3. The dice in this game are heavily loaded. It is impossible to understand The Book of the New Sun on a first reading. At any rate (and I have studied the matter), I have never heard or read of anyone who has. It is a book you have to read at least twice. The author actually tells you this explicitly, using the voice of Severian to do so. Thoughtfully, he saves the advice until the last page of the last volume.

4. To complicate matters further, there is a story underneath the story. Understanding that story, you will at last understand why Severian's journey is so long and why the incidents in it are so strange and seemingly incomprehensible. This story may not reveal itself at even a second reading.

5. The small stories within the main narrative (there are many of them scattered throughout all four volumes) are also very relevant to the main plot, and even more relevant to the subtextual 'under-story' mentioned above. To repeat, nothing in The Book of the New Sun is irrelevant.

6. This is science fiction, not fantasy (even though it won a World Fantasy Award). Nothing supernatural happens in it, with the exception of two major, frequently-repeated events that take place at various points during the narrative. One you will not even realize is happening the first time you read the book; I actually had to have it pointed out to me after not even having noticed it on my second reading. The second is easy enough to spot, but is not really presented as supernatural. Anyway, in The Book of the New Sun, what is supernatural on one level always turns out to be perfectly natural on a different level — as indeed it must be, if you think about it. Even God can't be supernatural from His own point of view.

I have read this book three times over a period of roughly 20 years. My last reading began after having spent some months lurking on urth.net, an email forum dedicated to the works of Gene Wolfe, on which obsessive readers discuss his work in excruciating detail. Even so, there is much in The Book of the New Sun that I don't understand, though neither the plot nor the subtext are mysteries to me any longer.

This book certainly isn't for everyone; like Buddhism, you need to have travelled far along the path already before you can take it up and gain anything from it. It is a special treat for literary sophisticates who are also fans of fantasy and/or science fiction; not a very common combination. If you find what I have written above intriguing rather than offputting, Gene Wolfe's masterpiece may be for you. Otherwise, seriously, don't bother.

A final word of warning. if you are one of those people who think the meaning of a work of literature is contained in its symbolism, you will never understand Gene Wolfe. He loves to make sport with symbols, and he does it on practically every page of this book; but most of the time he does it as a sprinkling of grace-notes, a literary conceit for the entertainment of the best-read among his readers. Follow his symbolism hoping to understand the story, and you will be woefully misled. I think he does it intentionally, and three cheers for him too.

[Krell75 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Non sono altro che un esercizio inconscio del tuo stesso potere."

Il potere di immaginare e di rendere reali i sogni.
L' importanza dei ricordi come testimonianza della vita.
L' Uroboro senza inizio né fine.
L' anno Divino e l'avvento del Nuovo Sole.

Eccomi giunto al termine del quarto romanzo del ciclo del Nuovo Sole e ammetto di avere qualche perplessità. Alcuni eventi sembrano trovare una sorta di spiegazione, altri rimangono impalpabili e nebbiosi. Ognuno può dare una propria visione e spiegazione. Il punto di forza di questi romanzi rimane il decriptare il racconto poco attendibile del narratore Severian, ma il resto non mi ha particolarmente entusiasmato.

Wolfe cerca di creare un ciclo che sia paragonabile in profondità alle tematiche di Dune, ma fallisce miseramente.
Arricchisce i romanzi con temi filosofici per complicare la narrazione ma, giunto al termine e alle spiegazioni finali, la sensazione che mi rimane è quella di aver letto una storia dalla trama poco memorabile, eccessivamente complicata e dalla risoluzione aperta a teorie infinite.

È senza dubbio una lettura impegnativa e merita un certo grado di attenzione. I primi due romanzi promettevano grandi cose ma lo sviluppo dei successivi non è stato sullo stesso livello.

-----------------------------------
"They are nothing more than an unconscious exercise of your own power."

The power to imagine and make dreams real.
The importance of memories as a testimony of life.
The Ouroboros without beginning or end.
The Divine Year and the advent of the New Sun.

Here I have reached the end of the fourth novel of the New Sun cycle and I admit that I have some doubts. Some events seem to find some sort of explanation, others remain impalpable and foggy. Everyone can give their own vision and explanation. The strong point of these novels remains the decryption of the unreliable story of the narrator Severian, but the rest didn't particularly excite me.

Wolfe tries to create a cycle that is comparable in depth to the themes of Dune, but fails miserably.
He enriches the novels with philosophical themes to complicate the narrative but, having reached the end and the final explanations, the feeling I am left with is that of having read a story with an unmemorable, excessively complicated plot and a resolution open to infinite theories.

It is undoubtedly a challenging read and deserves a certain degree of attention.The first two novels promised great things but the development of the subsequent ones was not at the same level.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, what a ride this was. An absolute masterpiece. Don't think I've ever read anything like this before.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не съжалявам, че препрочетох тетралогията, но не ми хареса толкова, както преди трийсетина години.

Въображението и майсторството на Улф са изплели ситна мрежица от вълнуващи образи, места и събития.

Притча за една планета, преминала заника си и все пак живееща с надеждата за и в очакване на неминуемото пришествие на спасителя си, наречен "Новото слънце".

Интересно е успял да комбинира фантастичното с науката - от това историята печели много. Но проблем за мен са огромните дупки, прокъсали канавата на текста и сюжета на твърде много места - неочаквани пропуски и несъответствия, въпроси без отговори, както и случки без никакво обяснение - това често дразни и дори дотяга на читателя.

Лошият и нехармоничен превод на български допълнително влошава ситуацията и не бих се учудил да разбера, че мнозина са захвърлили завинаги от бяс или с досада някоя от четирите книги от поредицата.

Петата книга, завършваща този цикъл така и не е видяла бял свят на родния ми език - цинична мърлявщина, в която издателство Бард не се уморяват да постоянстват през годините…

Цитат:

"Войната не е ново изживяване. Тя е нов свят."

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is done.

Not an easy road, as I was warned - but hell of a ride.

