The Complete Book of the New Sun

The Book of the New Sun #1-5

by Gene Wolfe

This Gene Wolfe ebundle includes: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch, The Urth of the New Sun

The Shadow of the Torturer introduces young Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, who has been exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession—showing mercy toward his victim.

The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic, and learn the truth about his hidden destiny.

The Sword of the Lictor is the third volume in Wolfe's remarkable epic, chronicling the odyssey of the wandering pilgrim called Severian, driven by a powerful and unfathomable destiny, as he carries out a dark mission far from his home.

The Citadel of the Autarch brings The Book of the New Sun to its harrowing conclusion, as Severian clashes in a final reckoning with the dread Autarch, fulfilling an ancient prophecy that will forever alter the realm known as Urth.

The Urth of the New Sun is the long awaited sequel to Gene Wolfe's four-volume classic, The Book of the New Sun. We return to the world of Severian, now the Autarch of Urth, as he leaves the planet on one of the huge spaceships of the alien Hierodules to travel across time and space to face his greatest test yet.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Novels, Speculative Fiction, Classics, Adventure

1216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2017

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]

This is a collective review of all five books, all together one of my favorite works of all time.

The Shadow of the Torturer

The Claw of the Conciliator

The Sword of the Lictor

The Citadel of the Autarch

The Urth of the New Sun

[Carlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly complete Italian edition that collects the entire Book of the New Sun series with seven stories previously unpublished in Italy, allowing you to appreciate Gene Wolfe's work in its entirety and complexity. Honestly, I struggled a bit with The Torturer's Shadow, but then I got into the setting and the reading continued without difficulty. Some of the seven final stories are objectively true gems.
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Un'edizione italiana davvero completa che raccoglie l'intera serie del Libro del Nuovo Sole con sette racconti inediti in Italia e permette di apprezzare il lavoro di Gene Wolfe nella sua interezza e complessità. Onestamente ho fatto un po' fatica con L'ombra del torturatore, ma poi sono entrato nell'ambientazione e la lettura è proseguita senza difficoltà. Alcuni dei sette racconti conclusivi sono obiettivamente delle vere e proprie gemme.

[Dmitrii Dimandt · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author really enjoys telling stories, and is very bad at telling *a* story. The world is glorious, and he does nothing with it. The protagonist is a nymphomaniac borderline[1] rapist who goes on long monologues about women as nothing more than objects (and many more monologues that are rarely insightful). The protagonist never changes, the story jumps from a chance encounter to a deus ex machina and back through random events of no consequence.

And by consequence I mean change and growth in characters. You can throw away every single story, detour, and encounter and nothing will change in the characters’ journey.

Is there a difference between Jonas and the namless boy dead in the mountains? Dorcas and Balanders? Vodalus and witches in the forgotten ruins? None. They come and go with no impact.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the way the books end and continue. Entire parts of the protagonist’s journey are just skipped from one book to the next. Does it have any effect? None.

There's an argument to be had that the books' genre is picaresque. But picaresque requires "a rough and dishonest but appealing hero". And the main protagonist of the series, Severian, is everything *but* appealing.

[1] Yeah, not even borderline. "Oh, look at this beautiful woman sleeping. I couldn't help but start sex with her".

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Вот и дошли руки до этой саги - по совету более знающего товарища (раньше я у Вулфа читал только рассказы и ничего не помню). Ну и отдохнуть как-то нужно от русско-советского фальшака. Заодно поглядим, так ли уж это все сложно и непонятно, как об этом с упоением рапортуют читатели.

...На самом деле нет. Оказалось, это детская книжка, где сам текст прозрачен и прост, хотя при этом вполне изящен, потому что автор знает много разных слов. Эдакий очень разбодяженный Мервин Пик для простого народа, помноженный на Гарри Поттера и с макгаффином (не "кольцом всевластья", но почти). А если присмотреться, и романный нарратив вполне линеен, хотя фантазия у автора, конечно, порой завораживающе неприостановленна. Там много подарков и пасхалок для любителей угадаек: например одна из стаффажных фигур - художник Фешин (не говоря уже о прочих русских именах и названиях предметов, а также разнообразных цитат и отсылок).

