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A review by christopher_dilts
The Book of the New Sun - The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor and The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
4.0
This was an interesting book for cerebral fantasy readers and in order to get the most from reading it, one must pay close attention to what is going on for multiple reasons:
It is my understanding that the book is translated from whatever language English evolved from one million years in humanity's future. Then it was translated back into English. There are some strange and awkward verbalisms throughout the story and it helps to regularly check the glossary.
There are two framed narratives within the story. At one point there is a book read by the main character, and it is a world-reknowned piece of literature that I should have recognized. Unfortunately, the hints were not laid down heavily enough and I missed it until the end of the story, wondering why it was relevant until the end. At another point there is a play.
Throughout the book, there are certain parts I truly enjoyed and other parts that I got lost. It might help to read this novel twice or to possibly even study it by adding notes and annotations.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone below university level, as it is an extremely well thought out book with many layers, nuances, and ideas thrown around in it. I will take a break before reading the next book in the series.
It is my understanding that the book is translated from whatever language English evolved from one million years in humanity's future. Then it was translated back into English. There are some strange and awkward verbalisms throughout the story and it helps to regularly check the glossary.
There are two framed narratives within the story. At one point there is a book read by the main character, and it is a world-reknowned piece of literature that I should have recognized. Unfortunately, the hints were not laid down heavily enough and I missed it until the end of the story, wondering why it was relevant until the end. At another point there is a play.
Throughout the book, there are certain parts I truly enjoyed and other parts that I got lost. It might help to read this novel twice or to possibly even study it by adding notes and annotations.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone below university level, as it is an extremely well thought out book with many layers, nuances, and ideas thrown around in it. I will take a break before reading the next book in the series.