This final installment starts off mildly enough, as we spend a considerable amount of time in a field hospital, listening to a bunch of entertaining but seemingly meaningless stories and fables. Then there's the war itself, seemingly building up to the exciting climax as we're finally caught up with the events and see what the whole fuss even was about. And then it gets weird. I find myself doubling back to realize what the hell is going on, how we ended up here, what's happening now, and so forth. I find myself struggling tooth and nail to hold on tight and not fall off the loop, and at the end of it I'm not sure whether I succeeded at all.

And now it's the time to review it, or really the whole saga - since, like with The Lord of the Rings, it really was one book split into many parts. And... I don't know. It feels like reviewing an ocean based on this one dip on a beach.

I've seen great many people - here and elsewhere - review fictional works based on what they get out of it, what they see in front of themselves, what it does for them at first glance... generally either not noticing or not caring about the possible unrealized depth and author intentions and all the symbolism and correlations and such. And it is never their own fault that they do not understand what they just went through. This typically results in lower scores than the work might deserve.

And yeah, sometimes there's really no deeper layers hidden beneath. Sometimes the fans yelling that "You just don't get it!" are full of shit. And sometimes there are more layers, you understand the whole thing, and still decide it's not for you. That's all very well. There's different kinds of stories and different kinds of people.

But I think it'd also be a good idea to keep an open mind, to acknowledge that there are things we don't know of, and that there's always room for personal growth. That maybe it's not just a dumb old book because we didn't get it. "It's not you, it's me", and all that.

With that in mind, I'm going to rate Book of the New Sun based on what I do get out of it right now: great setting and worldbuilding, mostly likeable characters, and the singular best prose this side of Mervyn Peake. I also think that Severian comes across as how many of us were young - spouting on a whole bunch of philosophical nonsense that he himself doesn't understand at all, to try and mask his own lack of intelligence. Based on other evidence, I'm fairly sure that the author meant him to come across that way. Even at the end, mad and often incomprehensible as he might be, I enjoyed following this tale in his head.

I'll reserve my judgement on the plot itself, and all the hidden stuff I can almost grasp but not truly comprehend, like trying to blindly catch marshmallow in a thick mist. I really have to read this thing again, perhaps after I've acclimated myself with the author a little more, and maybe checked out on whatever it's supposed to symbolize.

[Jake Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I guess I need to reread this at some point.

8.8

[Dr Sayuti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finishing this book means I’m done with the four primary Book Of The New Sun Books. So this review will not be limited to the book alone but rather the series as a whole.

This series has been both the most obsessive and contemplative I’ve been for any work of fiction with how much it stayed with me off page—even in my dreams lol.

Seriously these books progressively had me thinking more about them all the time, with every subsequent one I read from a pure entertainment level with all the adventures, to the nerdy levels in terms of the mysteries down to how daring & thought provoking the territories it charted were.

I think this is ultimately where Gene Wolfe succeeded the best. These books can be read at any investment level & still be worth your time: You can just be there for the adventures because the atmosphere alone is enough to leave a strong impression on you regardless. In fact the prose and enigmatic narrative design is worth experiencing for itself imo.

A lot of BoTNs is abstruse by design, and so I read on with the reread safety net in mind... but I’m afraid even that wasn’t enough to shed me from how overwhelming a lot of the concepts in this Instalment were: The corridors of time(Green man), the ragnarok, The Divine year mechanism, the nature of the claw etc. But I’m even more glad that my fears about these 4 books feeling incomplete without the coda were dispelled cuz imo that’s an unfortunate misrepresentation that’s a common take, & I deduce it comes from the expectations one has in mind going into the books.

The book of the New Sun is an autobiography of Severian’s ascendance to autarchy, what it’s not however, is the chronicle of the coming of the New Sun regardless of how interlinked both often are due to the nature of that world, wherein everything falls under the New Sun’s umbrella for the dying earth setting that world is set, and as such it takes precedence over everything there... Everything but not Severian’s story as promised in the first paragraph; which is something he & Gene Wolfe fortunately remembered... But unfortunately, from what I’ve seen most of the readers did not & have as such put the coming of the New Sun precedential to Severian’s own Autarchy Journey. I can see why Wolfe refused to add anything here & compromised for urth later.

All is to say, I think the BotNS quartet is well rounded and well payed off based on the promises at the start but luckily even if it’s not enough and some readers feel robbed, The Coda exists and that’s great for all of us because the divine year cycle deserves proper exploration.

Back to topic, Citadel payed off well by tying up the things most important to Severian, from:

People such as Dorcas, Agia, Baldanders & Severain himself: His first policy as an autarch being dissolving the Torturer’s guild and then his memento to Dorcas at the end are the greatest testaments to this.

Then the resolution to the claw which in classic BotNS fashion was given multiple likely facets (3) to which I’ll say no matter which of the 3 is the case, ultimately it all boils down to him empowering the claw be it mutually or just one sidedly as the outlet of his aspects that are preternatural. This may be the most convincing manner I’ve seen any story convey the weight of symbols.

Don't be mistaken tho, all these is not to say I fully grasp everything it’s conveying cuz lord knows the revelations in this book —like The Divine year, Head of the day etc quite utterly deconstructs my understanding of both the New Sun universe & the narrative of these books which only rereads & in depth analysis can allow for any form of shape to what the actuality of this world & books are, which I’m 100% intent on doing. I’m sure the reread(s) will be epiphanic.

Idk which book between Sword and Citadel is my favorite of the quartet. Off pure entertainment and how vivid some of the scenes —Typhon’s death, Baldander’s decent etc from Sword were it’ll be Sword of The Lictor but the pathos a lot of the resolutions in Citadel provided me is making me lean towards it: The final chapters of this one are some of the most moving pieces of writing I’ve come across. It really made me retroactively love the characters as Severian recounted his resolution with them. That’s not even accounting for how thought provoking some of the revelations here are.