Сама же история оказалась про задрота, пыточных дел мастера и палача с недоебом, который постепенно оказывается правителем насквозь уебищного мира под названием "Зёма". Критики почему-то называют его христоподобной фигурой, хотя одна из персонажиц в пятом томе сама определяет его как "чудовищное чудовище". Да и бабы эти его нескончаемые... автора в иные мгновения можно даже заподозрить в мастурбационных фантазиях. Хотя, видать, под христоподобием имеется в виду его "жертвенность": если он не выдержит испытание пятого тома тетралогии, ему отрежут яйца, а если выдержит, пиздец настанет Зёме. (Если кто-то вдруг решит, что это спойлер, то знайте, что это не он: там все намного занимательней. Пересказы, кстати, совершенно не о том, как выяснилось, они только больше путают.)

Вообще же в сказке этой выведена некая причудливая разновидность буддистского мироздания (с поправками на Каббалу) с его множественными царствами: богов, голодных духов, условных людей и т.д., которое все оказывается сансарическим, т.е. примерно иллюзорным. Если б не было лень, можно было б составить подробный ключ, но мне лень. Располагается это все на прогоне между "черной дырой" и ее антонимом - конечно, "белым фонтаном", между которыми, натурально, течет ручей. С выходами (ну, примерно) в сопредельные пространства.

Кстати, буддизмом там много чего проникнуто, вплоть до пятой книжки:

Perhaps death is only horrible to us because it’s a dividing of the terror of life from the wonder of it. We see only the terror, which is left behind.

“You’re a materialist, like all ignorant people. But your materialism doesn’t make materialism true.”

И так далее. Из-за иллюзорности, вестимо, феодальная хуйня там постоянно ведет войну с кем-то явно тоталитарным:

I asked if he had news of the war.
“Oh, yes, sieur. I’ve followed it for years and years now, though the battles they fight never seem to make much difference, if you understand me. It never seems to get much closer to us, or much farther off either. What I’ve always supposed was that our Autarch and theirs appoints a spot to fight in, and when it’s over they both go home. My wife, fool that she is, don’t believe there’s a real war at all.”

Это тоталитарное там (хотя на самом деле то же самое; тут у нас намечается попытка захода на недвойственность) - как бы не самое потешное, потому что выражается исключительно фразами из газетных передовиц и очень напоминает нынешний русский народ-богоносец. Эти существа изъясняются только "официально одобренными" фразами (очень они смешные, конечно, - целая армия истощенных сусловых и андроповых с промытыми мозгами, хотя сами фразы списывались явно из цитатника Мао в контексте Оруэлла). Мало того, возникает еще и армия "наша" - вот она как раз очень напоминает российскую в нынешней войне, судите сами:

I had no idea from what part of the Commonwealth these men might come; but for some reason, perhaps only because of their long hair and bare chests, I felt sure they were savages.
If they were, the infantry that moved among them was something lower still, brown and stooped and shaggy-haired. I had only glimpses through the broken trees, but I thought they dropped to all fours at times.

А кроме того, актуального там - традиционно очень хуевая власть, основанная на принципе "все остальное еще хуевее".

Но вообще приключения вполне занимательны и неожиданны, с неочевидными жанровыми поворотами, и текст тянет за собой - почти как в детстве. Если б только не эта остоебеневшая фабула... Ну и психологии чекистской вши, кагебешного кишечнополостного автор, конечно, не знает - он сказку писал, не такова была его задача, хотя кое-что намечает: предельная конформность, например. Но вообще нет там никакой психологии, как мы видим в реале. Не очень понятно, правда, почему чуть ли не во всех отзывах нам рассказывают, что персонаж этот - просто какой-то патологический лжец и очень ненадежный рассказчик. Врет он не больше тактически полезного - и уж явно не больше существ его рода занятий. Просто особенность лирической авторской оптики (ну или небрежность письма; например, там в какой-то миг ближе к концу вдруг выясняется, что у мира есть название) там такова, что создается иллюзия, будто наш герой чего-то постояно недоговаривает, - отсюда, видимо, и недоумение массового читателя, дескать, что же там такое происходит. Путаницы еще может добавлять не весьма убедительное жонглирование временем, которое ограничивается голословными авторскими заявлениями, нарушающими все мыслимые временные парадоксы. Так что это не рассказчик у нас ненадежный, а автор виляет. Вообще иногда создается впечатление, что он писал по принципу Бёрроуза: "Берем слово. Любое слово".
 
