Reviews

3.5*

This was an improvement over the first book mainly because the MC does show some growth and suffer some consequences for his actions here even though he still does some awful things for a "hero". The world is pretty grimdark and the whole story being a devil's bargain of trying to find the least bad side. We learn more about the world which continues to be an interesting kind of post-apocalyptic setting (what actually happened to make it like it is still hasn't really been made clear). The world-building continues to be the strongest aspect with the supporting characters being a little flat for the most-part. The MC is not as insufferable as he was in the first book however.

sonice's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 stars. I loved it. I'm also so confused that my brain is trying to escape out of my ear. But you know. In a good way.

I'm only giving this a slightly lower score than Shadow, and I think it's because there was one part (the play) that I really struggled with. Most of the confusing WTF happenings so far feel like if you give them enough thought, you can at least come up with some theories or ideas. This is actually a big part of what makes this so special; the vagueness encourages you to use your imagination, and who can really say what the exact right answer is? That one scene, however, even after trying to read through it twice....I mean, I can kind of see what's going on, but it's written in such a confusing way that I felt myself becoming more frustrated with it that anything. I feel like I might have missed something important. I DO get the impression that it's the kind of thing that would be more clear on a second read through, however.

john_huppenthal's review against another edition

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5.0

Gene Wolfe was just built different, wasn’t he?

gmancam's review against another edition

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

3.75

A much more interesting plotline compared to its predecessor. The world building being displayed here is unlike any I've experienced. Some moments here really left me lost for words and will be stuck in my head for a long time to come.

absurtiddy's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced

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

1.0

bucknut's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

gggggggg_g's review against another edition

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3.0

Severian continues his journey... to do something... with some people I don't really remember because it's been so long since I read "The Shadow of the Torturer." And that's my fault. Through garnered guesses and hopes that the names I couldn't recall weren't significant, I still managed to stumble my way through this book in several sittings. Some of the elements of the mysterious and fantastic were genuinely very interesting and I'm chuffed that this world exists with both extinct megafauna and time travel. However, this lacked substance compared to the first volume in the quartet. I wonder how much of that is due to my poor memory. I already have volume 3 in my hands so I don't make the same mistake twice.

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