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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read about The Book of the New Sun before I started Shadow & Claw. I read about the difficult beauty of Gene Wolfe's prose. I read that there were puzzles in the book, that the unreliable narrator made Shadow & Claw a kind of guessing game—what's real, what isn't? I read comparisons to Joyce, Proust, and Melville. I read Neil Gaiman and Ursula K. Le Guin's glowing recommendations. I was very excited to read the most acclaimed fantasy novel since Lord of the Rings. I was excited to begin my foray into modern fantasy fiction with the author described by fans as the greatest writer alive.
I was extremely disappointed.
Wolfe creates a mildly compelling world, but holy cow, this is a boring book. No plot, undeveloped characters, bad writing. Yeah, I said it, bad writing. I liked the occasional flourishes about "the nature of reality" or whatever, but Wolfe's technical skills seem limited to dropping eighth-century nouns into middle-school-level prose. The nouns are cool, but that's about it.
If this is the best modern fantasy has to offer, then this probably isn't the genre for me.
I was extremely disappointed.
Wolfe creates a mildly compelling world, but holy cow, this is a boring book. No plot, undeveloped characters, bad writing. Yeah, I said it, bad writing. I liked the occasional flourishes about "the nature of reality" or whatever, but Wolfe's technical skills seem limited to dropping eighth-century nouns into middle-school-level prose. The nouns are cool, but that's about it.
If this is the best modern fantasy has to offer, then this probably isn't the genre for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review forthcoming when I finish volume 2. The Book of the New Sun has been described as a novel in four parts, and the transitions between certainly feel like it. It just doesn't feel right to review it halfway through.
This work is definitely challenging and not for the faint of heart. It's required some work to push through certain sections, but I absolutely love the atmosphere, lore and general world-building Wolfe has done here. Urth is fully populated with guilds, religions, myths, ancient history and an intricate political system. Definitely a masterwork.
Now if I can catch a break and actually catch up with work, I can actually finish something. I'm not dead...I'm just hibernating till summer.
This work is definitely challenging and not for the faint of heart. It's required some work to push through certain sections, but I absolutely love the atmosphere, lore and general world-building Wolfe has done here. Urth is fully populated with guilds, religions, myths, ancient history and an intricate political system. Definitely a masterwork.
Now if I can catch a break and actually catch up with work, I can actually finish something. I'm not dead...I'm just hibernating till summer.
It is a strange and beautiful read. I think this is more a puzzle than a book; there is beauty here and there is layers. An excellent piece of fantasy but perhaps something more daring. This comes with my highest recommendation. Read, experience and digest.
Wolfe creates a fantasy world that seems so distant and unfamiliar at first and allows you to explore it along with the protagonist. You both get to discover parts of the world together but will be impacted differently by those discoveries. A wonderful book if you know what you are getting into. Some of the language and descriptions seem confusing at first but I think that the appendices at the end of the books really explain why those problems exist. I would suggest reading them first as not to be confused later.
Probably the hardest book I've ever had to rate.
Nearly DNF'd both volumes at times. It is richly rewarding but man it's a labour of love.
Review to follow.
Maybe.
Nearly DNF'd both volumes at times. It is richly rewarding but man it's a labour of love.
Review to follow.
Maybe.
Four and a half stars for Shadow of the Torturer and 3 for Claw of the Conciliator. The world-building and ideas in these books are genius but the execution, in my opinion, decreases as the story continues. The book is at its peak when Wolfe is forcing you to remember that this isn’t about the Middle Ages but a future so far ahead in time that technology and knowledge have regressed. The more surreal scenes, the infinite gardens, living museums and odd rituals are incredible and terrifying. The actual plot and characters are average at best, terribly stereotypical and contrived at worst. Still, an enjoyable and thought provoking read.