A review by brandoneckroth
The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

4.75

The culmination of a masterpiece. Though I probably only understood 50% of what Wolfe was attempting in this first read-through, I can immediately see after finishing the entirety of The Book of the New Sun why this is coined as one of science fiction and fantasy's greatest works. It's a story of identity, power, corruption, time, and reality set in a world so far in the future that it seems to be of the past., further extending the cyclical nature and theme of eternal return Wolfe creates through Severian's narrative. Allegory upon allegory. A complex work of art I'll be coming back to time and time again. 

After this full read-through, the series gets a combined rating of 4.5.