Books : Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (New Sun)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780312890179
ISBN: 0312890176
Label: Orb Books
Manufacturer: Orb Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: October 15, 1994
Publisher: Orb Books
Sales Rank: 17557
Studio: Orb Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
The Book of the New Sun is unanimously acclaimed as Gene Wolfe's most remarkable work, hailed as "a masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis" by Publishers Weekly, and "one of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century" by The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Shadow & Claw brings together the first two books of the tetralogy in one volume:
The Shadow of the Torturer is the tale of young Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession -- showing mercy toward his victim.
Ursula K. Le Guin said, "Magic stuff . . . a masterpiece . . . the best science fiction I've read in years!"
The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic, and learn the truth about his hidden destiny.
"Arguably the finest piece of literature American science fiction has yet produced [is] the four-volume Book of the New Sun."--Chicago Sun-Times
"The Book of the New Sun establishes his preeminence, pure and simple. . . . The Book of the New Sun contains elements of Spenserian allegory, Swiftian satire, Dickensian social consciousness and Wagnerian mythology. Wolfe creates a truly alien social order that the reader comes to experience from within . . . once into it, there is no stopping."--The New York Times Book Review
Amazon.com Review:
One of the most acclaimed "science fantasies" ever, Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is a long, magical novel in four volumes. Shadow & Claw contains the first two: The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator, which respectively won the World Fantasy and Nebula Awards.
This is the first-person narrative of Severian, a lowly apprentice torturer blessed and cursed with a photographic memory, whose travels lead him through the marvels of far-future Urth, and who--as revealed near the beginning--eventually becomes his land's sole ruler or Autarch. On the surface it's a colorful story with all the classic ingredients: growing up, adventure, sex, betrayal, murder, exile, battle, monsters, and mysteries to be solved. (Only well into book 2 do we realize what saved Severian's life in chapter 1.) For lovers of literary allusions, they are plenty here: a Dickensian cemetery scene, a torture-engine from Kafka, a wonderful library out of Borges, and familiar fables changed by eons of retelling. Wolfe evokes a chilly sense of time's vastness, with an age-old, much-restored painting of a golden-visored "knight," really an astronaut standing on the moon, and an ancient citadel of metal towers, actually grounded spacecraft. Even the sun is senile and dying, and so Urth needs a new sun.
The Book of the New Sun is almost heartbreakingly good, full of riches and subtleties that improve with each rereading. It is Gene Wolfe's masterpiece. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Lord of the Rings looks like the A-Team in comparison. Seriously. The Book of the New Sun is an excellent, deep, complex, prose-infested novel that will leave you speachless. It's so deep, that truly, it's a story that is meant to be read many times. This book will leave you gathering your thoughts over and over again. A true treasure-trove. And as it has for me, writting this review, it will leave you at a loss for words. Get it. Get it now. The novel is a 4 part volume, this is the 1st half, be sure to purchase the 2nd half (Sword & Citadel).
Rating:  -
...but I'm genuinely baffled by the praise lavished on this book. I decided to read _Shadow & Claw_ after reading Michael Dirda's fairly negative review of Neal Stephenson's _Anathem_. Dirda suggested that _Anathem_ didn't measure up to _Shadow & Claw_, or, for matter, a variety of other literary science fiction.
I disagree with Dirda, and think _Anathem_ is one of the most compelling novels I've read in a long time. It's intellectually engaging, and, for me at least, it was a 'page turning read,' enough to keep me from getting as much sleep and work done as I otherwise would have. So if I liked Anathem, and if Wolfe's work beat Stephenson's out, I had to give Shadow & Claw a try, I thought.
I regret that decision. In every place where Stephenson's writing is clear, intelligent, and cleverly written...Wolfe's is a mess. I read entire chapters thinking 'how in the hell does this advance the plot? Why is he going into such descriptive detail?' Stephenson's book has intellectual rigor. And while you may think Stephenson's description and use of the relative science is poor (I don't know enough to say), there is at least a structure, a framework, for his world. 'Urth,' on the other hand, is an impressionistic mess. I'm not saying the people who love the work are crazy, but I just couldn't get into the story, and after slogging through 200 pages just hoping to find out more about the society of Urth and where it is Severian is headed (how did ... Read More
Rating:  -
"Here I pause. If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I cannot blame you. It is no easy road."
So go the extremely memorable ending lines of both books contained in this one volume.
It seems to me that this is one of those books that people are either going to love or hate.
WHAT'S TO LOVE ABOUT IT:
The storyline is extremely refreshing--when was the last time you read a story from the torturer's point of view?
The books do indeed feel like you're reading literature and not something fluffy.
The characters are very interesting--not just the main character, Severian, but the supporting characters as well, like Agia, Jolenta, Jonas, Dr. Talos, Thecla and a handful of others.
The chapters are extremely short--usually about 5-6 pages long--which make for a quick read--although not always an easy one.
The plot in general is very different from your typical "formula fantasy".
WHAT MIGHT TURN YOU OFF: As I mentioned before, this book is like literature. If fantasy were more popular in the late 1800s/early 1900s, it would read somewhat similar to this. The pages probably won't be flying like that page-turner you took to the beach last summer.
There are lots of real words that are so seldom used as to falsely lead one to believe that they are fantasy words (e.g. Sabretache, which is actually a little pouch). The writing is not florid however.
However, there are also made-up words, ... Read More
Rating: -
Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun is a massively complex work of fiction. However, this depth never seems to bog the reader down, instead it further involves the reader in the saga of Severian. Wolfe takes the basic idea of Jack Vance's classic "The Dying Earth," the concept of an Earth far in the future underneath an aging sun, and creates a totally unique perspective on this scenario.
I'm sure you could analyze every sentence of the "Book of the New Sun" and come up with an exact timeline and explanation for everything in the book. However, to me Severian's journey and experiences along the way were enough and any loose ends just further added to the mystery of my planet millions of year in the future. This is a book that begs to be experienced and leave an impression that you will never forget. Whether you want to dissect every chapter or just go along for the ride "The Book of the New Sun" will captivate fans of speculative and science fiction. Read it with an open mind and don't expect a typical genre book and you will not be disappointed.
Rating: -
I first read this work when I was a teenager back in the eighties. Now I'm near 40 years old, and nothing else I've read in my entire life has approached the brilliance of this story. I must have read this complete work 4 or 5 times at least, and it's still rewarding. The language is rich and seductive. Wolfe has a way of crafting sentences that is just unique, and hard to describe. Achingly beautiful. He creates images with words that will imprint themselves onto your soul.
Not everyone will like this book. But for some it will be the best thing they've ever read.
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