Ну а с переводами на русский, насколько я понимаю по отрывочным откликам, Вулфу опять не повезло, и переиздают его в прежнем виде.

[Roberto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Libro difficile da recensire. Ci provo.
La storia è attraente, non originalissima, ma bella e comunque accattivante. I primi due libri sono belli, mi sono piaciuti sia i personaggi sia le ambientazioni. Severian, il protagonista, è un traditore, esiliato dalla sua corporazione per quello che ha commesso e nei suoi pensieri, nelle sue esperienze e nei suoi travaglii mi ha ricordato un pó lo stile Sword & Sorcery. Questo affiancamento che ho fatto, molto personale e che potrebbe essere non condiviso, mi è piaciuto molto. È con il terzo libro che il mio giudizio è cambiato del tutto. Diventa troppo ripetitivo, nei personaggi e nelle storie. Il quarto libro diventa addirittura PESANTE! Non è possibile che una cosa avvenuta in precedenza venga ripetuta al lettore allo sfinimento! Ci sto, deve essere ricordata perché è stato un avvenimento importante, ma non in questo modo e soprattutto sempre con le stesse frasi! Questo libro è veramente inutile. Fortunatamente c'è un piccolo colpetto di scena che cambia la situazione che era diventata troppo pesante. Nel quinto libro c'è una ripresa ma la storia si svolge in tutto un altro contesto che poco c'entra con i precedenti quattro libri. Si arriva poi ad un finale banale, ma soprattutto scritto troppo frettolosamente. Non è possibile leggere un libro così lungo e pieno di misteri per poi spiegarli tutti in un quarto d'ora! Mah...
Le novelle inedite si salvano, nelle prime troverete alcuni personaggi del libro, ma le faccende sono assestanti.
Felice di averlo finito per cominciare altro!

[Rus Wornom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finest and most magical sf I've ever read.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing work. It is incredibly dense such that understanding the entire plot would require a few reads. However, the first read is accessible enough/bizarre/entrancing. this one of my favorite series of all times.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

Il Libro del nuovo Sole, nella nuova edizione edita Mondadori, racchiude i cinque libri che compongono la saga, L'ombra del torturatore, L'artiglio del conciliatore, La spada del littore, La cittadella dell'autarca e Urth del Nuovo Sole, oltre a sette racconti brevi inediti.

É un fantasy-fantascientifico: Wolfe usa un linguaggio e le immagini del fantasy per narrarci una storia che è fantascienza, ed una forma quanto mai rigorosa di fantascienza, dominata da una ferrea logica. É una storia che ha diversi livelli di lettura: può essere una storia allegorica che racconta della seconda venuta di Cristo oppure una storia letterale, una storia autobiografica che narra di Severian, allevato dalla Gilda dei Torturatori, che attraverso un lungo e labirintico percorso arriva dalla Cittadella dei torturatori fino alle stanze del potere, nel Palazzo dell’Autarca. Severian abita un mondo che è il nostro mondo, ma in un futuro lontanissimo, dove l’umanità è stata fra le stelle ed è tornata sulla terra, dove gli alieni vivono fra noi e dove ill sole sta morendo, ma non c'è da disperare: una leggenda promette la venuta di un Nuovo Sole e con esso una futura rinascita del pianeta.

É difficile riassumere questa pentalogia poiché molto ricca di avvenimenti, di azione e piccole quest importanti per la costruzione dei personaggi, in primis il protagonista.

