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april_does_feral_sometimes 's review for:
The Shadow of the Torturer
by Gene Wolfe
The title of this book really turned me away from reading this book for decades. However, it was selected as a club read so I decided to give it a try.
There are a few torture scenes and the violence is graphic but minimal. Overall, it is a pseudo-myth story, so the tone is dreamlike, and primarily a meditation on the pain of living as a human being rather than an adventure or coming-of-age story. The language is beautiful, poetic; however it's also a touch self-conscious. Whatever. The author deserves the kudos he was reaching for.
I suggest reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes before reading this novel, but it isn't essential. However, I think it will deepen your understanding of how clever the author was in his design of the plot and why he created the dreamy atmosphere and solemn tone, in my opinion.
This is a hero's journey of the Underworld, a place of death, pain and suffering, but Severian, the narrator and main character who is writing a journal about his past, is not quite the hero or antihero, which is the the usual setup. As the Torturer, he is simply doing his job, but he certainly is also the mythological intermediary between us common beings and the gods. My mind immediately jumped to Joseph Campbell's [b:The Hero's Adventure: Power of Myth 1|234894|The Hero's Adventure Power of Myth 1|Joseph Campbell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1172973251s/234894.jpg|6510080], which I read in the 1970's. Mozart's The Magic Flute also came to mind, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descent_to_the_underworld. However, the novel's unique viewpoint is that of from the guy who's job is to send heroic and antiheroic seekers to the Underworld. Severian is symbolic stand-in of the Ferryman Charon who demands a coin before transporting souls across the river Styx. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(mythology).
The place is sometime in the future after everything has fallen apart and the world has forgotten everything about where we are today. It is a return to the Dark Ages, similar to the early Middle Ages. The Guilds have returned as well as aristocracy, kings and peons. Swords are the main weapons, and poverty is the overwhelming state of most people's finances, even though private business in the form of little shops and taverns are thriving. Duels are fought among the different varieties of wealthy classes when they aren't dodging the Autarch, the dictator king and his Guild of Torturers. While the world is mostly low tech, such as travel using animals or walking, and cooking over fires, here and there in pockets of society appear ancient devices from a more advanced technological time, and mysterious magical gems and, perhaps, wandering spirits of the dead and gods.
Severian is an orphan, parents unknown, given to the Guild of Torturers almost before he began to remember things. Once he begins to remember his life, he cannot forget anything being blessed (!?!) with remembering everything perfectly. It's a strange coming-of-age. He learns the rudiments of reading, writing, and ciphering, but his main education is learning how to cut up the human body and using implements of torture. His school is in a tower, a prison, within the Citadel, which is a massive ancient structure consisting of many buildings and towers, some crumbling and in disuse for centuries, riddled with secret passageways and tunnels and forgotten gardens. Despite having lived there all of his youth, he has not been anywhere except a few paces beyond the Tower of his Guild.
Once deemed acceptable as a student, he and his friends become apprentices, then journeymen, and if showing exceptional ability, graduating to Masters. Severian makes it to Journeyman, but he meets a girl imprisoned in the Tower, scheduled for torture and death. He falls in love, but he knows his duty. Thecla, the beautiful concubine (of whom there are thousands, basically taken to ensure obedience from her wealthy family) of the Autarch, is an educated woman, and requests books from the library. Severian is assigned to meet her requests and through the year of her imprisonment, learns much beyond his basic education as they both read and discuss philosophy and myth (don't worry, there are no pages of arcane philosophy to be skimmed past).
He eventually commits a grievous sin against his Guild oath, and is reassigned to be a carnifex of Thrax. Thrax is a small town, and a carnifex cuts off the heads or otherwise carries out the punishment sentences of criminals of the State. Unlike those living in the Citadel, who have their victims delivered to them, Severian will now spend his days going to where he is assigned to carry out punishment. He begins his journey out of the Citadel, which takes several days, and meets a variety of people, all new to his experience. Unavoidably he makes mistakes and is challenged to a duel. Although he has a magical sword, Terminus Est , given to him by the Head Master, the duel is by using poisonous flowers, of which he knows nothing. Is it the end before he has even begun? Given that this is part one of a trilogy of books, perhaps not.
Personally, I think if you really really want to 'get' this book, you should read at least the introductory paragraphs in my links, in my opinion. This is not a typical fantasy, but a literary metafictional story specifically referencing ancient myths and historical literature. Without at least some preliminary knowledge of what the author was doing, I think the joy in reading this interesting smart novel will be dimmed to a degree.
I noticed some of the more literary reviewers who also picked up on the mythological references gave this book two stars or so simply because they thought, "oh, dear, yet ANOTHER metafictional story, yawn." Well, EXCUSE ME! It's very GOOD for another mythological literary novel! Since a lot of young people will primarily be interested in this book because they tend to be fantasy genre readers, do not let this opportunity go to introduce yourself to the myths behind 60% of the stories out there! Ok, ok, it's not a shoot'em up video game, but this book is a way into upping your game in reading and understanding literature.
Ahem. Sorry. I admit I am a little excited.
