[Spoilers ahead]:
In broad terms, The Book of the New Sun is a Bildungsroman, following the progress of Severian, an apprentice torturer who would one day ascend to great heights, both figuratively and literally. His journey begins with a crisis of conscience in his role as a torturer. He grants mercy to a noblewoman condemned to a horrible death and faces exile for his failure to fulfil his duty. Forced out into a world he knows little about, where his kind are hated and feared, Severian must find his way armed only with a fine executioner's sword and the black cloak that is the badge of his office. Along the way, he encounters bizarre creatures, weird technologies from the ancient past and plenty of women. Yes, Severian chases a lot of women. One turns out to be a clone, another is resurrected from the dead, while the lone, seemingly normal one, spends most of the novels trying to kill him. Eventually on the run for failing a second time to fulfil his duty, Severian joins a mercenary company on the front lines in a war against the Ascians, sworn enemies of his homeland, leading up to the climactic events that reveal his ultimate destiny.
Reading The Book of the New Sun, I was struck by the way Wolfe's world-building, which is truly impressive, parallels the approach taken by Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings. Wolfe would often step outside of the narrative, telling stories largely unrelated to the plot, typically through recitation from Severian's brown book, a treasured possession from his youth, or, in one case, from a storytelling competition among several suitors to win the hand of a woman. These serve a role, much like the many poetic interludes in The Lord of the Rings, to flesh out the world, giving it texture and depth. Without the considerable world-building in The Book of the New Sun, it could have been a significantly shorter work, and probably an easier read, but too much of what makes it truly special would have been lost.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Terminus Est, Severian's sword. Roughly translated as "this is the end", Terminus Est is a marvel. A hollow, flat-tipped greatsword with a reservoir of quicksilver inside, it is the obvious inspiration for the mercurial greatsword introduced to D&D 3.5. Though primarily an executioner's blade, rather than a fighting sword, Terminus Est gets Severian out of many life-threatening situations. It's eventual destruction is as heartbreaking as any of the deaths in the series.
A challenging read, but well-worth the commitment.
-Rognar-
3 comments:
Awesome awesome awesome book...his use of ancient and obscure words were a true challenge in the 80's when I first encountered 'he who would show mercy'.
The only thing that would prove more controversial from the period is the short story by Piers Anthony "On the Uses of Torture"
https://www.google.com/search?q=piers+anthony+on+the+uses+of+torture
I never liked PA but that piece knocked me out. The most alien of any alien culture since Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey".
I agree. I remember one exchange between Severian and Dorcas in which Severian defends the use of torture as an appropriate means of punishment. It was frighteningly compelling. Gene Wolfe is the equal of Robert Heinlein when it comes to defending the indefensible.
I must say, I'm amazed how obscure this book is though. I was a voracious reader of fantasy and sci-fi in the early 80s. I read all the classics back then; Asimov, Tolkein, Heinlein, McCaffrey, Howard, Donaldson, Clarke, Niven, Herbert, Moorcock. Yet, somehow I'd never even heard of this series until last year.
I always thought it was strange-in fiction I liked SF but in gaming I was almost 100% fantasy. I think I hit the extremely influential fantasy material early on and then the later material just kinda paled in comparison.
But when I saw that cover on SotT I HAD to have that book. Needless to say, for a change, you could judge a book by it's cover...awesome :)
I feel lucky that as the malaise settled over genre fiction in the 80's I discovered the New Wave material and then Cyberpunk. Those brought me to Slipstream fiction and its descendants. The beat goes on :)
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