Reviews

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe

reecey1297's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

wingedvictories's review against another edition

4.75

This series reputation preceded it-I had heard that Book of The New Sun was challenging and often difficult to parse. After completing Shadow, I felt I had a grasp on what was going on-until seeing discussion of it online! This isn’t a detractor however. This series encourages its readers to look closely and make the connections it’s not making for you. In many ways BOTNS teaches you how to read BOTNS.  

The first installment is a lot of set up for things that may not be payed off until much later. This series works best as a complete work. 

mattschubert22's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

ryelees's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

alliemco's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

 

If there's one thing to say about The Shadow of the Torturer, it's that it's unique and seriously challenges the reader. Even though it's just over 200 pages, it demands a lot of thought.

Reading this book is like stumbling into the dreams of someone barely keeping their sanity. The plot is non-linear and postmodern, so it doesn't hold your hand or explain what's going on, which can be both frustrating and fascinating. The upside is that you're immediately inside Severian's head, sharing his understanding of the world around him.

The reason I gave it three stars is that, as a standalone book, it's not satisfying. It only really works as part of a larger novel or series. The story isn't clear, the characters don't go anywhere, it's confusing to follow, and the structure is problematic. The climax comes early, characters are introduced and then shoved aside, and it ends with three cliffhangers. I have to admit, I was able to fully follow the book because I was simultaneously reading and listening to a book analysis.

That said, the more I think about this book, the more I like it. However, how much I ultimately enjoy it will depend on how the series develops and if things start to make sense. I could see myself finishing the series and looking back on this book as a piece of genius, or as an impenetrable mess. Or possibly getting frustrated and not finishing the whole thing. At this point, all outcomes seem equally likely. 

angus_mckeogh's review against another edition

4.0

If I wasn’t too stupid to actually figure out what ultimately was going on then I’d have probably added another star to this review. Despite that I loved the atmosphere and pacing that Wolfe created and the story was a perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy with commingled weirdness that made it really entertaining. I’ll definitely read the other books in the series and will hopefully suss out the ultimate narrative.

spanks_mackenzie's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

froggiemoment's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

blazeofredfiree's review against another edition

This was an interesting one- not like anything I've ever read before!
Wolfe is clearly an incredibly talented writer- his descriptions and prose was so vivid and gorgeous. His worldbuilding was also very clever- there was no infodumping or explicit feeding of information, yet I could still get the impression of a very detailed and unique world.
Severian was an interesting main character- a lot of emotional depth. I feel like there was a lot of subtext when it came to him and the world that I just didn't really understand/pick up on. Perhaps this will be one to reread in the future! The literary style was somewhat dense for me (it's not something I'm used to) but it ended up fitting with the story very well I feel- which felt quite messy and meandering, but ended up tying together in a somewhat satisfying way.
I didn't really love the fact that every female character seemed to be an object of desire for the main character, and there are some rather outdated ideas about women scattered throughout. Whether that's just because of the time or it's supposed to reflect the main character's own prejudices wasn't entirely clear to me, but I managed to ignore it and it didn't affect my enjoyment too much.
Not quite sure what to make of this one- I wouldn't say I was gripped throughout, but I was certainly intrigued. Though it felt meandering, I also feel that the author has a much grander plan in mind with this series. Perhaps I wil read the others to see, perhaps not, but I don't regret reading this one!

lavidaquees's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75