Ma, per fare un veloce sunto, ne L'OMBRA DEL TORTURATORE ci viene raccontato di Severian, capitano degli apprendisti torturatori della gilda dei torturatori di Nessus, una congrega di boia e persecutori che insegna i suoi segreti solo ai figli delle proprie vittime, che, avendo povato compassione per una donna di nome Thecla e avendole fornito un pugnale per evitare l'esecuzione suicidandosi, viene esiliato dalla gilda e spedito a diventare il littore di una lontana città del nord. Alla partenza gli viene affidata la spada Terminus Est.
Cosí inizierà il suo viaggio che lo porterà a conoscere due commedianti, Baldanders e il Dottor Talos, e Agia, la proprietaria di un negozio in cui entrerà per cercare ciò che gli serve. Ma i pericoli sono dietro l'angolo e Severian si ritroverà a duellare, per aver salva la vita, contro una misteriosa figura: dovrà rintracciare un fiore mortale e si imbatterà nell'Artiglio del Conciliatore, un prezioso artefatto che gli sarà molto utile in futuro. Severian esce vincitore dal duello, ma la sua avventura é appena iniziata.

Continuando con L'ARTIGLIO DEL CONCILIATORE Severian lascerà Nessus e si ritroverà nella città di Saltus dove, tra esecuzioni, imboscate e fughe, sarà catturato dai sostenitori di Vodalus, misterioso e famigerato avversario dell'Autarca, di cui Severian aveva taciuto l'incursione tempo addietro quando si trovava ancora nella Cittadella.
Memore di quel evento, Vodalus gli risparmierà la vita e lo inviterà ad unirsi a lui per poi affidargli una missione: portare un messaggio ad una spia all'interno della Casa Assoluta, la residenza dell'Autarca.
Arrivati nella Casa Assoluta, incontrerà l'Autarca e una serie di nuove sfide e rivelazioni lo attenderanno.

Ne LA SPADA DEL LITTORE vediamo l'arrivo di Severian a Thrax, dove assume il ruolo di boia e sovraintendente alle prigioni dell'Arconte. Ma la pace dura ben poco: a seguito dell'attacco di un mostro scappa dalla città e dal suo ruolo per rifugiarsi nelle montagne. Tra mostri e fuorilegge verrà catturato da un gruppo di guerrieri che ubbidiscono all'occupante di un misterioso castello. Riuscirà a liberarsi e organizzerà la popolazione oppressa per attaccare il castello e dove nuove rivelazioni lo attendono.

Ne LA CITTADELLA DELL'AUTARCA ritroviamo Severian nel Nord, nel teatro delle battaglie tra l'esercito dell'Autarca e gli Asciani che sembrano essere in possesso di una tecnologia più avanzata ma incapaci di usarla. Gli Asciani sono un popolo oppresso e schiavizzato dai propri governanti, tanto che il loro linguaggio è costituito da un insieme determinato di frasi, al di fuori delle quali non sono in grado di comunicare né formulare pensieri compiuti.
Le battaglie si susseguono e Severian si troverà in punto di morte, a salvarlo sarà l'Autarca, il quale rivelerà a Severian di essere il suo successore, gli donerà la sua memoria e di tutti i suoi predecessori, con la conoscenza di tutte le parole del potere in grado di affermare e far riconoscere la sua autorità.

Infine abbiamo URTH DEL NUOVO SOLE. Il destino di Severian ormai é chiaro: é il nuovo Autarca di Urth e per questo si trova a bordo dell'astronave che lo deve condurre su Yesod, il pianeta dove sarà sottoposto a prove complesse e pericolose per testare il suo valore e garantire a Urth quel Nuovo Sole in grado di rigenerare il pianeta e la vita dopo il fallimento del precedente Autarca. Tornerà su Urth solo diversi anni dopo la sua partenza, sarà in possesso di straordinari poteri di guarigione, collegati forse al Nuovo Sole e, entrato nella Casa Assoluta, Severian assisterà al processo di rinascita dell'intero pianeta: un'alluvione apocalittica che travolge la città.

