Having loved the original Book of the New Sun I was excited to find out about the existence of this sequel. Considering that the main series is pretty popular, I was surprised by how difficult it was to get hold of a copy and how little awareness of it there seems to be. I don't know why that is, because to my mind, it was almost as good as its predecessors, which are very impressive books indeed (I'd definitely give them five stars, I'm giving this four as the plot wasn't quite as compelling). In writing this review, I'm assuming you've read the original series - technically, this could function as a stand alone book, but I really wouldn't recommend reading it without having read the others first.The book opens a couple of decades after the end of the final part of BotNS, with the main character and narrator, Severian, on a gigantic spaceship on a mission to find a way to restore his planet, Urth's, dying sun. There's little explanation of what has happened in the intervening years or, initially at least, of exactly how he proposes to do this, and as a result, I spent the first few chapters feeling quite disorientated. It's been a while since I'd read the other books so I'm not sure if this would be clearer if you wee reading them back to back, or if it's a deliberate ploy by an author who seems to revel in keeping his readers thinking. From there, the plot spreads out in all kind of directions that can't really be summarised here, but which, suffice to say, are always interesting.The literary style, the clever use of real but obscure words, the compelling (and probably unreliable) first person narrator and the strange, sweeping plot that made the earlier books so unique are all in place. It also clears up lots of the questions that were never entirely resolved in the original series (eg how can Severian bring people back from the dead, who is the man in the tomb that looks like him etc). That said, don't expect something exactly the same. Where the original series broadly had the feel of a fantasy adventure, the first half of this is much more overtly sci-fi (not a genre I'm usually keen on, but it worked well here) and the second half is a sort of philosophical time-travel epic that defies any kind of genre categorisation.Some of the weirder elements that started to come in towards the end of the main series (have there been other Severian's, that sort of thing) are much more at the forefront in this book. I love that kind of stuff so I really enjoyed this, but if you mainly enjoyed the series as a clever adventure tale, you might find some of the odder and more complex aspects of the book a bit much. It's certainly not an easy read, by anyone's standards, and I think it's fair to say that it isn't going to appeal to everyone.In conclusion, if you enjoyed the original series, give this a go. You may love it just as much, you may find this one a bit too odd for your tastes, but it's unlike any other book out there, and well worth a try.
I purchased this right after finishing the Book of the New Sun, but, starting it, found it different enough in tone and atmosphere that I waited awhile before getting around to it. It open 10 years after the close of Citadel, and Severian has just boarded the ship which will take him to stand trial for Urth, as we knew he would. It has been much noted that this was an unplanned sequel, which may account for the shift narrative. It is no longer so interior or observational. It's not a complete departure, of course, and Severian remains an interior and deeply pensive character. But the plot drives more in Urth than previously, and, indeed, one of the great virtues of this book is its explication of the plot of the Book of the New Sun.If you can read all the revelations without exclaiming, in parts wonder, excitement, and a little frustration and resentment, "We were supposed to get all that!??" then you're a more sophisticated reader than I. I have not, however, done a full re-read a the New Sun, and I can easily see why multiple rereads are called for. The writing style is so alluring, however, that I am already looking forward to wading through the tetrology again. But, how to judge this book? Artistically? Literarily? Philosophically? I'm not sure. Wolfe has created a science fiction story that in some ways replicates, through interesting, complicated mechanisms, many of the key points of Christian mythology. It's far from any sort of simple-minded literal transformation, and more difficult to judge because of that. Are these meant to be serious theological ruminations, or just Wolfe having fun in this mytho-/theo- sandbox? He'll never tell us, of that at least we can be sure.
What do You think about The Urth Of The New Sun (1997)?
This book is a novel-long epilog to the books in the Conciliator and the Claw series. It closes the loop, so to speak, on the timeline of our hero Severian. The novel takes place at some far future time with respect to the events in the rest of the series. The story chronicles Severian's role to "bring the New Sun" back to Earth. Along the way he travels on a solar sailer, faces a Judgement of sorts, and returns to an Earth different in place and time to complete his purpose. While the novel completes a journey, it relies less on action and more on wonder, mystery, awe and allegory to deliver its message of cycle and renewal.I was going to write that you should read the other four novels first (or two books of two novels each), but in the end I'm not sure how much help that would bring to cracking this religious parable. Knowing something about the hierodules or autarch doesn't really add much to the readers comprehension of this disorienting, lonely, dreary, aching trip to the ends of the universe and back.This is an impressive piece as a parable and it feels like it should mean a lot. Perhaps it left me feeling as Severian felt: not really sure where he was going and not really sure if what he was doing/did was everything it was supposed to be.I recommend the original novels in the series wholeheartedly.I have the collected short stories of Gene Wolfe which is also very good. I particularly like the story Fifth Head of Cerberus, which haunts me to this day.
—Will Lees
This might have gotten 5 stars had I read it right after the other four volumes of the series - this book frequently hearkens back to events in earlier books, and I didn't always remember them. This is partly because the books are JAM PACKED with events and characters, and partly because of Wolfe's writing style. About that style: some authors telegraph "watch carefully! important stuff coming up!" and their work is pretty easy to skim as a result. Wolfe does the exact opposite, deliberately obfuscating the importance of events and making the reader infer the characters' emotions and motivations from their speech and actions. He even comes out and SAYS as much (through Severian). This makes the books tough to follow at times, but more interesting in the long run.Liked this book a lot, although I couldn't quite make sense of the Apu Punchau denouement which seems extremely crucial. As I said with the others, I think I might get more out of this with future re-reads. What I'd really like is to discuss it in the context of a class, but instead I might have to opt for reading messageboards and seeing other people's interpretations.A bit afraid to read anything else by Gene Wolfe. It's hard to imagine that other books he's written will live up to this series.
—Nicole
Nutshell: liar writes shruggable intergalactic/transtemporal there-and-back-again.Beyond proficient at the sentence level, with many slick turns of phrase and cool observations. At the level of discourse, though, it's kinda hard to see the point. Might benefit from a reading of The Book of the New Sun immediately prior, though.Love how Severian at one point addresses the reader: "I will leave it to you to explain these things" (167). Okay then!Seems that this new sun business destroyed the world. Am I yawning?
—sologdin
