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zhusl33's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
wingedvictories's review
4.0
I’m not sure if it was just the gap in time in which Gene was writing this vs the original series, but a lot of the style/prose feels distinctly different. This could also be Severian’s different mindset as he’s had 10 full years to acclimate to his status as the Legion autarch , but I (like many others) count this as it’s own separate work. Some of the Christ allegories were so heavy handed that they looped back around to being subtle. I thought the time shenanigans were much easier to understand than BOTNS, and I would have appreciated them more if Gene left some loose ends untied up. Leans more heavily into the classic science fiction genre mode, but not an unenjoyable read.
danielbacca's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
4.0
An add on to the original tetralogy, I did enjoy how this one wrapped up Severian’s journey a little more, and I really liked how it showed the story’s transfer into more futuristic science fiction; however, much like the rest of the books, the story still isn’t crystal clear and it doesn’t add up to one of the greatest books I’ve ever read either. A return to 4-stars.
crustieloaf's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Alright folks. This is the book I was reading when my father died. This is the coda to the series we were reading together when he passed. One of the first things N. grabbed from the house was his copies of the series. He had just started The Claw of the Conciliator while I was on this book.
I think the thing that gets to me the most about the book is its reflections on time. While this makes the book incredibly, incredibly confusing (which is why this book has the rating it does for me), there are small, comprehensible snippets that really stood out to me. One of the first sentences I read after my dad's passing was Serverian reflecting on how "we are all alive somewhen". It is the only sentence I have highlighted in the entire series. I wish I was in the same somewhen as my father.
This book also had Severian be a bit more direct than I was used to him being. Although the time dilation is ramped up, there is less of the unreliable narrator that I have come to know and *not* love. Maybe it's the fact that I was finally learning Severian's tricks, but it felt less complex than the books before.
I seriously cannot describe most of the plot because all five Book of the New Sun books literally blend together in my head. There is no chronological order of events in the book, so in essence there is nothing that can be spoiled.
The one thing I know and will not spoil is the ending. When I first finished the book, I was expecting to have some grand revelation that put together all the events in my head and cleared up at least some of the conclusion. Instead, the ending was one that I ruminated on for days. I found it anticlimactic at first, then hopeful, then incredibly depressing, and now I find it peaceful.
May we all suffer a version of Serverian's fate.
I think the thing that gets to me the most about the book is its reflections on time. While this makes the book incredibly, incredibly confusing (which is why this book has the rating it does for me), there are small, comprehensible snippets that really stood out to me. One of the first sentences I read after my dad's passing was Serverian reflecting on how "we are all alive somewhen". It is the only sentence I have highlighted in the entire series. I wish I was in the same somewhen as my father.
This book also had Severian be a bit more direct than I was used to him being. Although the time dilation is ramped up, there is less of the unreliable narrator that I have come to know and *not* love. Maybe it's the fact that I was finally learning Severian's tricks, but it felt less complex than the books before.
I seriously cannot describe most of the plot because all five Book of the New Sun books literally blend together in my head. There is no chronological order of events in the book, so in essence there is nothing that can be spoiled.
The one thing I know and will not spoil is the ending. When I first finished the book, I was expecting to have some grand revelation that put together all the events in my head and cleared up at least some of the conclusion. Instead, the ending was one that I ruminated on for days. I found it anticlimactic at first, then hopeful, then incredibly depressing, and now I find it peaceful.
May we all suffer a version of Serverian's fate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Torture, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, and Blood
Minor: Rape
jadom's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thebestmark's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Compared to Book of the New Sun in total, Urth of the New Sun suffers quite a significant drop in quality, continuing on the tradition of detail-dense prose that nevertheless feels incomprehensible on a first read, but without the same boundless imaginary potential. That said, read as a sequel to Citadel of the Autarch rather than as the next, y'know, 'New Sun Book' or whatever, I think Urth of the New Sun is actually a step up.
The Christian mythology stuff that loomed so large over the last book has finally exploded in import so much that it basically swallows the novel, but overfamiliar as that narrative might be, its displacement into Wolfe's positively hog-bonkers sci-fi world feels unorthodox, and the time traveling divergences are a whole lot of fun, although not thematically compelling. My big thought, though, is that Wolfe's Christian eschatology finds a poor orator in Severian.
Most, if not all, of what makes Severian a compelling protagonist does not interface cleanly with a Christ or a God figure. Severian is tactically smart but often wrong-headed; slow on the uptake, in other words. He has a James Bond-level fixation on sexual relationships with women, he's scary-looking, and nearly always - even in this book, in which this is such a huge problem - almost always insufficiently regretful of the evil things he's done, of which there are way too many to count. Turning him into the avatar of humanity's rebirth just doesn't do justice to him. It's too simple!
Urth of the New Son is a fun read, but it fails to capture the imagination, turning what could be, if nothing else, a sci-fi-psychedelic take on Christian mythology into what amounts to a to-do list ensuring the timeline of the series is correctly completed.
The Christian mythology stuff that loomed so large over the last book has finally exploded in import so much that it basically swallows the novel, but overfamiliar as that narrative might be, its displacement into Wolfe's positively hog-bonkers sci-fi world feels unorthodox, and the time traveling divergences are a whole lot of fun, although not thematically compelling. My big thought, though, is that Wolfe's Christian eschatology finds a poor orator in Severian.
Most, if not all, of what makes Severian a compelling protagonist does not interface cleanly with a Christ or a God figure. Severian is tactically smart but often wrong-headed; slow on the uptake, in other words. He has a James Bond-level fixation on sexual relationships with women, he's scary-looking, and nearly always - even in this book, in which this is such a huge problem - almost always insufficiently regretful of the evil things he's done, of which there are way too many to count. Turning him into the avatar of humanity's rebirth just doesn't do justice to him. It's too simple!
Urth of the New Son is a fun read, but it fails to capture the imagination, turning what could be, if nothing else, a sci-fi-psychedelic take on Christian mythology into what amounts to a to-do list ensuring the timeline of the series is correctly completed.
gipanu's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
john_huppenthal's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lanzajr26's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0