Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of The Book of the New Sun

This book series spoke to me. While being very personal, this book is about a lonely struggling man of high order which is to say of sterling character and significant ability mentally and physically who scrutinizes his own fallen nature. I like the writing style and interesting language choices. I liked the characters. I like the medieval/futurist sci-fi setting. I like the Yoga Philosophy. Although this book may appeal to Christians who like gritty complex novels, it is closer to Hindu in mindset which in and of it self is a very rare treat for the English reader ready to tackle complexity and philosophic gray areas while being presented life through a partly dreamlike description which if we are to be honest is how life actually occurs in the macro rear view. I like how the character in the book lives through many kinds of dualisms confronting each one with his best foot, as he slowly ascends to his place in the universe. I like how power is shown to be extremely far reaching in the world while internally is extremely ineffective to solve personal dilemmas or obtain one's true desires. In many ways Gene is a unattractive writer because he does not develop strong relationships in the novel, but this also speaks to me due to many happenstance parallels between the book and my life. There is a fatalism there that is overlapped by miracles and opportunities to serve others. There is a holistic factor related to the 'interconnectedness' of things, and that life has a plan especially for our protagonist. If you are ready for something gritty, complex, noble, and surreal this book may be just right.

Just finished reading the first four books. What follows is a first read impression colored by interpretations by Wright and Aramini here and there: Yeah, it's kinda everything you've heard about it: A puzzle, a religious allegory, a masterpiece, a prank. Some of the religious imagery is immediately apparent. For instance, Typhon tempting Severian with world power in exchange for an oath of allegiance comes straight from the gospel when Jesus is tempted by Satan in the desert with a similar bargain. Others are not so obvious. His friends, Drotte, Roche, Eata, Thecla, Dorcas as well as most major characters, Vodalus, Jolenta etc. are all saint names. These as well as the arcane vocabulary are invitations to the reader to read deeply and explore. This is one of Wolfe's main goals--to get you to stop and think about what you're reading. Yes you can enjoy the read not knowing any saints names. But to the beach reader interested only in a lazy summertime read without much engagement, BotNS may leave you unsatisfied. In fact, even with a deep read I'm left wondering to some extent "what the hell did I just read?" Again, this is Wolfe's intent. To dig deep is to embrace the murky. All through the four books I thought, "I don't get (blank--whether "blank" is Baldanders and Talos or the Autarch, or the Sanguinary Field duel) but what I'm reading has a deeper meaning." Severian is clearly a Christ figure. He resurrects the dead, is tempted by a Satan, endures suffering, and by the end of the read clearly is meant to lift humanity up from a cruel existence. But also, by the end, you wonder what is his motivation? Is he a Christ/hero, successful through his own efforts (aided by God), or is he merely a pawn in a game set in motion by aliens with their own goals and motivations making Severian the recipient of good luck instead of rewards through personal effort and Divine Intervention? This flies in the face of Campbellian/Jungian analysis. And this too is a major goal of Wolfe--to break the mold and formula of what we call "good fiction." Campbell illuminated the hero's quest via Jung. And from that we get cookie cutter heroes from Hercules to Luke Skywalker and everyone in between. Wolfe breaks these Jungian rules to the enjoyment of the reader. And this more than anything points to Wolfe's genius. He knows the rules of good writing. And he knows how to break them while keeping us reading and wanting more. I don't pretend to know every allegory and inference Wolfe makes. And this too, I think, is his intent. While the biblical and classical scholar will understand many of them I think he leads the reader down many dead ends. But these dead ends are no disappointment--they are, in fact, new story elements disguised perhaps as writer's pranks. This too is his intent. After all, not every effort a hero makes is successful and rewarded. A hero (and a reader) experiences dead ends too. But are these pranks real, or are they the product of a reader's ignorance to the larger world of literature? Again, this is Wolfe's invitation to deep reading. He invites you to reread and enjoy again perhaps with a deeper understanding this time. As for me, for now, I'll continue on with Urth of the New Sun and further analysis and interpretation of the Solar Cycle. I may come back to Book of the New Sun later. Maybe I'll see something new and Urth shattering.