All in all, BotNS stands currently as both my favorite Sci-Fantasy work and collectively as my best reads of the year. I’ll go on and listen to key Alzabo Soup podcast eps over the next month and then read Urth to see out the year. It was a pleasure for me all the way.

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion of the Book of the New Sun—this series was apparently written as one manuscript and divided into four books for publication and they truly feel that way. I think that to properly appreciate it, I would have to go back and read through all four continuously. The second time through, I would know which details to pay attention to and a lot of the small confusions which I have regarding the plot would likely resolve themselves. Unfortunately, life is short and I’m unlikely to be willing to relinquish reading time to a re-reading this series. I do plan, however, to read the fifth book set on Urth when I reach it in my reading project.

SPOILERS WILL LIKELY ABOUND FROM THIS POINT FORWARD!

There are definitely similarities to Frank Herbert’s Dune series—at least with regard to the nature of the Autarch. Just as with Atreides rulers, Severian ends up truly being able to use the royal “we.” I also found myself wondering if he truly needed the Claw of the Conciliator in order to perform many of the “miracles” which followed in his wake. Perhaps the dog, Triskele, which was saved in the first pages in the first book, was the original signal of Severian’s unusual talents and foreshadowing of his future. I was also gratified to realize that my first thoughts about Dorcas (that she was one of the dead people “buried” in the lake and somehow revived) were true.

This is very much a “chosen one” story—but the ones doing the choosing are interesting. If I’ve got it figured correctly, Severian is chosen by people from the future of Urth who spelunk into the past to make sure that events occur as those people desire it to. Are they aliens? Or are they future, evolved members of Urth’s population? To me, at least, the answer to that question is unsure.

Although it is a very engaging tale, it does fail the Bechdel test miserably. There are a number of female characters, but they don’t interact much—their attention is riveted on Severian. Mind you, this is the state of most of the male characters too, so I can’t hold it against the work too much.

A very good series. I would recommend that science fiction and fantasy fans read it at least once.

Title 165 of my science fiction and fantasy reading project.

[Jeraviz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Llega el final del viaje de Severian (aunque hay otro libro más) donde por fin se explican algunas cosas después de cuatro libros dando vueltas. Aún así la sensación final no es satisfactoria. Gene Wolfe escribe muy bien y habrá creado con esta obra un clásico de la CF con ese viaje de Severian cual Quijote o Ulises, pero a mi me ha aburrido. No sé, no llegaré al nivel para entenderlo o no ha sido el mejor momento para leerlo, pero en ningún momento me han atraído los personajes para querer saber qué iba a pasar.

Si te animas, es una saga muy lenta, que se va mucho por las ramas y donde el camino es más importante que el destino es la mejor forma de describirla. Avisados quedáis.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 5-star rating is more for the series as a whole than for the single volume itself (it’s definitely very good, but I think I may still like The Sword of the Lictor better). There still remains of course the ‘coda’ volume to the series , The Urth of the New Sun, which truly resolves many of the major issues that are still left open ended for both Severian and the planet Urth itself upon the conclusion of _Citadel_, but I have to admit that I can now more clearly see how volume four is in many ways a true conclusion to the initial story of Severian. _Urth_ goes on to give us an extra glimpse that indeed carries forward from where Severian left off, but it really does cover something of a different phase of his life. I’d still say reading the first four books of the New Sun series without reading the final coda would be a loss, but I guess I can just get behind those that see this as a ‘four books plus one’ series as opposed to a straight five book series…does that make any sense? Well, it’s Gene Wolfe, so maybe it doesn’t matter whether it does or not.

Looking back it’s hard for me to believe that this book is only 330 pages given everything that Wolfe packs into it, but as with the other volumes this one is packed to the gills with important events. The main thrust of them all, however, revolves around Severian’s final approach to the great war that has been overshadowing the story, and his world, from the beginning. In the background of the story of Severian’s growth and adventures, and caught up within it, is the global conflict between the people of the Commonwealth (under their sole ruler the Autarch) against the people to the north, the Ascians, who we learn live under the sway of the mysterious extraterrestrial giants Erebus and Abaia.

Severian finally comes across one of the avowed objects of his journey since he first realized he carried the Claw of the Conciliator when he finds himself cared for in a field hospital run by the Order of the Pelerines on the edge of the front lines. He also gets the chance to see one of his Commonwealth’s enemies first-hand in the form of an injured Ascian soldier who shows just how much the people of the north have been twisted by their extraterrestrial masters. Severian then indulges in several adventures involving time travel, apocalyptic visions, and the visceral experience of battle amongst a group of mercenaries to which he joins himself. Ultimately the former torturer finds himself brought face to face with his ultimate fate which proves to be inexorably tied to the fate of the dying world of Urth as the great powers of the planet all seem to converge upon him. Old enemies are confronted as well as old friends, and it is not always clear at first which is which.

In the end Severian comes into his seat of power, an event promised from the first page of the story, and we see the full weight of the mantle which has been thrust upon him. Surprisingly for Wolfe many of the loose ends of the story are tied up (even though there are admittedly still many questions left unanswered) and we begin to see the entire story in a new light as these revelations bring context to many of the seemingly unrelated events of Severian’s life. If you’ve followed Severian thus far then I think you’ll be satisified with the culmination of his growth from torturer’s apprentice to master of his world and can only be pleased that there’s still one volume to go that just might (if Gene Wolfe is feeling particularly generous) answer a few of the questions that are still waiting for answers.

