The Complete Book of the New Sun: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch, The Urth of the New Sun (The Book of the New Sun)

Just finished the Kindle version - yes, some typos, but mostly these were apostrophes instead of periods. Nothing major. This is a fascinating work. It is long and complex and made me think. And I'm already considering how long to wait before rereading it. The only other book that's had this effect on me was Blood Meridian. It's difficult to summarize why I enjoyed this book so much. First, yes, there are lots of archaic words, but these are mainly referencing the social classes, animals and weapons. So it's easy enough to move past "I saw a X armed with a Y" and just get past it with "I saw a guard armed with a weapon". Beyond that there are dream sequences, time travel, philosophical discussions and inscrutable (at times) explanations of what's happening, or what happened. But none of that is overbearing at all. I really enjoyed these books. One thing I liked is that it's not based on the tired old trope of The Chosen One need to go on a dangerous quest. Severian, our protagonist, just lives his life until further things are revealed to him, which I won't spoil, and there are too many of them to reveal in any coherent way, anyway. Also, the story is told in the first person, so we only get Severian's inner thoughts, and he goes through these adventures with a sort of thoughtful detachment that is interesting. He is not a hero or a benevolent protagonist, but we still root for him. This gets labeled as a "difficult" book, and that scared me off for a long time. But it's similar to Dune in that you start to get used to some of the terminology and it starts to flow - though Wolfe's sentences sometimes are so crammed with unknown terms that it borders on parody. But those are few and far between. There are never passages that linger too long in one place, though the performance of the play gets a little tiresome. And the ending is fine, no matter what anyone says. However, any criticism is vastly overshadowed by this fantastic, wonderous journey. Just fantastic.

Worthwhile yet convoluted, if you enjoy this style of storytelling! Make sure to read all four books lest you miss out on the most mind bending chapters.

I have read the Book of the New Sun in hardcopy several times. I have not yet read all of it in the Kindle edition, so I can say I've only seen minor typos. But the work itself has observations equal to some of the greatest works of literature - that we are all torturers is but one of them. Another is how empty life can see looking back on it, as the Chief Librarian observes. Yes, the work can be disturbing - the main character is a torturer, after all. But so is life. The stories draw you in. It can be hard to put down sometimes, and hard to continue, others. Take the time to enjoy, and dwell on the nuggets you find. And certainly, read it more than once. Some parts make far more sense when you know what is to come.

It's not as hard a read as some would suggest. Yes, there are strange, unfamiliar words. And yes, not everything is spelled out for you perfectly. However it's a rousing adventure that is easy to sink your teeth into. It's populated by great characters and an incredible tone to accompany the world-building. Any lover of fantasy or sci fi must read this series.

An epic hero sci-fi/fantasy story set primarily in Earth's far distant future, The Complete Book of the New Sun is the tale of Severian, a Torturer who journies through space and time to bring about the rebirth of the dying sun and the renewal of a decaying and dilapidated humanity. With unique style and original aspects, the author has accomplished a new take on the classic hero-savior plot. But that said, the interesting plot of this story proceeds very slowly, frequently inturrupted and segued by the philosophical meanderings of the protagonist, and by dense abstractions that, in my opinion, makes reading this book feel less like entertainment, and more like homework.

This book series is best read with a guide - I was lost many times but trusted that I would understand eventually. It's worth the challenge.

It is very engrossing. I am only about half through it after a month. It is sometimes hard to remember about a character that appeared 500 pages ago but the writing is great and the story, which so far has been vignette after vignette, keeps your attention.

Fantastic and classic.g Needs to be read by all. Wonderful and a truly unique and fun time to be had. Read now and get enriched J

10/10 book

Tenho várias versões desses livros, impressas e digitais. Comprei essa também para ler novamente no Kindle com um bom dicionário. É difícil tratar desta obra sem usar hipérboles portanto assuma-as todas possíveis aqui. Depois, vamos aos poucos delinear as razões de sua grandeza literária e seu absurdo poder imaginativo. Dizem que um livro quando é bom faz nos imergir nele, dizem também ( a bem da verdade Tad Williams disse isso ) que Gene Wolfe era um sujeito que não parecia ter inventado uma história mas tê-la visto com os próprios olhos. Trata da jornada de redenção de um torturador, treinado para trazer dor e punição aos culpados, mas que acaba por fim sendo uma espécie de redentor e salvador. Gene Wolfe dizia que Severian não é uma alusão 'a figura do Cristo e sim um personagem em um livro com referências Cristãs. Ao mesmo tempo é um tratado sobre o modo de contar fatos subvertidos pelo sensorial, o imaginário, o metafísico. Também é uma obra de ficção científica no sentido extremo em que se pauta por imaginar um futuro distante mas que também busca descrever a natureza humana atemporal mas que em nenhum momento se mostra envergonhada para qual gênero pertence.

Great book set

A journey through a dying world presented through some of the most beautiful prose ever put to paper. Though the characters can often come across as rather one-note, and the plot can be confusing at times, the setting, philosophical musings and sheer beauty of the language more that make up for any fault. In all, these books are classics, and I can't recommend them enough.

Dadas as devidas limitações, Book of the New Sun é quase que um romance de formação onde acompanhamos o amadurecimento de Severian. Suas viagens pelo mundo de Urth passam por diversos lugares pitorescos, nos quais fantasia e ficção científica combinam-se para formar um todo coeso e, apesar disso, bastante confuso, tanto pelas escolhas de palavras do autor quanto pela estranheza que esse mundo passa. Começa um pouco devagar, mas logo pega um bom ritmo. E então somos verdadeiramente apresentados ao mundo de Urth, com todas as suas particularidades/esquisitices. Caso esteja atrás de uma jornada estranha, rica em palavras, com personagens cativantes, muita aventura, questionamentos filosóficos, Book of the New Sun é a série ideal. É só vestir o manto negro e embarcar na história.