Reviews

The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe

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sapien85's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Well, everything about this was perfect. In this third installment in the stellar saga of Severian, Wolfe introduces even weirder sci-fi elements, as well as a set of highly intriguing characters. He does so with prowess and mastery unmatched in the realm of SFF. This is also the most heartbreaking book in the series, for many reasons, which I won't touch on for fear of spoiling the fun for you readers. There's an ethereal and hypnotic quality to these books that words cannot express, let alone explain. It can only be experienced. And thus continues my reread of The Book of the New Sun...

gipanu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

glowingskeleton's review

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5.0

These books just keep getting better. They're complicated, but not nearly as confusing as people make it out to be. Read it!

tpalmi's review

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adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

esop's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sonice's review

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5.0

5.0 stars. I think I can say at this point that this series has been the most interesting, unforgettable, and confusing thing I have ever read. I mentioned this a little bit previously, but the confusing part is meant to be a plus; it's the kind of confusion that drives you to dig deeper and think harder. Of course the reputation for being a bit dizzying is well known, and also I believe it must have kept people from picking it up at all. Despite that, I'll be doing my best do get people I know to give it a shot, if only so that I can have other people to discuss it with. Because there is just SO much to discuss.

I could not possibly recommend this enough.