[Nikola Pavlovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ako se serijal ovde ne zavrsava i predstoji mi jos jedna knjiga jedana prica je zaokruzena i Severijanovo putovanje se na neki nacin zavrsilo. Verovatno Dzin Volf i nije planirao da pise dalje, sve mi se cini., medjutim ostavljeno je i vise nego dovoljno prostora da se napise minimum jos jedna knjiga i da se uz reci i recenice ovog nesvakidasnjeg pisca doceka NOVO SUNCE! Unikatan serijal, unikatan nacin pisanja, tesko za svariti ali ne da prija nego krepi dusu.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10

Spoilers for Book 1-3? included but its non-spoilers for COTA and the spoiler sections will be tagged

“I had never seen war, or even talked of it at length with someone who had, but I was young and knew something of violence, and so believed that war would be no more than a new experience for me, as other things—the possession of authority in Thrax, say, or my escape from the House Absolute—had been new experiences. War is not a new experience; it is a new world. Its inhabitants are more different from human beings than Famulimus and her friends. Its laws are new, and even its geography is new, because it is a geography in which insignificant hills and hollows are lifted to the importance of cities. Just as our familiar Urth holds such monstrosities as Erebus, Abaia, and Arioch, so the world of war is stalked by the monsters called battles, whose cells are individuals but who have a life and intelligence of their own, and whom one approaches through an ever-thickening array of portents.”

Like my previous review, this is more of an extension, rather than an individual review.

Introduction

I will do a non-spoiler review of the series as a whole series later. This review however will be centred upon the Citadel of the Autarch. This novel leaves you speechless it provides more questions than answers ( explicitly anyways) somewhat like David Lynch in that sense. Though the answer is in the text just you didn’t pick it apart as some of them can be from REALLY observant first-timers but more rereader be able to see. Speaking of a book that infamous for its rereads, I completely understand why that reputation is used for BOTNS. That you must experience BOTNS twice, to fully appreciate. Which to an extent I would agree, but I think as first read you can still perfectly love it. As Severian does give you the answers which raise more questions. But they are tools to re-experience it as a different novel altogether. They a ton I do not truly grasp but that par of the course you’re not supposed to in general. In terms of my favourite series, I view this as one novel however they are 4 distinct parts to this story. I just finished this book, so I will have to let it sink but I believe The Sword of the Lictor might be my favourite. Though the Last half is pretty equal in terms of quality.

Story

WELL, the end of this story … it so hard to describe in simple words because it's not that nothing gets answered but its answers gives you A LOT more questions that really sticks with you. That realisation has probably changed the viewing of this novel as a whole.

Anyways if I were talking about the plot here I go.



I am only going to say a few words regarding that but basically … this whole journey of Severian is so he can take over as the Autarch. The thing the other Severian's could not accomplish, it fixing the situation, behind the old Sun and well and so the New Sun can rise. The play perfectly illustrates the job of what Severian needs to do … in ch37 he states “ when the New Sun comes, his bride, the New Urth, will give glory to him with leaves like emeralds(ch37). Later … the last thing he writes in his journal of BOTNS “ To this account, I, Severian the Lame, Autarch, do set my hand in what shall be called the last year of the old sun” (ch38).

So much got revealed Severian mother being called Catherine which honestly makes sense why the initial premise of the 40k novella would have begun in “ The Feast of Saint Catherine” the original title of BOTNS. It would have begun killing a clone of his mother and seem like Autarch had more of this. In this passage of COTC ch22 “ These women were dark-eyed and dark complexioned like the men, yet in their lush figures and languishing looks they reminded me of Jolenta ( ch22)”. The only time in this novel where dark complexioned is used for Catherine which something interesting to note. Anyways more reveals like Ouen being Severian Father, the people buried in Severian’s mausoleum most likely other Severian's.



They so much but I can’t as exceed word limit but damn impressive work by Wolfe.

Writing

Without being repetitive similar to my reviews of book 1-3, I would state this more align to COTC pacing at least in the first half. Being more of a slow burn because SOTL was just crazy pretty much from the beginning but specifically chapter 12 onwards just this nonstop relentless pacing. This is much more philosophy driven, character-driven and much less action than the prior books however the depiction of war is horrific. The passage of time has always been muddled, like the war effort won’t go into details but unsure how long Severian with that group right. Like its probably more than a few days but yeah so vague. Crazy that the entire BOTNS journey has only spanned 3-4 months max since Severian exile. how Severian has changed as a person has been the most interesting aspect of the writing. As the Severian in narrative matures the Severian writing the tale, well less bias clouded (with obvious heavy bias). Not like SOTT where a ton of Severian statements has a lot of falsehood to them. This more evident once you finish this novel and you thinking yeah … if he thought those circumstances truthfully it would be a much different perceptive.

I have a love and hate relationship with Wolfe stories within stories as it does halt the pacing of the narrative in hand to tell another narrative which you do need a lot of concentration to understand. But you barely wrapping your mind with narrative in hand having to read a short story in between and having to process some of the messaging gets tiring. However, I come to love these small fictions, haha, just so much to process which is why I took a long time to finish these 4 books. Though this has to contain my favourite short fiction that Severian recounted ( Gene Wolfe wrote if being cheeky translated). It called “CHAPTER ELEVEN - LOYAL TO THE GROUP OF SEVENTEEN'S STORY - THE JUST MAN” They not too much that can be said about this brilliant chapter but just amazed by the sheer structure. This book is already a translation of Severian writing, and then Severian is writing both his words and translation done by Folia alongside the story. Is not too complex but it's brilliant in its simplicity and execution. It's partly based on the Tale of Eloquent Peasant an obscure 4000 years old text from ancient Egypt. It's also a fantastic commentary on the Ascian and how they speak because certain texts which I won’t delve into it but a link where you can read it and provides analysis to it: https://www.gwern.net/docs/culture/19... in all honesty you can read as a brilliant short fiction standalone with minor background context.


The unreliable narrator is much more unreliable than you already expected you are probably thinking how after well COTC that reveal. The Autarch having 1000 people inside of him and that going to Severian well changed his perspective on the story he is telling. The actual information he should know and give to us because the memories inside probably do know those answers that he is not giving. Even the first paragraph is somewhat of a lie.
It is possible I already had some presentiment of my future. The locked and rusted gate that stood before us, with wisps of river fog threading its spikes like the mountain paths, remains in my mind now as the symbol of my exile. That is why I have begun this account of it with the aftermath of our swim, in which I, the torturer's apprentice Severian, had so nearly drowned.

