The Shadow Of The Torturer (1984) - Plot & Excerpts
Wolfe has an almost legendary status amongst fellow authors; Gaiman called him 'a ferocious intellect', Swanwick said he's "the greatest writer in the English language alive today", and Disch called this series "a tetralogy of couth, intelligence, and suavity".You can rarely trust the popular market to single out good authors, but you'd think it might be safe to listen to the opinions of other writers (especially an assemblage of Nebula and Hugo winners in their own right). I will give his fans one concession: Wolfe is an author who defies expectations. Unfortunately, I was expecting him to be remarkable and interesting.This book had been sitting on my shelf for months, along with other highly-praised works I've been looking forward to, but I bade my time, waiting for the mood to strike. Few live up to their reputation, but most at least deliver part of the promise.I would expect any author mentioned in the same breath as Peake to have an original and vibrant style, but I found Wolfe's writing to be simple without being elegant. His language and structure serves its purpose, only occasionally rising above mere utilitarianism, and then he rushes to florid flourishes that fall flat as often as they succeed. Sometimes, it is downright dull. The prose of the second book is stronger than the first, but its plot and characters are more linear and predictable.I appreciated his 'created language' more than most fantasy authors, but I didn't find it particularly mysterious or difficult, because all of his words are based on recognizable Germanic or Romantic roots. Then again, after three years of writing stories about Roman whores in Latin, I had little problem with 'meretriculous'. Even those words I wasn't familiar with seemed clear by their use.The terms are scattered throughout the book, but rarely contribute to a more pervasive linguistic style, as might be seen in The Worm Ouroboros, The Lord of the Rings, Gormenghast, or The King of Elfland's Daughter. Wolfe's terms pepper otherwise and unremarkable modern style, which hardly helps to throw us into a strange world.He is better than the average fantasy author, but he resembles them more than he differs from them. His protagonist started off interestingly enough: an apparently weak and intelligent man, which made it all the more disappointing when he suddenly transformed into a laconic, wench-loving buttkicker who masters sword-fighting, finds the Super Magic Thing and follows the path of his Awesome Foretold Fate. Again, I must agree with Nick Lowe: Wolfe's plot owes more to magic and convenience than good storytelling.It relies on the same tricks over and over: any time a character is about to give important information to us, there will be a sudden attack or other interruption, as convenient and annoying as the moment when the dying man says "I was killed by . . . aargh". We also get problems solved by divine intervention whenever things start to slow, which doesn't leave the characters much room to be active.He also seems to suffer from the same sexual discomfort that plagues so many fantasy authors. There is an undercurrent of obsession with women and their sexuality, complete with the sexualization of rape and murder. It's not so much a case of misogyny as it is an inequality in how characters behave.The women always seem to end up as playtoys for the narrator, running around naked, desiring him, sparring with him coyly, but ultimately, conquered; and the camera pans away. They always approach him, desire him, pretending they don't want him, then give themselves up to him. It's the same old story of an awkward, emotionless male protagonist who is inexplicably followed and harangued by women who fall in love with him for no given reason, familiar to anyone who's seen a harem anime.I will grant that the women have more character than the average fantasy heroine, but it still doesn't leave them with much. Instead of giving into love at first sight, they fight it as long as they can, making it that much sweeter when the narrator finally 'wins'. The sexuality was not new, interesting, arousing, or mutual, it was merely the old game of 'overcoming the strong woman' that is familiar to readers of the Gor books. The sense of 'love' in The New Sun is even more unsettling. It descends on the characters suddenly and nonsensically, springing to life without build or motivation. The word never comes up in connection with any psychological development, nor does it ever seem to match the relationships as they are depicted. More often than not, it seems love is only mentioned so the narrator can coldly break his lover's trust in the next chapter.Several times, the narrator tries to excuse himself for objectifying women by mentioning that he also objectifies ugly women. What this convolution of misogyny is supposed to represent, I couldn't say. The narrator seems very interested in this fact, and is convinced that it makes him a unique person. It made it very clear to me why the most interesting antiheroes tend to be gruff and laconic, because listening to a chauvinistic sociopath talk about himself is insufferable.Then there is the fact that every character you meet in the story turns up again, hundreds of miles away, to reveal that they are someone else and have been secretly controlling the action of the plot. It feels like the entire world is populated by about fifteen people who follow the narrator around wherever he goes. If the next two books continue along the same lines, then the big reveal will be that the world is entirely populated by no more than three superpowered shapeshifters.Everyone in the book has secret identities, secret connections to grand conspiracies, and important plot elements that they conveniently hide until the last minute, only doling out clues here and there. There are no normal people in this world, only double agents and kings in disguise. Every analysis I've read of this book mentions that even the