The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
Hello, Stranger.
Primary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Pass
Technobabble: Both Technobabble and Fantasybabble in moderate quantities.
Review: There is no denying that these books are remarkable. The attention to detail is astonishing, the writing is crisp, the characters are complex. Locales have their own personalities, the world is fleshed out, side characters and side stories are both brilliant. It's an intricate and well crafted work. On the other hand, to quote one of the characters: "...You talk about it to me as someone else might talk about the weather." Can be dry and a bit of a slog; some of the side stories, while interesting, feel forced into the broader narrative. Books do not stand on their own at all as individual stories. In terms of quality, I would probably say: 3, 2, 4, 1.
Here I pause. If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I cannot blame you. It is no easy road.
Just a hard stop in the middle of other things going on. If you sign up to read one, you're signing up for all four; there's a fifth, from a few years later, that continues the tale. I'll read it at some point, but the four form a complete story.
The other ongoing issue is the tone. Severian is a close narrator. He is cool, calm, and collected; an eminently reasonable fellow. The framing of the story is also as a recitation; we know he makes it out the end, because he is telling us the story. His style of delivery and this framing mechanism severely undercuts the drama and tension of much of this tale. As characterization it is superb; as a device for keeping you on your toes... not so much.
This impacts pacing as well - regardless of action, the pace feels rather uniform. That is, except when it is broken by one of two things: a character dumping exposition or someone telling a story that is a bit too on the nose. I will note: I actually loved the storytelling parts of this saga; they add a depth and a flavor to the world that many lack. There is an extended portion where one character says that she will marry whoever can tell the best story. Obviously she weds Bran the Broken, for who has a better story? (I'm kidding, just, you know, still bitter.) Anyway - this scene and others like it feel perhaps fitting for the world but out of place in the story.
That's the kvetching portion of this review. Now the good stuff:
These books are very, very, very good. There's solid payoff on a whole lot of threads. Complex characters, complex morality, and tough choices abound. Wolfe plays a risky game: Severian has a number of chances to do things that we, as the readers, would argue are heroic and good. He does not always do them, to both his credit and Wolfe's. It is easy to make a hero who does heroic things; it is hard to make one who has his own understanding of what is and is not good. We may not always like Severian, but we can usually understand and respect him.
A whole lot of completely outlandish stuff goes on, and it all makes sense within the world Wolfe created. It's quite remarkable. It's not the acceptance that The Silmarillion requires - that this is all myth, so it must be. Instead it flows with the narrative.
The books are a fascinating mix of science fiction and fantasy, blended pretty much seamlessly. And not in the standard Star Wars fashion; which is to say, it's fantasy, but the sword is a laser. It's legitimately fantasy, and solidly science fiction.
Wolfe juggles a lot of balls here, and while there are occasional hiccups, it's a remarkable job.
I would certainly recommend them, provided you have both the time and inclination to get into an epic. That said, I did not feel that way upon reading the first; if they had all been of the same quality as The Shadow of the Torturer, I'd say give it a pass. So, if you're going into it, be prepared for a 300 page hump to begin.
If you do want to dig into these, I'd be much obliged if you could use the link below! I'll get a few extra cents at no cost to you. The cheapest way to get them is to buy the first two together, then three and four; for some reason it is cheaper than getting the full collection.
As an actor, Severian, you surely know the phrase I hinted at a moment ago. It refers to some supernatural force, personified and brought onto the stage in the last act in order that the play may end well. None but poor playwrights do it, they say, but those who say so forget that it is better to have a power lowered on a rope, and a play that ends well, than to have nothing, and a play that ends badly.
Wolfe is addressing anyone who thinks that The Citadel of the Autarch is a bit too neat of an ending. Which it is, of course. If it was not, of course Wolfe would not preemptively admonish any critics.
All the same, I'm shocked that this had never come across my radar. It's a fascinating series, a remarkable work. I'll probably need to read it again at some point to see what I missed.
Details, details, details, Stranger.
And don't forget to read a book!
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