The fact of the matter is that he didn’t nearly drowned he died. They also this notion these miracles occur not necessarily due to the Claw. It could just be an object, right? Severian has made a lot of miracles without the claw specific, makes you question did the first Severian do something, so these occur to the second Severian. Like the play Eschatology & Genesis, this is a cyclical cycle in certain aspect even the green man somewhat agrees with that. The title of the play is death and rebirth which is what happens to Severian throughout this entire novel.

• Severian the apprentice drowned in river, resurrected.
• Triskele resurrected.
• Fiacre crash, Severian and Agia resurrected.
• Dorcas resurrected.
• Severian killed in duel, resurrected.
• Thecla within Severian, resurrected.
• Ulhan Cornet Mineas on the grounds of House Absolute, resurrected.
• Jonas healed/resurrected after whip attack in antechamber.\
• Typhon resurrected.
• Miles resurrected/Jonas’s soul invades ( if that is Jonas still questioning that)
• Severian killed on battlefield, resurrected.
• Mandragora in bottle, resurrected.

They so much about the writing and that unreliable narrator aspect does make you question a ton and the second reading being a completely different novel.

Character

This is hard to say with few words but pretty much everyone has an arc of some kind which is unbelievable because of the number of characters Wolfe juggling and the number of questions I had throughout this series.



Severian is one of the most complex characters in science fiction. The man journey has been fascinating, with him a consistent theme is brought up when do you become a man. Another one would be can a man be redeemed from his past actions. This question is raised from the beginning where he kills the innocent man, where he doesn’t attempt to save Thecla ( when he could), finally the rape of Jolenta. The most fascinating aspect of Severian journey being stripped from his Torturer attire begins in SOTL. Doing what he didn’t to Thecla save an innocent woman from execution which is Cyriaca (who presumed to be his Aunt…). Also, His torturer's garments slowly being stripped throughout the novel, at the end of SOTL Terminus Est being destroyed its a fundamental shift because part of his old persona is dead. He, not a torturer anymore then his cloak being more faded as COTA progresses. The most interesting aspect would well the end of the First Severian… yeah that fundamentally changed the narrative. Which I already talked about in writing but yes … this is how I can see this being peak reread. But yeah regarding his journey they so much it be impossible to state in this review but it makes you question has Severian redeemed himself that’s the decision of the reader.

Firstly I called it regarding Talos coming back haha near the end because a specific line said in SOTT ch32 in saying “nap in the chair that been the Autarch Throne” (paraphrase). I had presumed he played a larger part in book 4 but it's so bittersweet and fitting if this is where Talos passes away. After giving the coin to Severian, he lost his purpose in life. His Master well become an undine? Talos going to Severian has become a changed machine … without a creator he becomes nothing. Severian even compares him to his SOTT persona regarding him carrying money. This might be the first time that Talos is truly questioning his fate and passes away because of that. He somewhat of a tragic figure, that’s not saying he a good person like the shit he did to Jolenta and the random women in his (Bald) castle. But yeah fantastic Character created by Gene Wolfe despite so brief appearance has this certain depth to him. Even though he not mortal. He was truly the reverse Frankenstein.

Dorcas Fate is probably the most tragic figure in BOTNS because of her innocence. Not necessarily she pure in how Severian interprets her but more she a woman, who been through so much hardship. Being forced to revive 40 years in the future where she previously died, her husband spent his entire life finding her corpse to neglect his duties as a father. She is similar in vein to Sonya from Crime and Punishment. Though fucked up aspect is what revealed, in the end, she well Severian grandma. That also fundamentally changes the narrative for her character and even more tragic aspect however her being able to be reunited with her Son ( which Sev father) by the end is something she deserves.

Agia becoming Vodalus 2.0 is so ironic considering his journey through BOTNS a minor character playing such a fundamental part in the background. A woman with a lot of depth and well Severian having a sexist perception of her. Vodalus death is also hilarious’s initially this big figurehead was well a pawn. Jonas’s position is also quite tragic as Severian best friend, that he placed that role and the fact he left Severian. I am unsure if he is miles, because of Severian state of mind when that occurred however it's fascinating. Father Inire being a Cacogen is fitting and well something I had assumed, as soon as it stated he build the tower with the first Autarch.



Conclusion

It's damn impressive how Wolfe managed to wrap this story. For a series, I have been reading for 2-3 months, it's truly a journey that you won't experience elsewhere. Like every masterpiece, I do have maybe some complaints regarding I wanted an appearance of one character but how it's executed and sheer ambitious truly mindboggling. Like David Lynch, you're not supposed to understand everything from the text which is completely fine. I love this experience of BOTNS, not completely removed from frustration like figuring out what the hell has happened but also some of the highest highs I’ve read.

10/10

[Tijana]

Džin Vulf nije bog ali je neko manje božanstvo, bar ako gledamo po Knjizi Novog sunca (i Spokoju, ne zaboravimo Spokoj). U četvrtoj knjizi se konačno razrešavaju bar neke najvažnije tajne iz prethodnih delova (ni izdaleka sve) i stičemo jasniju predstavu o većoj (beskrajno većoj) priči u kojoj je Severijan odigrao izvesnu ulogu. I cela tetralogija definitivno i trijumfalno prelazi iz epske fantastike u čisti SF od one najbolje vrste u kojoj se diskutuje o sudbini čovečanstva i smislu postojanja i skiciraju neke ako ne verovatne a ono fenomenalno upečatljive putanje evolucije i razvoja moralnosti, a sve to jelte preko avanturističke povesti o mladom i naivnom mučitelju, pune digresija i umetnutih pričica u rasponu od Kafke do Borhesa ali s tu i tamo nekim omažom Prustu, plus tri kila zaboravljenih reči kojima nas Vulf nemilice obasipa. (I naravno da... kako ovo formulisati... pa svakome će ova knjiga dati mnogo, ali ako više u nju uložite - mnogo više ćete i dobiti.)