"Oh, death, where is thy sting?", Shakespeare, from 'Hamlet".
There are a few torture scenes and the violence is graphic but minimal. Overall, it is a pseudo-myth story, so the tone is dreamlike, and primarily a meditation on the pain of living as a human being rather than an adventure or coming-of-age story. The language is beautiful, poetic; however it's also a touch self-conscious. Whatever. The author deserves the kudos he was reaching for.
I suggest reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes before reading this novel, but it isn't essential. However, I think it will deepen your understanding of how clever the author was in his design of the plot and why he created the dreamy atmosphere and solemn tone, in my opinion.
This is a hero's journey of the Underworld, a place of death, pain and suffering, but Severian, the narrator and main character who is writing a journal about his past, is not quite the hero or antihero, which is the the usual setup. As the Torturer, he is simply doing his job, but he certainly is also the mythological intermediary between us common beings and the gods. My mind immediately jumped to Joseph Campbell's [b:The Hero's Adventure: Power of Myth 1|234894|The Hero's Adventure Power of Myth 1|Joseph Campbell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1172973251s/234894.jpg|6510080], which I read in the 1970's. Mozart's The Magic Flute also came to mind, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descent_to_the_underworld. However, the novel's unique viewpoint is that of from the guy who's job is to send heroic and antiheroic seekers to the Underworld. Severian is symbolic stand-in of the Ferryman Charon who demands a coin before transporting souls across the river Styx. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(mythology).
The place is sometime in the future after everything has fallen apart and the world has forgotten everything about where we are today. It is a return to the Dark Ages, similar to the early Middle Ages. The Guilds have returned as well as aristocracy, kings and peons. Swords are the main weapons, and poverty is the overwhelming state of most people's finances, even though private business in the form of little shops and taverns are thriving. Duels are fought among the different varieties of wealthy classes when they aren't dodging the Autarch, the dictator king and his Guild of Torturers. While the world is mostly low tech, such as travel using animals or walking, and cooking over fires, here and there in pockets of society appear ancient devices from a more advanced technological time, and mysterious magical gems and, perhaps, wandering spirits of the dead and gods.
Severian is an orphan, parents unknown, given to the Guild of Torturers almost before he began to remember things. Once he begins to remember his life, he cannot forget anything being blessed (!?!) with remembering everything perfectly. It's a strange coming-of-age. He learns the rudiments of reading, writing, and ciphering, but his main education is learning how to cut up the human body and using implements of torture. His school is in a tower, a prison, within the Citadel, which is a massive ancient structure consisting of many buildings and towers, some crumbling and in disuse for centuries, riddled with secret passageways and tunnels and forgotten gardens. Despite having lived there all of his youth, he has not been anywhere except a few paces beyond the Tower of his Guild.
Once deemed acceptable as a student, he and his friends become apprentices, then journeymen, and if showing exceptional ability, graduating to Masters. Severian makes it to Journeyman, but he meets a girl imprisoned in the Tower, scheduled for torture and death. He falls in love, but he knows his duty. Thecla, the beautiful concubine (of whom there are thousands, basically taken to ensure obedience from her wealthy family) of the Autarch, is an educated woman, and requests books from the library. Severian is assigned to meet her requests and through the year of her imprisonment, learns much beyond his basic education as they both read and discuss philosophy and myth (don't worry, there are no pages of arcane philosophy to be skimmed past).
He eventually commits a grievous sin against his Guild oath, and is reassigned to be a carnifex of Thrax. Thrax is a small town, and a carnifex cuts off the heads or otherwise carries out the punishment sentences of criminals of the State. Unlike those living in the Citadel, who have their victims delivered to them, Severian will now spend his days going to where he is assigned to carry out punishment. He begins his journey out of the Citadel, which takes several days, and meets a variety of people, all new to his experience. Unavoidably he makes mistakes and is challenged to a duel. Although he has a magical sword, Terminus Est , given to him by the Head Master, the duel is by using poisonous flowers, of which he knows nothing. Is it the end before he has even begun? Given that this is part one of a trilogy of books, perhaps not.
Personally, I think if you really really want to 'get' this book, you should read at least the introductory paragraphs in my links, in my opinion. This is not a typical fantasy, but a literary metafictional story specifically referencing ancient myths and historical literature. Without at least some preliminary knowledge of what the author was doing, I think the joy in reading this interesting smart novel will be dimmed to a degree.
I noticed some of the more literary reviewers who also picked up on the mythological references gave this book two stars or so simply because they thought, "oh, dear, yet ANOTHER metafictional story, yawn." Well, EXCUSE ME! It's very GOOD for another mythological literary novel! Since a lot of young people will primarily be interested in this book because they tend to be fantasy genre readers, do not let this opportunity go to introduce yourself to the myths behind 60% of the stories out there! Ok, ok, it's not a shoot'em up video game, but this book is a way into upping your game in reading and understanding literature.
Ahem. Sorry. I admit I am a little excited.
"Oh, death, where is thy sting?", Shakespeare, from 'Hamlet".