The predecessor to this book had me falling in love with Dorcas, one of the female characters. This one left me feeling a grave loss at her absence. Wolfe has produced an excellently rich world and we accompany a rather unconventional character through it. Severian, a torturers' apprentice, guides us through our own planet- here spelled "Urth"- billions of years in the future as the sun is dying and humanity has advanced, as best I can put it, 'beyond technology.' In his world, humans on Urth live in a ignorant barbarism while the technologies of today and of the future lie around them running their world. Severian is our guide through this world, and the journey is well worth taking- if you can put up with Severian's character. The important thing to keep in mind is that these two books, and their predecessors, are written *by* Severian- Wolfe created Severian as a character, and then that character, in Wolfe's mind, wrote his own memoirs. The record is filled with the quirks of Severian's personality; it is disconnected, as so many lives are. Novels often present us with an unlikely series of events in which the hero continually gets lucky, saves the day just right, and then goes on to keep saving the day in a coherent fashion. Wolfe is well aware that things don't work that way in real life, and they don't work that way when people write memoirs, as Severian is doing. The entire Book of the New Sun is written as an account of Severian's life; he tells us the things that were important to him, and we watch as they happen. This story isn't "How Luke Became a Jedi and None of the Adventures that Occurred Along the Way" but rather "The Life of Severian, A Journeyman of the Order of the Seekers for Truth and Penitence." Severian has adventures. They happen in such an order as to bring him to his final destination. Throughout it, there are side-adventures, needless digressions, unexpected meetings, stories told and stories heard, and unimportant characters encountered. Because that is how life goes. So if you're looking for a true story, a Hero's Journey in the sense that we are used to seeing in our pop literature and movies, this isn't the place to find it. You might have noticed the rambling story in the first two books and assumed it would get more coherent. Not so. This series lacks narrative momentum entirely- you will find yourself engaged while reading it, but might not have much reason to pick it back up once you've put it down. However, if you want to read a fictional memoir about a most interesting person who has some amazing adventures with some fairly good philosophical insights, I think you'll be very pleased. In this series, it is not the destination, but rather the journey, which dominates the mind of the reader. It is not important to make the decisions as to understand them- all of this exposition can get very Buddhist about it, but in the end these books do not center on continuity of adventures but rather the adventures themselves and how they shape Severian. They are truly a different kind of literature- new, fresh, and exciting for their experimentation and their creativity. At times, however, the freshness does work against the story. But I still feel it's well worth it.

Unparalleled, yes. Yet, I must offer a somewhat askew opinion of all four parts of Mr. Wolfe's magnificent series: There is much meandering and often seemingly parenthetical material to these episodes of Severian. Some of them are less than successfully interesting, others seem deliberately obtuse. Yes, Mr. Wolfe can illuminate by misdirection; but sometimes that misdirection is a distraction. In any case, after having read the entire series of four installments or movements - as you prefer to consider them - three times,I must confess that the Sword of The Lictor is, to my mind, perfect. Would that the other three shared the same wealth of plain old-fashioned narrative drive! Superb as the inventiveness, the brilliance of language and writing and overall ambiance of this masterpiece is, there are numerous tiresome stretches. Wolfe's virtue sometimes results in his only vice worth mentioning: over complicated indefiniteness -- he just hates resolution. This poetic openness of style, this opacity that makes New Sun so dreamlike, also can result in an aggravating diffuseness of meaning, as if he is afraid of limiting the story's scope or its resonance -- little chance of that though there is! Which brings me to that fith installment: Urth of The New Sun is the best example of over- mythopoeia, if that is the right word, I have ever seen (until Hyperion). After reading the fourth installment, Citadel of the Autarch, to discover its beautiful but unresolved finale to this long, long journey, I wanted to throw the book against the wall. In fact, I think I did (18 years ago). But after Urth, I vowed never again to let Mr. Wolfe take me on any more quests, or whatever it was! Of course, now I am planning to read The Litany of the Long Sun, so there is hope for me yet. Anyway, be prepared for wonder and beauty and deep, deep imagination...but at a price!

I have been neglecting doing my usual Amazon reviews. I have read the trilogy some time ago, so this review is not a real review but a recommendation. This is a classic of the genre. It's is strange enough without being too weird. it is also entirely readable and entertaining. Very uneven when it comes the quality of the writing, but you can feel the genius within the pages. Gene Wolfe is one of the reason sci-fi gets respected these days.