[Andris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saprotu, kāpēc šim ciklam ir dedzīgs fanu pulks, cilvēkiem jau patīk visādi kriptiski teksti. Rakstnieks rotaļājas ar tekstu, valodu un lasītāju un visiem tik ļoti gribas to visu saprast un atkodēt, bet ja nu atbildes nav un nav nemaz paredzēts?
Melotu, ja teiktu, ka dikti šo izbaudīju, taču, ja ielikšu 3, kāds vēl apvainosies, tāpēc došu tādu drebelīgu 4.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

The Citadel of the Autarch is a satisfying conclusion to Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. (A fifth book, The Urth of the New Sun, is a coda to the original four books.) We’ve known all along that Severian the torturer would be the autarch by the end of his story, but his fascinating journey to the throne is what this saga is all about… on the surface, at least.

What it’s really about, for those who want to see it, is the juxtaposition of future and past, the nature of time and space, perception and reality, religion and science, and the Earth’s and humanity’s need for redemption. All of this is explored in the context of the strange characters, situations, and places that Severian meets on his way.

The Book of the New Sun is not an easy read, but it’s what speculative fiction is all about — it’s brain-bending, it makes the reader consider and question, it stretches the intellect and opens the mind to new ideas and experiences. In The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe accomplishes all this and does it in a beautiful way. This is my measuring rod for excellent fantasy literature.

For readers who don’t want to be bothered by allegory and symbolism, or don’t want to risk scorching their synapses, there’s still much to admire in The Book of the New Sun, for though it wallows in weirdness, all of it is tied loosely together by Wolfe’s lovely language, detailed world-building, smart ideas, and astounding imagination.

I look forward to reading on in Gene Wolfe’s Solar Cycle (there are two sequel series: The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun.)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down. A very satisfying ending to a wild ride. :)

The Book of the New Sun series overall gets 5 stars, and is automatically added to my "reread someday" pile.

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride! What a work of weird ingenuity!

The rating is for the tetralogy as a whole.

The last book, in fact, was the weakest for me, cause of extensive battle descriptions – which always makes me skim pages. – Yet „weakest“ in case of the „Book of the New Sun“ still is breathtaking.

„The Citadel of the Autarch“ wraps up most (several? … depends on how many plotlines readers found in the first books) of the plot lines that sprinkled Severian’s story. What makes it so satisfying for me is the fact that so many of them were hinted at in one way or the other in former books, if the reader reads attentively. And the ones where I didn’t get the clue made me want to re-read the tetralogy on the spot (which of course has to wait).

The Book of the New Sun starts off as a coming of age Fantasy novel on the surface, but very soon it becomes apparent that it is much more than that (in fact I would not shelf it as Fantasy at all. It is SF, only the first person POV makes it sound Fantasy).

Readers who like getting attached to the characters may find it hard to follow Severian’s journey. The main character is a sexist a*** (imho), the side characters he meets often feel staged, as if we were reading a play where somebody else pulls the strings. There was perhaps one character where I cared for … a little bit. Yet all of this just adds to the atmosphere of the voice of a man who seems slightly disturbed and not always fully in touch with reality.

This is a series for readers who love to dig beneath the surface, who like thinking about symbolism, who are not driven away by a weird and seemingly meandering narration. It is a paradise for puzzle solvers and for lovers of the more literary kind of SF. Somewhere along the line I was pondering if I started to overthink the scenes – but I guess that’s not possible in this tightly structured narration.

It is also a series that cries for re-reads. With the end in mind I’m sure there is so much more that makes sense in former scenes. And since I read in the bio that Wolfe was a dedicated catholic, I’m pretty sure that folks who know more about religion than I do, find even more symbolism there.
The end comes full circle in a hugely satisfactory way. Only few events that stuck to my mind didn’t find a resolution (prominently the woman with butterfly wings). I do hope these will be addressed in the sequel „The Urth of the New Sun“.

As a fazit I have to say that I completely adore this series, totally understand those who praise it a masterpiece and Gene Wolfe a deeply important author. It is an embarrassing shame that I’ve never heard of „The Book of the New Sun“ before.

[Mihai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aceasta nestemata intunecata m-a fermecat definitiv, asemenea surasului fetei din tramvai.
Nici nu as putea sa incep sa exprim ceea ce a insemnat lectura acestei serii pentru mine: ca Gene Wolfe e un geniu subversiv si periculos ar fi un punct de plecare.Cred ca fiecare cititor extrage de aici lucruri diferite, intelesuri si simboluri uneori contradictorii, alteori universale ( cu conditia sa fie atent in timpul lecturii ).Nu m-am plcitisit deloc, ba dimpotriva, gasirea acestor intelesuri a fost motorul care a dus lectura mai departe.
Este o anume calitate a scrisului pe care nu am intalnit-o foarte des, poate doar la Borges ( sunt sigur ca mai sunt si altii, asta imi vine in minte acum) dar Gene Wolfe are stilul lui concis unde trebuie, lapidar unde trebuie. Cheia acestei carti este ca totul trebuie privit prin ochii protagonistului si aici e un detaliu important: personajul principal isi scrie memoriile.Sau cel putin asa am inteles eu.
O recomand pentru cine vrea sa citeasca ceva diferit, TOTAL diferit, cu conditia sa fie FOARTE atent.Eu o voi reciti, dar creierul are nevoie de o pauza, asa ca voi reincerca Terry Goodkind-am auzit ca are scene cu BDSM, si cui nu-i place BDSM-ul in fantasy?

[Sarah ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Citadel of the Autarch (The Book of the New Sun, #4) - Gene Wolfe
















واو... ما هذا؟؟؟!

...
أقرأ الكثير واستكشف وأجرب دائمًا قراءة كتب جديدة وسلاسل جديدة، لكن لم يبهرني شيء بهذا القدر قطْ. تلكَ النهاية شيء مختلف ومن عالم آخر ..هذه السلسلة مذهلة وأصرح الآن أن مراجعاتي السابقة لا يعتد بها.. ولكن سأعتبرها تجربة لطيفة لمعرفة الطريق الذي أوصلني هنا اليوم..