narrator is unreliable.This can be an effective technique, but in combination with a world of infinite, unpredictable intrigue, Wolfe's story begins to evoke something between a soap opera and a convoluted mystery novel, relying on impossible and contradictory scenarios to mislead the audience. Apparently, this is the thing his fans most appreciate about him--I find it to be an insulting and artificial game.I agree with this reviewer that there is simply not enough structure to the story to make the narrator's unreliability meaningful. In order for unreliable narration to be effective, there must be some clear and evident counter-story that undermines it. Without that, it is not possible to determine meaning, because there's nowhere to start: everything is equally shaky.At that point, it's just a trick--adding complexity to the surface of the story without actually producing any new meaning. I know most sci fi and fantasy authors seem to love complexity for its own sake, but it's a cardinal sin of storytelling: don't add something into your story unless it needs to be there. Covering the story with a lot of vagaries and noise may impress some, but won't stand up to careful reading.Fantasy novels are often centered on masculinity, violence, and power struggles, and so by making the narrator an emotionally distant manipulator with sociopathic tendencies, Wolfe's story is certainly going to resemble other genre outings. If Severian is meant to be a subversion of the grim antihero, I would expect a lot of clever contradiction which revealed him. His unreliability would have to leave gaping holes that point to another, more likely conclusion. If the protagonist's mendacious chauvinism is not soundly contradicted, then there is really nothing separating him from what he is supposed to be mocking.Poe's Law states that it can be difficult to tell whether something is an act of mockery or an example of genuine extremism, and perhaps that's what's going on here: Wolfe's mockery is so on-the-nose that it is indistinguishable from other cliche genre fantasy. But even if that were true, then the only thing separating Wolfe from the average author is the fact that he's doing it on purpose, which is hardly much of a distinction. If a guy punches himself in the nose and then insists "I meant to do that", I don't think that makes him any less of a dumbass.Human psychology and politics are fraught enough without deliberately obfuscating them. Unfortunately, Wolfe does not have the mastery of psychology to make a realistically complicated text, only a cliched text that is meta-complicated.After finishing the book, I tried to figure out why it had garnered so much praise. I stumbled across a number of articles, including this one by Gaiman and this one by an author who wrote a book of literary analysis about the New Sun series. Both stressed that Wolfe was playing a deliberate meta-fictional game with his readers, creating mysteries and clues in his book for them to follow, so that they must reread the text over and over to try to discern what is actually happening. I won't claim this isn't a technical feat, but I would suggest that if Wolfe wanted us to read his book over and over, he might have written it with verve, style, character, and originality. As the above critic says: "On a first, superficial reading, there is little to distinguish Wolfe’s tetralogy from many other sf and fantasy novels . . . The plot itself is apparently unremarkable."Perhaps I'm alone in this, but I have no interest in reading your average sword-wielding badass gender-challenged fantasy book over and over in the hopes that it will get better. If Wolfe is capable of writing an original and interesting story, why cover it with a dull and occasionally insulting one?I have enjoyed complex books before, books with hidden messages and allusions, but they were interesting both in their depths and on the surface. I didn't find the New Sun books particularly complex or difficult. His followers have said that he isn't 'concerned with being conspicuously witty', but I'd suggest he's merely incapable of being vibrant or intriguing.There were interesting ideas and moments in the book, and I did appreciate what originality Wolfe did have, but I found it strange that such a different mind would produce such hidebound prose, tired descriptions, convenient plots, and unappealing characters. It has usually been my experience that someone who is capable of thinking remarkable things is capable of writing remarkable things.Sure, there were some interesting Vancian moments, where you realize that some apparently magical effect is actual a piece of sci fi detritus: this character is a robot, that tower is actually a rocket, a painting of a mythical figure clearly depicts an astronaut--but this doesn't actually add anything to the story, they weren't important facts, they were just details thrown in.It didn't matter that any of those things were revealed to be something else than they appeared, because it didn't change anything about the story, or the characters, or the themes or ideas. These weren't vital and strange ideas to be explored, like the mix of sci fi and fantasy in Vance, Le Guin, or Lovecraft, but inconsequential 'easter eggs' for obsessing fans to dig up.As Clarke's Third Law says: any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Therefore, switching back and forth between magical explanations and super-technological ones doesn't mean much, on its own. They're indistinguishable. Star Wars may use the trappings of sci fi, but it's just a fantasy story about wizards and knights in space. In order to make the distinction meaningful, you've got to put some kind of spin on it.Overall, I found nothing unique in Wolfe. Perhaps it's because I've read quite a bit of odd fantasy; if all I read was mainstream stuff, then I'd surely find Wolfe unpredictable, since he is a step above them. But compared to Leiber, Howard, Lovecraft, Dunsany, Eddison, Kipling, Haggard, Peake, Mieville, or