Subject: Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun

From: Robert Otte <rwo at med.pitt.edu>
Date: Tue, 06 Feb 1996 17:46:08 +0000

I have just been enjoying Dan Simmon's sequel to Hyperion/Fall of Hyperion
called Endymion.  On the back cover various reviewers compare DS's work to
Gene Wolfe 's Book of the New Sun.  The only problem is I can't find Book
of the New Sun anywhere.  Does it exist? It's not even listed in a
reference text in my local bookstore.  However, there is sequel to Book of
the New Sun titled "Urth of the New Sun" which refers to "BOTNS".  It's
very confusing, plus there are several book with titles including "so and
so, or such and such" of the LONG Sun.  Can anybody help me out there?

Bob

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From: P Nielsen Hayden <pnh at tor.com>
Date: Tue, 06 Feb 1996 19:27:11 +0000

"The Book of the New Sun" consists of the volumes THE SHADOW OF THE
TORTURER, THE CLAW OF THE CONCILIATOR, THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR, and THE
CITADEL OF THE AUTARCH.  Currently, these four books are available as two
trade paperback omnibuses from our Orb imprint: SHADOW AND CLAW contains
the first two, and SWORD AND CITADEL contains the second two.

THE URTH OF THE NEW SUN is a "pendant" - not really a sequel, to THE BOOK
OF THE NEW SUN.

"The Book of the Long Sun" is a separate four-volume sequence set in the
same universe, but some millenia earlier.  It consists of the volumes
NIGHTSIDE THE LONG SUN, LAKE OF THE LONG SUN, CALDE OF THE LONG SUN, and
the forthcoming (in fall '96) EXODUS FROM THE LONG SUN.

Patrick Nielsen Hayden

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From: Marcus Ogden <mwo20 at cam.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 1996 12:36:33 +0000

Excellent stuff, far-future SF set on an atmospherically evoked low-tech
Earth with high-tech undercurrents. Expect to have to pay close attention
to work out what the hell is going on. If you loved the literary quality of
the Hyperion books, you should enjoy these, though the tone is much darker.

The "Long Sun" series is newer, and as yet unfinished, but it has a
different setting (though with one or two very slight links) to the "New
Sun" books.

Marcus Ogden
mwo20 at cam.ac.uk

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From: Marcus Ogden <mwo20 at cam.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 1996 12:38:30 +0000

pnh at tor.com (P Nielsen Hayden) wrote:
>same universe, but some millenia earlier.

Earlier, eh? How do you figure this? (I haven't read "Calde" yet, so
forgive me if there are giveaways in that book.)

Marcus Ogden
mwo20 at cam.ac.uk

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From: Kevin J. Maroney <kevin at crossover.com>
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 1996 18:50:22 +0000

Probably earlier. SPOILER: The Whorl was launched during the reign of
Typhon, probably 3000 years earlier. Typhon is far more than 3000 years in
Severian's past.

Kevin Maroney
Crossover Technologies