C'é tanto da dire su questa saga e da analizzare, già solo per i nomi scelti si potrebbe parlare per ore: i personaggi umani hanno nomi di santi della mitologia cristiana; gli alieni hanno nomi mitologici non cristiani e i robot hanno i nomi dei metalli. E ogni nome ha un significato e rimanda ad episodi della mitologia che forniscono un ulteriore strato di analisi della caratterizzazione dei personaggi.

L'ambientazione é cupa, desolata, miserabile, sembra non esserci una vera e propria speranza, solo morte e dolore. É una saga piena di poetica, con una scrittura intelligente e profonda, un mondo creato alla perfezione e in cui tutto é chiaro, non é semplicissimo da leggere e seguire, ma ne vale nettamente la pena.

[Randall DeVallance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite SF/fantasy series of all time. By no means an easy read - the most common thing you hear about this series is how much benefit there is to be had from multiple readings - it contains seemingly untold layers of puzzles, misdirection, and literary and cultural references to untangle. Set a million years in the future, well after humankind's interplanetary golden age, when civilization has regressed to a neo-medieval state.

[Sakura87 · Rating 3 out of 5]

05.01.24-10.01.24 L'ombra del torturatore ***
02.02.24-09.02.24 L'artiglio del conciliatore ***
03.03.24-07.03.24 La spada del Littore ***
01.04.24-04.04.24 La cittadella dell'Autarca ***
26.04.24-01.05.24 Tyarre del Nuovo Sole **
02.05.24-03.05.24 Racconti inediti ***

[Judy Carroll-hornaday · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to keep reading but was wanting it to end.

[Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prose is great and the world building the best of it's time. My only problem is the portrayal of women. Every time one appears in the series I flinch. This minor, but very aversive detail is the only reason this series isn't a 5 star.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense but very memorable, which I guess is appropriate. The last 15% or so of the series helped tie everything while at the same time adding to the complexity.

[Silent Disco · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating omnibus versions are hard for me for many reasons. i might rate the individual books contained in this omnibus as there are definite differences, regarding what if find interesting/enjoyable, between each. i will say that the final book was unsatisfying in that i was lead to believe mysteries would be further examined if not fully explained, what become of certain characters and perhaps the ultimate motives behind various characters actions. all three of these aspects were, for the most part, neglected in the final book.

ada palmer has written a new intro/forward for books 1 & 2 (shadow & claw being book 1 and sword & citadel being book 2) that you can read if you sample both books via kindle through amazon. i recently read the terra ignota series...

spoilers the series starting here:
i found first 3 books a good way to pass the time and illuminating to revisit hobbes after last reading leviathan some 20 years ago in college. i did not like book 4 as the entire ending seemed extremely unrealistic; a series where gender is a key theme ultimately has a defined female terrorist get a free pass, in the end, because reasons.
spoilers for the series ending here.

i mention this only as the series was not really something i typically read yet can appreciate all the work & research palmer put into the novels. having that been said, palmer eludes to readers who pay attention to details while being patient with character outcomes being rewarded in reading the book of the new sun to it's completion. i may be misremembering the gist but the feeling i got was that things do come together but only for attentive, patient readers. the deep dive she does is really impressive.

however, i like to think of myself as detail-orientated, attentive as well as patient; i definitely found things foreshadowed upon first reading and felt some positive reinforcement in doing so.