Moorcock, Wolfe is nothing special.Perhaps I just got my hopes up too high. I imagined something that might evoke Peake or Leiber (at his best), perhaps with a complexity and depth gesturing toward Milton or Ariosto. I could hardly imagine a better book than that, but even a book half that good would be a delight--or a book that was nothing like that, but was unpredictable and seductive in some other way.I kept waiting for something to happen, but it never really did. It all plods along without much rise or fall, just the constant moving action to make us think something interesting is happening. I did find some promise, some moments that I would have loved to see the author explore, particularly those odd moments where Silver Age Sci Fi crept in, but each time he touched upon these, he would return immediately to the smallness of his plot and his annoying prick of a narrator. I never found the book to be difficult or complex, merely tiring. the unusual parts were evasive and vague, and the dull parts constant and repetitive.The whole structure (or lack of it) does leave things up to interpretation, and perhaps that's what some readers find appealing: that they can superimpose their own thoughts and values onto the narrator, and onto the plot itself. But at that point, they don't like the book Wolfe wrote, they like the book they are writing between his lines.I'll lend the book out to some fantasy-loving friends and they'll buy the next one, which I'll then have to borrow from them so I can see if there's ever a real payoff. Then again, if Sevarian's adolescent sexuality is any evidence, the climax will be as underwhelming as the self-assured, fumbling foreplay. If I don't learn to stop giving my heart away, it's just going to get broken again.Ah well, once more unto the breach.My Fantasy Book Suggestions
The title of this book really turned me 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_... 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 The Hero's Adventure: Power of Myth 1, which I read in the 1970's. Mozart's The Magic Flute also came to mind, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descent_.... 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 the Ferryman Charon who demands a coin before transporting souls across the river Styx. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charon_(....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 an 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 the main audience for this book in that they tend to be fantasy genre readers, do not let this opportunity go to introduce yourself to what's behind 60% of the stories out there! Ok, it's not a shoot'em up video game, but it is a way into upping your game in reading and understanding literature.Ahem. 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 returned 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. "Oh, death, where is thy sting?", Shakespeare, from 'Hamlet".
What do You think about The Shadow Of The Torturer (1984)?
This is pretty much science fiction at its most literate. I had read the New Sun series before (about 20 years ago) and I had forgotten most of the details, and was not as mature or discerning as I am now. I decided to revisit the series, using a potential Goodreads reviews as the excuse for my re-reading."The Shadow of the Torturer" is the first book in a four book series called "The Book of the New Sun" by Gene Wolfe. The book is of a science fiction subgenre called "Dying Earth" after the novels/short stories by Jack Vance, who arguably invented the genre. The PlotThe setting of the book is on Earth far in the future. So far in the future that the sun is beginning to turn red. The main character is a man named Severin. He is a member of the guild of torturers and has been ever since he was a baby. He grows up into an apprentice torturer but makes a potentially fatal mistake. Instead of torturing him to death, the guild lets him go so that he can be a sort of free-roaming executioner. His first assignment is to be the carnifex of Thrax, the "city of windowless rooms".The plot is told by Severin himself. He is narrating his story to the author. Severin tells the audience towards the beginning of the novel that he has a perfect memory. He can remember everything exactly as it happened down to the smallest detail. He can even remember his dreams. So, the entire tale is told from his perspective. The GoodThere's a lot of good here. The plot is intriguing. The characters are compelling, and the language of the novel is really good. Some authors use language as a way of communicating the plot and characters alone. Wofle not only uses words to describe plot and characters, but as colors for a paintbrush of language. For example, the following is typical of Severin's asides:"A crowd is not the sum of the individuals who comprise it. Rather it is a species of animal, without language or real consciousness, born when they gather, dying when they depart."These sort of passages are, in my opinion, what causes the book to transcend from a mere genre story to becoming literature. The character of Severin seems almost sociopathic in his casual disregard for inflicting torture on others, but still remains sympathetic. We're rooting for him. I think it's because we know he's not a bad guy, he's just a guy doing his job, and his job is hurting people.It seems that if any author wants to create a mature fantasy world, he has to invent terms for things in that world; usually to the extent that we need a glossary in the back of the book in which to turn when we're lost. Readers of J.R.R. Tolkien, Frank Herbert, and Robert Jordan will be used to that. Gene Wolfe tackles this by using archaic and obscure language. In the back of the book he explains that Severin narrated this tale to him using a language that had not yet been spoken and therefore, he used whatever terms he could find in the unabridged dictionary to translate it to English. I think this is ingenious: creating