أكرر: هذه الرواية جزء من كتاب واحد قسّم لاحقًا لأربعة كتب، لذا من المهم جدًا قراءة الروايات الثلاث التي تسبقه قبل قراءته..
الآن لننسى كل ما كتبته من قبل لننسى النظريات والأفكار الأولية كلها، لننسى كل ما قرأته وعرفته عن هذا العالم والكتب ولنبدأ من جديد من الأول.


جين وولف يعتمد اللغة الفخمة والكتابة المعقدة وطبقات القصص والحكي وذلك قد ينفر الكثير من القراء عن قراءة رواياته، لكنه فعلًا كاتب ذو أسلوب آسر ومختلف.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an interesting conclusion! (yes, I know there's technically more, but this does offer a conclusion) A lot of plot threads from book 1 on are tied up or shown in a new light that kind of makes you want to re-read the series. It's kind of brilliant actually, the number of clues and important events that happen before the reader knows they are important.

We continue with the twisted Christ-analogies for Severian. He does miracles and resurrections that don't always go great, we hear stories that feel kind of like parables, and there is a plot point that takes the idea of the trinity to a multiplicative level. Overall while this series isn't perfect, it's clearly a classic for a reason and I've largely enjoyed my time with it.

[Matthew Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5. Hilarious to think this is the 'end' of the New Sun as the final two chapters generated more questions that perhaps the rest of the book. Wolfe proffers nothing in the palm of his hand. I can see why my friend and Wolfe 'mentor' has read this series seven times. There are several details learnt in this volume that completely change the context of the previous three. You almost have no choice but to reread them. Events from the first book are referenced and finally answered in this one. I think you have to read these almost back to back, just so you can see all the threads being picked up, dropped, cut, rejoined. Wolfe was told that books 1-4 were not clear enough, so he wrote book 5, Urth of the New Sun, which I'm told, although it contains answers, it also creates new questions that weren't present before. So it goes on.

But, as 1-4 stands, one of the most complex, confusing and rewarding sci-fi/fantasy novels I've ever come across. Astoundingly layered, beautifully written and crafted. Awe-inspiring. He is the 'Melville' of sci-fi for a reason. I'm going to jump right into Urth just to finish Severian's story entirely, then take a break before eventually tackling Long Sun and then Short Sun, which, I'm told, must be read soon after, for they are so closely intwined.

[Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the first chapter of The Citadel of the Autarch (1983), Severian, no longer a lictor, is walking without career, sword, or companion towards the war. The perpetual conflict between the Ascians and his Commonwealth has been lurking off-stage in the first three of his books, but here we learn with Severian that "War is not a new experience; it is a new world." He watches energy weapons flash violet on the horizon and feels the ground shake beneath him. Hungry, thirsty, weak, and covered with rock shard cuts, he searches abandoned houses for food, forgoes corpse contaminated wells, watches soldiers ride or march by, flees from an officer, and finally finds himself alone in a glade with a dead young soldier, whom he attempts to resurrect.

Severian will experience the horror of war: a country boy traumatized by killing more people in a day than he'd seen in his entire life, the fear before a battle, the appalling deployment of powerful weapons and bizarre soldiers (from dwarf archers riding blind swordsmen and rainbow-winged naked women wielding energy pistols in either hand to children and old people who have no business being in an army), and everywhere confusion and carnage. He will encounter the enemy Ascians, who lack individual human will, speak by quoting excerpts from "Correct Thought" texts, wield advanced technology, and somehow remain terribly human. And he will fall ill and be maimed, scarred, and imprisoned.

And yet like its three predecessors, the novel is elegantly written with a rich, often exotic vocabulary and has much humor and beauty and many intensely poignant, philosophical, and ineffable moments. And it is about much more than war: identity, humanity, science and religion, the past, present, and future, and the numinous.

And Severian's love of stories enriches the novel. His listening as judge to the story-telling contest of his fellow wounded and sick soldiers is wonderfully imagined. Each of the four tales reflects the personality, culture, and agenda of its teller, each is of a different mood and genre, and each is well-told. (One of the worst atrocities of the war is the interruption of this contest!) The only item that Severian has carried with him from the beginning to the end of his road to the Autarchy has been the old brown book of tales he fetched for Thecla from the great library of the Citadel, and he is writing his own life-history so that it may be put into that library.

As the last book of Gene Wolfe's four-volume masterpiece, The Book of the New Sun, does The Citadel of the Autarch tie up all the loose ends and explain all the mysteries from the first three books? Yes and no. Often Severian offers multiple answers, as about the Claw of the Conciliator's occasional power to heal and resurrect. And although we do learn things like who built the mausoleum he played in as a boy, why Thecla was imprisoned and tortured, what the agenda of the alien Hierodules is, who his parents and grandmother are, what becomes of Agia and Dorcas, and how he became Autarch, much of the above unsettling and moving information raises even more questions.

The Book of the New Sun and The Citadel of the Autarch urge the reader to never cease interpreting the world and the self and to ever embrace uncertainty and faith. When for the first time he sees the sea, Severian has an epiphany revealing that because the "Eternal Principle" or Pancreator is in everything in the world, everything is sacred, from all the thorns on all the bushes to all the sand on all the beaches, so that "All the world was a relic. I drew off my boots, that had traveled with me so far, and threw them into the waves that I might not walk shod on holy ground." Like the best fantasy and science fiction, Severian's book changes the way we see the world.

[Tomás Canas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece! The 4 volumes should definitely be read as one, just like LotR!

[Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gene Wolfe’s deceptively long Book of the New Sun comes to a close with this, the final volume, The Citadel of the Autarch. (Actually, that’s not quite true – he apparently wrote an extra book in 1987 called The Urth of the New Sun, which I may or may not read in the future.)