A masterful work by a masterful story teller -- dangerous because you'll be tempted into fits of obsessive reading all night long even though you have a morning meeting at work (been there, done that). THE GOOD: (*) Somewhat in the first two books, but especially in the last two, the author gives new information about past events changing your interpretation of the story you thought you knew. This is the technique that vaults these books into the realm of good (great?) literature -- towards the end you feel as if you've lived a whole other life because you continually look back and reinterpret seminal events of your (New Sun) "past". (*) Clever stories within stories lend texture and neat insights. (*) As in real life, the meaning of events and information is never totally clear or totally understood -- this again lends one to feel as if one is embedded in another's life (Severian's). THE BAD (*) After awhile, one gets tired of Gene Wolfes' invention and use of archaic language. This "seasoning" gives one the feel of another world, but too much causes indigestion. (*) A tad too many unresolved twists and stories -- can get tedious ("flip flip, on with the plot"). (*) A few too many amazing coincidences (does Severian really have to eventually meet every single person he's ever met again?). But, "The Bad" things are mere piffles -- If you want a deeply engrossing escapist read and even a little wisdom along the way such as you find in only a other few books (Tolkin, Dune, Nine Princes in Amber...) this is your book(s).

Although this wraps up the Book of the New Sun with only a few loose ends, it's not as good as the first half. The fantastic landscapes are still there and, if anything, they become more amazing. I was particularly impressed by the hermitage that exists simultaneously in several time periods. The creatures that inhabit this future Urth are equally fantastic, including the alzabo that absorbs the memories of the people it eats. The scene in which Severian faced the beast was not just creepy but underscored his revulsion when it was mentioned in the first half of "The Book of the New Sun." Unfortunately, the people disappoint. Agia, the vengeful woman who stalked Severian through the first volumes, never makes a final appearance. Dorcus, whose identity was foreshadowed heavily from the time she appeared in the Botanic Garden, played an even more passive role than before - and the final twist in her relationship to Severian made me shake my head. Severian's encounter with the Autarch is anti-climatic compared to his final meeting with the giant Baldanders. Random encounters bring new characters that are pointless to the plot, although I enjoyed the story-telling contest among the wounded soldiers (particularly the Ascian, an Orwellian character brainwashed to speak only in politically-correct aphorisms). On the flip side, Valeria of the Atrium of Time seems somehow important to Severian's story but her role isn't fleshed out. She's a young woman Severian meets prior to his expulsion from the Citadel, and their meeting is the first clue that Severian is/will experience time travel. At the end of the story, Severian makes a point of going to see her. He never explains why nor does he tell the reader anything about their meeting. Was it merely a sexual dalliance like almost all his other meetings with women? Is he spurred to see her because of something he knows as Autarch? Severian is an unreliable narrator, but other such protagonists (including Wolfe's protagonist in "Peace") give the reader enough details to piece together a puzzle.

I paid extra money to buy a hardcover book (circa 50% more honestly), and while it's okay and was delivered rather undamaged, it was: - poorly packed (not a single piece of bubble foil or anything else really, just thrown into a cardboard box, both parcels, that's also why some of the paint came off on the corners of the books) - a bit dirty (some sort of stain that I cleaned up with wet towels. It wouldn't come off under finger)/scratched (one of the books has small kind of damage, looks like it was scratched in the warehouse. - the hardcover is indeed "hardcover", but it's not anything special really. I have seen better ones, but fine. It's not something that I can blame amazon for, but the quality of paper is kind of a joke to me (for the price they want). The chapters have ugly headers, but the book looks okay. It's the matter of "style", although I have seen some pretty books... It's printed in the USA (chinese quality though). I wanted the edition written in English, because this is the author's main language, plus I wanted something else than paperback, because they tend to fall apart quite easily...

I read this years ago, utterly enthralled by it. This is another of the very few books I keep. I pick it up and reread it every few years (this is part of a trilogy packed into two books, whatever). What a different world, what an interesting take on torture. What fascinating characters. And as anyone who knows Wolfe, he writes in layers and layers. That's why I keep rereading it - there is new stuff I missed each time. I would say this is more interesting than Tolkein, but clearly for a more narrow audience as I'm not so sure little kids need to read about flaying someone's lower leg, etc. Mind you, he's not gross about it at all (try to figure that out!). An intelligent, fascinating read, very hard to put down once you get going.

La tercera y cuarta parte de la tetralogía (aunque después escribió un quinto) es una de las maravillas que nos ha dado Gene Wolfe. La manera que tiene de escribir los sucesos es única y te mantiene pegado al libro constantemente a pesar incluso de la historia tan enrevesada que tiene. Totalmente recomendado a cualquier aficionado de la ciencia ficción.

Ótimo livro. É necessário ler várias vezes para entender o que está acontecendo. Mas isso não estraga a experiência. Recomendo