new terminology by re-using very old terminology, and it works.For example, the text mentions an alitcamelus. When I looked it up, it translates to an extinct species of American camel from the Miocene era. So, is this some new creature that is very similar to an alticamelus, or is it an actual alticamelus, which has been brought back using some kind of advanced genetic science?It's also cool to try to figure out what evidence of our modern day exists for Severin in the far-flung future. For example, he describes a picture of a man in a silver suit with a helmet on, holding a flag that was way too stiff to be natural, standing on a rocky field with nighttime stars behind him. Is this a picture of an Apollo astronaut? Or is it something else? I had fun trying to figure it out. The Not-So-GoodIt's not an easy read. If you're lying on the beach on vacation, you probably should go with something else. This is not something you just blow through casually. I don't think it's a bad thing, but someone else might. The characters don't talk like normal people and the author uses obscure, archaic words, some of which do not have reliable definitions that could be found easily. I would counter this argument by saying that people in the far future could talk like that or that the vernacular was lost between Severin's account and the author's translation of it. However, that doesn't make the language that they use and what they say any more accessible to the average person of today.I can't really think of any really bad things about this book. It's really excellent. ConclusionI think anyone who has the opinion that science fiction is not a literary genre should try reading this book. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised by what they find. I think that if you're seeking an active read, not a casual one, that you should give this book and this series a try. It is an excellent read.Obscure Words I found in my reading of The Shadow of the Torturerchatelaine -- the mistress of an elegant or fashionable householdautarch -- an absolute ruler; autocrat; tyrant.heirophant -- any interpreter of sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.optimate -- A nobleman or aristocrat; a chief man in a state or city.lictor -- one of a body of attendants on chief magistrates, who preceded them carrying the fasces and whose duties included executing the sentences of criminals. castellar -- belonging to or suggestive of a castle.fuliginous/fuligin -- sooty, having a dark or dusky color.psychopomp -- a person who conducts spirits or souls to the other world.fiacre -- a small horse-drawn carriage.palatinate -- the territory under the jurisdiction of a vassal exercising royal privileges.preceptress -- a woman who is an instructor; teacher; tutor. alticamelus -- a genus of large long-necked American Miocene camels; extinct.chiliarch -- the military commander of 1000 men. paracoita -- a female sex partner.carnifex -- an executioner or hangman.simar -- a loose, lightweight jacket or robe for women.genicon -- a fantasy sexual partner.scopolagna -- A woman whose appearance others find stimulating in the extreme.estrapade -- The action of a horse, when, to get rid of his rider, he rears, plunges, and kicks furiously.pandours -- brutal, marauding soldiers. Looking back on these terms, it may look like there's strong sexual content in the book, but there really isn't. There aren't any detailed sex scenes...if that kind of thing concerns you.
—Mark
I have very strong memories of this book. I picked it more or less at random years and years ago when I used to have the time to wander aimlessly through a bookstore and explore new titles and authors. The chronicles of Severian (there are four books in this series, I think) were so unlike any kind of fantasy book I'd read that I was really haunted by them, especially the first book. There are images in it, scenes, that actually live up to that word that is so overused now: "surreal." The setting is a future Earth so far in the future that our civilization isn't even a memory. Severian is a young member of the Torturer's guild, that serves a state somewhat like ancient Rome, yet with magical and futuristic machines and architecture. I've reread the series a few times over the years and find it the same as always--ethereal, mysterious, and as vividly compelling as any dreamworld could be. If you're looking for something beyond the typical JRR Tolkien or Harry Potter rip-offs, try this one: if only to experience Gene Wolfe's unique storytelling and rather beautiful prose style.
—Mark
found all 4 parts of The Book of the New Sun at a used book store after seeing it listed on the Top 50 SF & Fantasy books as listed by the Science Fiction Book Club. I'd never heard of Gene Wolfe & thought I'd give him a try. An online friend said she'd just started this book early last week, so I thought I'd join her in the reading.We follow the story of Severin, as he recounts his history, beginning as an apprentice torturer. Severin is by turns incredibly naive and extremely ambitious, and at times downright annoying. He falls in love with a prisoner and is exiled from The Citadel to a town upstream, having various & sundry adventures within the Citadel itself before he joins a theater troupe and exits the city at the end of this part of the series.So far, this book reminds me a lot of Gormenghast - you're reading for the language and the atmosphere, not necessarily because the characters are interesting or the plot is carrying you along. Some of the minor characters are more intriguing than Severin, and the plot seems to be bouncing along from event to event rather roughly.Shadow of the Torturer is definitely part of a larger whole - the narrator ends the book with the following paragraph:Here I pause If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I cannot blame you. It is no easy road.This is generally is a turn-off for me ... but I'm just intrigued enough by this part of the story to continue on.
—Tracey