This was a difficult series to review because it’s really just one long book split into four, and – like many promising stories whose ultimate value hinges on how well they turn out – I couldn’t really judge it until now. So this is going to be a review of both The Citadel of the Autarch and the Book of the New Sun as a whole, and spoilers will abound.

I originally heard about this series in 2011 when I was working in a bookstore and trying to get back into the fantasy genre. The Book of the New Sun and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire were the two series which, above all others, were mentioned as the high point of fantasy fiction in the last fifty years. The only reason I chose to go with Martin first was that 2012 was clearly his year, with the TV series coming out and out store shifting more than 50 copies of A Game of Thrones every day. Given how thick that series is, I didn’t get around to the Book of the New Sun until last month.

It’s ostensibly fantasy, but is really science fiction; a good example of why these sections are often lumped together in bookstores. The protagonist, Severian, is a journeyman apprentice from the Seekers of Truth and Penitence, more commonly known as the guild of torturers. After breaking his vow, Severian is expelled from the guild and sent out to face the wonders and dangers of Wolfe’s rich fantasy world, which is actually our own planet far into the future, when the sun is slowly dying.

Wolfe excels at fantasy world-building – not just in the imaginative creation of the world itself, but the techniques he uses to create it. Unusually for a fantasy series, The Book of the New Sun is narrated in first person, and Severian’s point of view is used to great effect. He regularly interprets certain scientific processes as magical and casually skims over tantalising details because he considers them mundane. Much of the enjoyment of the book comes from parsing Severian’s story for details about his world, and trying to piece together what’s going on and what kind of a place he’s in.

The Citadel of the Autarch does and doesn’t lead to answers. This isn’t Lost, and it’s not like I really expected precise answers, given that so much of the book was written in mystic, arcane prose designed to hint at the truth rather than reveal it. The central conceit of the book – the awaited New Sun – is dealt with in a way that perfectly summarises Wolfe’s marriage of fantasy and science fiction, describing processes of such high, theoretical quantum physics that to a layman they are almost fantasy, and planting them in a world where the inhabitants do indeed consider them to be the stuff of religion, myth and prophecy:

“You know of the chasms of space, which some call the Black Pits, from which no speck of matter or gleam of light ever returns. But what you have not known until now is that these chasms have their counterparts in the White Fountains, from which matter and energy rejected from a higher universe flow in endless cataract into this one. If you pass – if our race is judged ready to reenter the wide seas of space – such a White Fountain will be created in the heart of our sun.”

The Book of the New Sun embraces, more than any other work I have seen, Arthur C. Clarke’s axiom that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Remaining on the subject of things I enjoyed in The Citadel of the Autarch, Severian’s ascent to the throne – which is casually mentioned to be his fate early in the first book – always seemed unlikely given his station in life, but is handled perfectly believably, utilising fantasy/sci-fi elements that were a major part of the series from the very first chapter. (It also gives a clever twist to the royal pronoun “we.”)

The problem with the Book of the New Sun is that while Severian’s retrospective memoir narrative works wonders in establishing a great fantasy world, it fails at actually telling a good story. It can be overly dry and constantly digresses, and the plot-driven parts of the book suffer for it. The Citadel of the Autarch, in particular, has a clump of unforgivably tedious battle sequences at its centre which almost sent me to sleep. And The Book of the New Sun is, overall, a plot-driven story, which means that more often than not I was pushing myself through because I was fascinated by the world, rather than genuinely enjoying the book because I liked the story. (See also – China Mieville.) The Book of the New Sun is undoubtedly a series that would reward re-reading, but I doubt I’ll ever have the inclination to do so.

The series also feels far too constrained and dictated. Severian is a free agent with free will, and throughout the book he regularly informs to the reader of his goals and motives. Yet he feels like a puppet on a string, because he keeps randomly encountering important people and major events and recurring characters. It feels as though everything he does is pre-ordained. Which, as far as I can tell from the book’s conclusion, it may be – but then there’s the problem of deus ex machina, which the series is marinated in. Wolfe even has the cheek to have a minor character say:

“It refers to some supernatural force, personified and brought onto the stage in the last act in order that the play may end well. None but poor playwrights do it, they say, but those who say so forget that it is better to have a power lowered on a rope, and a play that ends well, than nothing, and a play that ends badly.”

The Book of the New Sun often feels more like conceptual literary fantasy/sci-fi than an actual story that one reads for enjoyment. I find it quite interesting that it’s considered to rank alongside A Song of Ice and Fire, because the two are apples and oranges. I definitely prefer Martin’s series, because it’s easier to read, more entertaining, and bucks enough cliches to elevate itself above schlock genre fiction. Wolfe’s series, on the other hand, pulls up just shy of the point where I’d call it pretentious, and I can easily see how it’s stuck in an uneasy niche – too literary for fantasy readers, and too fantasy for literary readers.

They’re not bad books. They aren’t the books I was expecting them to be, and I can’t say I truly enjoyed them, but they are bold and unique and worth at least checking out for fans of both fantasy and science fiction. I also suspect that, like certain other critically acclaimed books that I didn’t give great reviews to (Wolf Hall, True History of the Kelly Gang) I’ll find that they stick in my mind and I come to think much better of them than I do right now.

A final note, which didn’t fit elsewhere – Wolfe’s note-bearing epilogues at the end of each book are just plain strange. The epilogues – which run at the end of each of the four books, for only three or four pages – are in-universe frame story notes written from the point of view of a “scholar,” apparently of our own time, studying the Book of the New Sun as a “manuscript” and attempting to learn about Severian’s world. They go some way to explaining a few bits and piece, but I’m confused as to why Wolfe would insert them in the first place when he obviously trusted most readers to be smart enough and engaged enough to pick out the details themselves. Furthermore, if he was going to use this technique, it should have been employed more regularly, in footnotes and endnotes and chapter breaks all over the novels, ala Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Instead we have four epilogues, totalling about 10 pages, versus 1,212 pages of narrative. Why bother? Either put them in often or cut them entirely.

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

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