BUT, and this is a big BUT, paying attention to details ultimately was extremely unrewarding as the author leaves many breadcrumb trailing to nowhere or nothingness. this coming after reading the 2nd edition of the urth lexicon written by a respected fan designed to shed light on some, if not all, of the allusions crafted into the book plus character profiles with book numbers and chapter references provided as reference.

i still found many things left unexplained if not ignored in that book.
numerous google searches after reading the above, thinking i must have missed something because there were many characters that literally blipped out of existence, further compounded my frustration.
i don't need a freudian psychoanalytical approach explaining character actions but i also don't need characters conjured and then vanished in the guise of that's just because unreliable narrator reasons.

i've never read gene wolfe until starting with book of the new sun. as veteran reader of scifi aware of all the gene wolfe praise this was a mixed bag. unreliable narrator, if i'm being transparent, is kinda annoying. i get leaving things vague and up to the imagination of the reader but for me, there's only so much i can endure before it feels like i'm doing all the heavy lifting.
thus my final frustration with book of the new sun.

shadow & claw: 3 stars
sword & citadel: 4 stars
the urth of the new sun: 1 star

[Álvaro Benício de Paiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book of the New Sun na verdade são 5 livros escritos como dois (e feitos para serem entendidos como um, em uma relação levemente velho/novo testamento). A história gira em torno de Severian o Torturador, o último Autarca do moribundo planeta Urth ao redor de uma velha e apagada estrela.
O mundo é construído como eu nunca vi, igualando, se não superando, a de Tolkien. Um futuro tão distante (muitos milhões ou bilhões de anos), de forma que a história da humanidade se torna indistinguível da história geológica do planeta, um planeta sem recursos naturais, uma história tão assustadoramente longa, que a espécie humana (nessa altura, as espécies) já mudou, e a era de ouro de uma civilização intergalática já não é mais do que uma era de mitos de um passado infinitamente remoto, um estado neo-medieval, onde tecnologias que podem ser descritas como de civilizações de escalas Kardashev diferentes coexistem em uma sociedade onde até os instruídos não sabem bem o que é eletricidade, e que não existem recursos naturais para serem explorados, pois estes acabaram em um passado tão remoto que é pré-histórico. Tudo é mitológico e o familiar é estranho, é uma ficção científica que passa a impressão de fantasia.
Nessa estranheza, entra uma grande: não só a sociedade e sua cultura são fundamentalmente diferentes da nossa, mas o livro, narrado como uma autobiografia, apresenta de forma bem clara a visão de mundo do protagonista, e ela é bem diferente da nossa. Ele não é um personagem identificável, e propositalmente é assim, pois ele é uma pessoa ruim, soberba, arrogante, para quem boa parte das mulheres não são nada além de objetos de prazer sexual, e para quem a vida humana vale próximo de nada (afinal ele foi criado na guilda dos torturadores). Vi que muita gente se desinteressou pelo livro devido à personalidade do protagonista, mas eu acho que é essencial para o aspecto alienigena desse mundo.
A escrita é medieval, condizente com o tema, pois o autor optou por não inventar palavras, ao invés disso, recorreu a dicionários de 300, 500 e 700 anos de idade por palavras mortas, uma escolha que definitivamente contribui horrores para a imersão e ambientação.
Enfim, maravilhoso, não posso recomendar o bastante, mas é uma obra para se dedicar.

[James Greenleaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing style in this is wonderful. It's fluid, and transparent, and a joy to read. The author uses many obscure, esoteric, or invented words, but they are usually grasped in context. It is obvious that he loves language, and has a gift for the music of it.

The genre is solidly science-fiction, but the setting feels magical in a way that most fantasy works are unable to pull off. Severian's world feels real. The storytelling is adept. The characters are alive. The mythology, familiar.

It's difficult for me to describe just what it is about this work that captivates me, but I can see now why it's a classic. The comparisons in substance and stature to Tolkien's work are deserved. I'll read more from this author, and gladly.

[Jacob Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series was and is one of my favourites.
Wolfe is an opulent writer and I think for some this would be very heavy going. But well worth the time to dig into; like solving a puzzle that doesn’t exist, it all comes seeping out of the blackest dark, of an executioners cloak.

I loved the feeling of exploring a future so distant it’s reverted to prehistory, where even the familiar is alienating and uncertain. The disconcerting mundane oppression of life under the inevitable, rusty luminance of an aged and dying sun.

A million years from now, who knows?
I adore the world, Wolfe creates here, and my journey with, Severian will always be a vivid memory for me.

