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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pretty much everything I never knew I wanted in scifi and fantasy, this is epic stuff, dark and mysterious, and one of the first books I've read that actually benefits close reading - this is challenging stuff in the best way. I read along with "Shelved By Genre", a genre fiction podcast, and that was also fantastic and added to the experience.
Severian's relationship with female characters sure is some tragic stuff at times. So far in the series, it's not clear if that's a Papa Gene thing, or a flaw intentionally written into the character. That's the only thing detracting from a full 10/10 for me - it's gonna be hard to know where to go in scifi from here.
Also, I think a weakness for the heavy metal Catholic apocrypha really did me in here.
Severian's relationship with female characters sure is some tragic stuff at times. So far in the series, it's not clear if that's a Papa Gene thing, or a flaw intentionally written into the character. That's the only thing detracting from a full 10/10 for me - it's gonna be hard to know where to go in scifi from here.
Also, I think a weakness for the heavy metal Catholic apocrypha really did me in here.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How do you rate a book that is meant to be reread on a first read?
Moreso than even Frank Herbert's Dune or Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon, Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun (the first half wrapped in this volume, which contains the first two stories: The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator) is a work that seemingly can only be deciphered upon a second, third, or fourth read. This may drive some readers away, but for me, this is an enticing prospect. The Book of the New Sun is a puzzlebox to be unlocked, a little at a time, but never quite fully revealing its secrets.
Wolfe tells his simple story with levels of depth that are staggering. Severian, a young boy trained as a torturer by the Guild of Torturers on the planet of Urth (seemingly a stylized Earth here, its original name lost to the annals of history), is cast out after delivering a woman that he loved ("loved" here meaning...well, maybe not what we think of as love) from the torture sentenced to her. From here, Severian journeys on to a new job posting, finds love in three or four different women, obtains an artifact of great power, and makes some interesting friends along the way. Of course, this is highly simplified, but ultimately what Wolfe is interested in is setting, storytelling, and his main character.
The setting is rich; Urth is built on the rubble of civilizations to numerous to count. What isn't kept in the ground is found in the sky, as this is clearly humanity post journeying to the stars. The reader can expect to find various tidbits that will resonate, but for every one that means something, there may be fourteen that just go straight over the head.
And this is the great strength and weakness of the Book of the New Sun: there is no guarantee that you will get everything, or even anything, out of what Wolfe presents. Reading without engaging with the greater text is next to impossible. Wolfe asks the readers to interrogate the various events going on throughout the book, the motivations of characters just met, and, of course, the integrity of his main character, Severian.
Severian is the great cipher of the series, and the reader's opinion of him will determine much about their overall enjoyment of the series. Is Severian truly as honest and the owner of an infallible memory as he claims? Is he human like any of us and makes simple mistakes? How much does he change the narrative to fit his needs? A lot of my issues, such as the novel's attitude towards its female characters, can be explained away via attributing certain issues to Severian's own attitude, but I'm not so convinced at this point. Indeed, my own still-changing opinion of Severian is part of the reason I have a hard time grading this read.
So I won't talk negatives. I won't speak on what isn't done well or what I would have liked to see. Instead, I will say this: Shadow & Claw represents a fascinating effort by Gene Wolfe in creating one of the most indecipherably decipherable works that I have ever read, and I cannot stop thinking about this saga. I am taking a break before I dive back in, but it won't be long before I continue along with Severian on his journey.
Moreso than even Frank Herbert's Dune or Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon, Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun (the first half wrapped in this volume, which contains the first two stories: The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator) is a work that seemingly can only be deciphered upon a second, third, or fourth read. This may drive some readers away, but for me, this is an enticing prospect. The Book of the New Sun is a puzzlebox to be unlocked, a little at a time, but never quite fully revealing its secrets.
Wolfe tells his simple story with levels of depth that are staggering. Severian, a young boy trained as a torturer by the Guild of Torturers on the planet of Urth (seemingly a stylized Earth here, its original name lost to the annals of history), is cast out after delivering a woman that he loved ("loved" here meaning...well, maybe not what we think of as love) from the torture sentenced to her. From here, Severian journeys on to a new job posting, finds love in three or four different women, obtains an artifact of great power, and makes some interesting friends along the way. Of course, this is highly simplified, but ultimately what Wolfe is interested in is setting, storytelling, and his main character.
The setting is rich; Urth is built on the rubble of civilizations to numerous to count. What isn't kept in the ground is found in the sky, as this is clearly humanity post journeying to the stars. The reader can expect to find various tidbits that will resonate, but for every one that means something, there may be fourteen that just go straight over the head.
And this is the great strength and weakness of the Book of the New Sun: there is no guarantee that you will get everything, or even anything, out of what Wolfe presents. Reading without engaging with the greater text is next to impossible. Wolfe asks the readers to interrogate the various events going on throughout the book, the motivations of characters just met, and, of course, the integrity of his main character, Severian.
Severian is the great cipher of the series, and the reader's opinion of him will determine much about their overall enjoyment of the series. Is Severian truly as honest and the owner of an infallible memory as he claims? Is he human like any of us and makes simple mistakes? How much does he change the narrative to fit his needs? A lot of my issues, such as the novel's attitude towards its female characters, can be explained away via attributing certain issues to Severian's own attitude, but I'm not so convinced at this point. Indeed, my own still-changing opinion of Severian is part of the reason I have a hard time grading this read.
So I won't talk negatives. I won't speak on what isn't done well or what I would have liked to see. Instead, I will say this: Shadow & Claw represents a fascinating effort by Gene Wolfe in creating one of the most indecipherably decipherable works that I have ever read, and I cannot stop thinking about this saga. I am taking a break before I dive back in, but it won't be long before I continue along with Severian on his journey.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this has been a chore from the start. I've tried *hard* to go on and like it, because this is supposed to be a masterpiece. It's been an exercise in frustration. I don't know what the fuck I am reading. I'm 80% through the first two books (i.e., almost finishing the 2nd book in the series), and I don't care *at all* for any of the characters, or the plot, or the setting.
So I'm not going to continue. The first two books seem to go nowhere, and getting this far has been a complete waste of time (for me, anyway).
For the life of me I don't understand why this is so highly praised...
So I'm not going to continue. The first two books seem to go nowhere, and getting this far has been a complete waste of time (for me, anyway).
For the life of me I don't understand why this is so highly praised...
Utterly boring book with no clear story line or any line at all. All I take away from this book is he is a super randy guy that can only think of tits & pussy and permanently oils his sword that he permanently looses and then luckily finds again.
There are some minor parts that are quite interesting and well written and the whole concept and idea is quite nice, but the execution is horrible. I doubt I will read the last two books of this series.
There are some minor parts that are quite interesting and well written and the whole concept and idea is quite nice, but the execution is horrible. I doubt I will read the last two books of this series.