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jadom's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebestmark's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Compared to Book of the New Sun in total, Urth of the New Sun suffers quite a significant drop in quality, continuing on the tradition of detail-dense prose that nevertheless feels incomprehensible on a first read, but without the same boundless imaginary potential. That said, read as a sequel to Citadel of the Autarch rather than as the next, y'know, 'New Sun Book' or whatever, I think Urth of the New Sun is actually a step up.
The Christian mythology stuff that loomed so large over the last book has finally exploded in import so much that it basically swallows the novel, but overfamiliar as that narrative might be, its displacement into Wolfe's positively hog-bonkers sci-fi world feels unorthodox, and the time traveling divergences are a whole lot of fun, although not thematically compelling. My big thought, though, is that Wolfe's Christian eschatology finds a poor orator in Severian.
Most, if not all, of what makes Severian a compelling protagonist does not interface cleanly with a Christ or a God figure. Severian is tactically smart but often wrong-headed; slow on the uptake, in other words. He has a James Bond-level fixation on sexual relationships with women, he's scary-looking, and nearly always - even in this book, in which this is such a huge problem - almost always insufficiently regretful of the evil things he's done, of which there are way too many to count. Turning him into the avatar of humanity's rebirth just doesn't do justice to him. It's too simple!
Urth of the New Son is a fun read, but it fails to capture the imagination, turning what could be, if nothing else, a sci-fi-psychedelic take on Christian mythology into what amounts to a to-do list ensuring the timeline of the series is correctly completed.
The Christian mythology stuff that loomed so large over the last book has finally exploded in import so much that it basically swallows the novel, but overfamiliar as that narrative might be, its displacement into Wolfe's positively hog-bonkers sci-fi world feels unorthodox, and the time traveling divergences are a whole lot of fun, although not thematically compelling. My big thought, though, is that Wolfe's Christian eschatology finds a poor orator in Severian.
Most, if not all, of what makes Severian a compelling protagonist does not interface cleanly with a Christ or a God figure. Severian is tactically smart but often wrong-headed; slow on the uptake, in other words. He has a James Bond-level fixation on sexual relationships with women, he's scary-looking, and nearly always - even in this book, in which this is such a huge problem - almost always insufficiently regretful of the evil things he's done, of which there are way too many to count. Turning him into the avatar of humanity's rebirth just doesn't do justice to him. It's too simple!
Urth of the New Son is a fun read, but it fails to capture the imagination, turning what could be, if nothing else, a sci-fi-psychedelic take on Christian mythology into what amounts to a to-do list ensuring the timeline of the series is correctly completed.
gipanu's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
john_huppenthal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lanzajr26's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
spyfox's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
everyonespal's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
A nice little ribbon and some answers. Beautiful.
jackmedia's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gmancam's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Unlike anything I've ever read. Finally provides you with so many answers to the puzzle while giving you incentive to back track and re read the series now that you have the full picture.
spitzig's review
3.0
I think I just miss something with Wolfe's novels. I don't even know if I can write a review.