Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “Totally awesome! A complex character as well as plot. Makes me want to get "Solar Labyrinth" by Robert Borski just to see if we share the same ideas. All four books make up the book of the new sun and I recommend it to anyone who loves sf and fantasy. The writing is tight, the setting is...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“The Sword of Lictor (1981) 203 pages by Gene Wolfe.
John L wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The Citadel of the Autarch (1983) 200 pages by Gene Wolfe.
Sevarian makes it to Thrax and becomes the lictor, but after not too long a time there gives it up. Dorcas regains some of her memory and heads back to the south of Nessus to investigate her past, meanwhile Sevarian heads north. Meets up with a family in the wilderness that is attacked by an Alzabo. After passing through the land of mages, he continues north, encounters a town, or maybe a monument to Typhon. Then into a small villiage, where he discovers they are shore people, with another group of lake people who live on floating islands. There is a castle there, that was kidnapping the children of the shore people, until the shore people started kidnapping the lake people and leaving them at the castle.
Now that I actually write it down, I see that is laid out with these separate encounters, sometimes bringing back characters from earlier in the book. Most of the chapters were very good, but there were a couple that were hard to follow. Then there were the stories within a story, either from the brown book that Sevarian was carrying or told by one of the other characters. Those were usually harder to follow and [possibly] laced with metaphors that maybe we, the reader, were supposed to understand, or maybe just the characters were meant to pick up on them.
There is a lot of different SF in The Book of the New Sun. The remnants of a space faring population. Resurrection. Gaining the memories of others. Aliens. Humans that have evolved or been genetically engineered. An Undine. Time travelers, the botanical gardens where time and space seem to be distorted, and on and on.
At one point Wolfe gives the exact definition of deus ex machina, says that it's a poor storytelling technique. I don't know if he was trying to be ironic, or what.
The book was good, the character of Sevarian was great, the way he was adolescent at the beginning of the book and a man (or several) at the end. I missed some of the segways in the plot. When Sevarian, Dorcas, Dr. Talos, Baldanders, Jolenta and Jonas went through the wall of Nessus, I don't know how they got split up.
If you like PDK, you'll probably love this novel, otherwise I'd say you're better off finding an author you really enjoy. ”“Totally awesome! A complex character as well as plot. Makes me want to get "Solar Labyrinth" by Robert Borski just to see if we share the same ideas. All four books make up the book of the new sun and I recommend it to anyone who loves sf and fantasy. The writing is tight, the setting is vast, and the narrative is intimate. This is my first read through on this particular tetrology, but it warrants a second and a third. I have to have time to digest it all first since I just finished it the day before this was written.”
Rocky P wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I really enjoyed this story. I was a bit disappointed with the ending. I would have liked to read more about what happened to his friends and associates. Yet I would love to have it since I did enjoy reading it. I already own the first half of this series. Can't wait to get this half. :)”
Sarah Elizabeth wrote this review Saturday, March 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A surprisingly well written story, a little disconcerting; you will have to make your intelligence work, because the author doesn't give you all the keys. I regret that he looses himself sometimes and the story could have been tighter, but it's near perfect; you can identify easily with the hero. Imagination at its best.”
gerard. d wrote this review Tuesday, June 3 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I just finished reading the Book of the New Sun and currently I don't have the words to adequately describe this amazing book. It is difficult, and sometimes obtuse, but it is also an enriching, engrossing, and quite simply, incredible book. I am fairly certain that I have never read a book (or actually books if you consider the first volume) like this, nor will I soon forget it. Mr. Wolfe is such a gifted writer, and possesses such a mastery over the English (and other) languages. I highly recommend this to individuals who enjoy thinking about what they are reading (this is not cheap entertainment; it is something you will have to work at and struggle over) and who enjoy the process as much as the finished product. This is a book that is not plot driven and fast paced; it is much more character and thought driven, with huge symbolism involved everywhere you look. Yet the story is compelling and as the pieces fell into place, I was often left awestruck by Wolfe’s ability to advance a story line and connect seemingly non-related events and characters. I’m not even smart enough to really talk about this book, but I do feel a little bit wiser and worldly for having read it. ”
Big Daddy J wrote this review Friday, January 25 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“rich in complexity”
Rachel H wrote this review Wednesday, December 19 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The second of two volumes that collect the four novels originally in this series. Most decidedly not your typical riff (or rip-off) of Tolkien. That’s a good thing. This is very dense stuff. Wolfe utilizes an often arcane vocabulary to describe his world, and often doesn’t bother to explain many of the customs he discusses. This is not, in other words, the kind of book that some people enjoy taking to the beach. It’s a slow read – but not necessarily in a bad way. Wolfe has my respect for the way in which he hasn’t pandered to the mass audience. Don’t get me wrong – I like an easy read, and honestly believe that a book need not be difficult to be great. Nonetheless, Wolfe is writing challenging stuff, and in a genre filled with work that too often apes Tolkien for the most monetary of reasons, it is a relief to have Wolfe. ”
Michael K wrote this review Friday, November 16 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ The four novels that make up The Book of the New Sun are perhaps the best story I've ever read of any genre. Gene Wolfe weaves words into a master tapestry, making pictures in my head better than any other. The characters are unforgettable. It is a hard thing to make a master torturer a sympathetic character, but Wolfe does so. He creates words that you just understand the meaning of without explanation, just from their usage. This is the mark of a true word crafter. Highly recommended.”
Rick S wrote this review Tuesday, October 30 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