Part mysterious fantasy, part cosmic horror, with the near feel of a coming of age story. I loved every page of it.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some people rate this series one of the best. Honestly, it's not my cup of tea. It starts out ok, but it devolves into a wander through someones brain on acid. Confusion, unexplained things, places, and characters abound and it only gets worse the farther you go. And then it ends, and you're left wondering about, well, almost everything.

On the plus side, Gene does know how to write, and at times he writes beautifully. But it's all pretty much wasted on this steaming pile of detritus of a story.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the greatest series in science fiction. Wolfe's genius was in layering language and imagery over a narrative that is deceptively straight forward. As you read his work over and over, you find new meaning and new messages each time you wander into the universe he has created. And don't be fooled, there are depths to his writing deeper than the Gyoll itself. But be wary, once you make your way into one of Wolfe's brilliant works of art, you will be changed and entertained and mesmerized.

[Geoffrey Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolfe seems to be trying for an epic saga something like Game of Thrones. He fails, ending with a long tale of "then he did this, then he did that, ...". I could find no clear idea of where this epic was going, or idea what the problem(s) to be solved weere.Suffers from a lack of structure.
Someone encountering this for the 1st time might want to read The Shadow of th Torturer, but go no further, as the world is fleshed out there. Readingany more will just add overwhelming, unnecessary detail

[Malex Murdoch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Severian's journey. However, the story does not conclude plot threads; and you would be hard pressed to find those threads to begin with.

I suggest having a copy of the Lexicon Urthus to help remind you of characters and to clean up some of the questions that arise as you read the narrative.

[Kristofer Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This four volume series is a remarkable achievement, equal to and perhaps better than the original Dune trilogy and perhaps even the Lord of the Rings. Severian, the protagonist, starts his life as an apprentice in the torturers guild. He is exiled for showing compassion to one of the condemned, and his adventures begin. Urth once sent its inhabitants around the galaxy, but the earth is old, and the sun is dying. The society is quasi-feudalist, ruled by the Autarch and the Exultants (aristocrats). We gradually learn of the existence of other nations, of environments containing dangerous animals that have been either bio-engineered or imported from other worlds, along with some that have merely evolved into new forms. Because of the dying sun, the environment is growing colder, and glaciation is a potential threat. Severian the torturer becomes Severian the Autarch, then eventually the Conciliator.

The book contains a lot of religious imagery. Severian, the narrator, begins his journey as an exile and ends it as a sort of demiurge -- an Arian Christ-like figure, if you will. His actions lead to the destruction of the old world and the beginning of a new heavens and a new earth. Of a sort.

[Charlotte Cumming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complex and fascinating

As is well known, these books are a hallmark of science fiction and fantasy that are without peer. I don't know what took me so long to get around to reading them but I finally have and now I mourn for the wasted years without these books. Truly stunning.

[Mingyuan Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

painfully long. difficult read. yet still a fascinating story and amazing world. The sequal "The urth of the new sun" is both good and bad. It had a lot of explanations and brought closure, however it felt like the story would be better without the explanations.

[Jonathan D McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A text based altered state of concious

What a strange trip this book is with it's fractured realities/perceptions, internal dialogues it is a very psychedelic experience. There is so many excellent things done with language and great little snippets sprinkled throughout. Wow!

[Ryan Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I read this as one book rather than separate formats. This story is on par with other great stories like LOTR and Dune in my opinion. I would recommend this to fans of those stories and anyone interested in the fantasy genre or science fiction.

[Mihail Minkov · Rating 2 out of 5]

What the fuck did I just read 🫠 for two hundred pages nothing happens then everything turns around in 5 lines… no explanation… a lot of characters gone missing with no mention… nothing actually happens… i had high hopes but this is below average and way too long…

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it a bit too meandering and the ending was abrupt and confusing. But I enjoyed the ride for the most part.

[tsahr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much to do about nothing.

Much spoken to little effect. This author likes to hear himself speak, I think. To struggle through so much text and have it end as it did is tragic.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I wanted to like this book, I just could not get into it. It wasn't bad, but it didn't make me want to continue reading.