Sword & Citadel (Book of the New Sun, Books 3 and 4)
by Gene WolfeSign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Fantasy readers, sci fi readers, literary fiction readers, fans of world building
This volume picks up and concludes Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun quartet. Most readers will be absolutely lost without reading the first two volumes.
Re-entering Wolfe's vision of the future, the tone is the same. Severian is as preachy and detached as ever, though readers will be relieved to understand how he got this way, as revealed towards the end of the second book. This does not excuse the needlessly somber and coldly overanalytical style of narration for the rest of these books, tho...more
Re-entering Wolfe's vision of the future, the tone is the same. Severian is as preachy and detached as ever, though readers will be relieved to understand how he got this way, as revealed towards the end of the second book. This does not excuse the needlessly somber and coldly overanalytical style of narration for the rest of these books, tho...more
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Read in September, 2007
As in the first half of the BOTNS, the prose is rich and archaic, the world is compelling, and some of the set pieces are really marvelous. It is, however, episodic and drags in spots, and sadly my favorite characters disappear either entirely or for long spells (Dorcas, Dr. Talos), but it is certainly the culmination of a brilliant reading experience - and one that would certainly benefit from a re-read.
That said, of the four parts, I think Claw of the Conciliator was my favorite.
That said, of the four parts, I think Claw of the Conciliator was my favorite.
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Read in October, 2008
recommended to Eric by:
Levi
The conclusion of Wolfe's Book of the New Sun was better than the beginning. In these two novels, Severian takes a more active role in his life rather than being a passive victim of circumstances.
In addition to Severian's more active role, the narrative feels more controlled and understandable. Wolfe's already impressive dialogue and description becomes more accessible through clearer changes of place and time.
Sword & Citadel gives us a much clearer look at the workin...more
In addition to Severian's more active role, the narrative feels more controlled and understandable. Wolfe's already impressive dialogue and description becomes more accessible through clearer changes of place and time.
Sword & Citadel gives us a much clearer look at the workin...more
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Read in July, 2008
I am rating the third and fourth books less highly than the earlier volumes because they leave the well-crafted city of the first book and the relationships of the second and lead Severian wandering in the wilderness and across a war zone. While there are interesting ideas here, it feels much less like a coherent world, than a random sequence of adventures. Severian does not seem to develop much when left alone with himself and Wolfe's love of the mysterious becomes more extreme (as does his u...more
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Read in March, 2008
I'll just put my review for the entire Book of the New Sun right here. This beast is the Ulysses (the James Joyce novel) of speculative fiction. The ending left me perplexed, but it's supposed to. Reading it is like obtaining all the pieces to a puzzle with smeared and blurry directions as to how they fit together. The more I thought about the book afterwards, the more I realized how unreliable the narrator is and how unreliable some of the descriptions are. HE LIES TO YOU! AND HE MISREMEM...more
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recommends it for:
Catholic science fiction fans
My three favorite novels in the world are Dune by Frank Herbert, The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, and The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I bet that many of you have read, and many more have heard of, the first two, but I wonder how many have read the last. The Book of the New Sun is less accessible than The Name of the Rose and weirder than Dune. The mind-bending future world, where the sun is so close to dead that you can see the stars in the daytime, is on par with Dune in its richness...more
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Read in October, 1997
SWORD AND CITADEL is an omnibus containing the second half of Gene Wolfe's four-volume work The Book of the New Sun, the novels THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR and THE CITADEL OF THE AUTARCH. The Book of the New Sun, a work in which science and myth, mystery and enlightment mix, is one of the finest works of speculative fiction in the English language. Anyone who is not familiar with The Book of the New Sun is encouraged to read my review for SHADOW AND CLAW, the first half.
THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR...more
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Read in July, 2007
Completing Gene Wolfe’s dying earth tetralogy The Book of the New Sun, Sword and Citadel collects books three and four of the series, Sword of the Lictor and Citadel of the Autarch. As with Shadow and Claw, Wolfe’s language is sublime, but his storytelling, particularly when his convincing characters break form to share their own stories with one another, is easily among the best to be had. Here, Severian has begun to ply his trade, working as a lector (or torturer and executioner) in a city...more
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Read in November, 2008
I haven't given any stars to this book b/c I am so perplexed and frustrated. Wolfe has tremendous talent, I felt that all through the first book. And this one too, but the plot is so non-existent it cripples his talent. It's not that I must have linear plots or else, either. But somehow it never really engaged me. That said, I never stopped reading it either. I did have to finish it, but I was holding out for "something more" the whole time. You do come to know more about the Cl...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who loved Lord of the Rings
I got less than a hundred pages into this; I just could not summon the will or motivation to continue. I don't like that the book is written from the point of view of potentially the dullest protagonist the world has ever known. It's almost impossible to conceive how a story with The Book of the New Sun's elements (science fantasy, swords and space pistols, dying sun, torturers, cyborgs and aliens) could be rendered this tedious and unrewarding, but Wolfe has somehow found a way, and then, drive...more
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Read in June, 2008
In the first half of the quartet, I struggled a little because of the oblique way in which Wolf introduced the setting of Urth. In the second half, I struggled because the more obvious aspects of the first book are turned upside-down or made unexpectedly fluid. The story ultimately found a satisfactory conclusion less because of any of the action than because of how Wolf pulled together the puzzles (if obliquely and incompletely).
The religious, political, and philosophical overtones are st...more
The religious, political, and philosophical overtones are st...more
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Read in March, 2008
It's so difficult to review this book - I was entertained by it and constantly surprised by twists and turns in the plot. That said, I can't help feeling that the entire book is a metaphor that I am just not getting. I have a feeling that I'll have to read it again and in the second reading, I'll understand more. I do agree that I didn't necessarily like the protagonist and I was interested to read in someone else's review that he is not to be trusted - his telling of the story is not always ...more
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
those who read the First Half of the Book of the New Sun
All you need to know about these books is that they require more than a straight reading. There is a level of depth here that I'm not sure I've ever encountered before. For starters, you come to realize that your narrator is most likely deceiving you.
The Book of the New Sun surely requires repeated readings as I'm certain that every word in was crafted for a specific purpose and can be used as a tool to construct a portrait that comprises the actual subject matter of the book.
Interesting...more
The Book of the New Sun surely requires repeated readings as I'm certain that every word in was crafted for a specific purpose and can be used as a tool to construct a portrait that comprises the actual subject matter of the book.
Interesting...more
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Read in January, 2007
Unbelievably satisfying story. Very complex plot, great characterization, extremely difficult language (great series for word nerds).
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Read in April, 1998
Notes to myself while reading Sword of the Lictor = I'm growing tired of Severian & eager for the beautifully complete ending i expect from Wolfe.
Notes while reading Citadel of the Autarch = A bit more compelling story than the previous three books in the series, perhaps augmented by the expectation that this one might actually wrap up into a nice clean bundle of comprehension.
After finishing it, though, i felt no such thing. These books leave me cold. Maybe i'm just to...more
Notes while reading Citadel of the Autarch = A bit more compelling story than the previous three books in the series, perhaps augmented by the expectation that this one might actually wrap up into a nice clean bundle of comprehension.
After finishing it, though, i felt no such thing. These books leave me cold. Maybe i'm just to...more
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