I certainly didn't enjoy the New Sun material for its content or "point". This series (IMO) is a wonderful literary work. The writing carries you along and brings you into the world of Urth.
The story is somewhat bland if not mundane. However, Wolfe's writing makes you believe that Severian is a real person with real concerns.
Indeed, many people will think the book is boring. I thought the Shadow of the Torturer was boring when I first read it. However, I read the book too fast. His writing doesn't really flow unless you read it a little more slowly.
I think the series is masterful. In my opinion, if you read the work and were disappointed in the story or "point" of the work, then I think you are missing the beauty of the series.
The beauty arises from the ability to bring characters like Severian to life and make their silly concerns and problems real problems that we can relate to and understand...
maxson at cerl.uiuc.edu (K R Maxson) writes:
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The New Sun material is an attempt to weave a Wolfesque story into the tapestry of commercial fantasy and science fiction. I think it is done rather slickly, but that much of the current SF market would rather bypass books that aren't reassuringly shallow and don't spell out the point for the reader by the end. (Personally I feel that if the writer can sum up his or her thesis in a few sentences at the end of the book, the book should have only been a few sentences and save the gloss. If a book doesn't make me think at least as much as walking in the woods does, I'd just as soon walk in the woods.)
The "gloss" is what makes the work. It is eloquent and real. I don't care about the thesis of the work. It's actually pretty trivial...
Toshi