Torturer, Gene Wolfe, Sequels

Fernando Gouvea · 05 Jan 1989, 18:20 · from sf-lovers.1989.mbox

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From: gouvea at walsh.harvard.edu (Fernando Gouvea)
Subject: Re: Torturer, Gene Wolfe, Sequels
Date: 5 Jan 89 18:20:03 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v14-8-6 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V14 #8
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johnj at ihuxy.ATT.COM (Jaworski) writes:
>> I have just recently discovered _The Shadow of the Torturer_ by Gene
>> Wolfe, and am quite frankly dazed; etc.
>> 
>> Has anyone else encountered, and read, these? 
>
>I've read this series, except for the latest one which is _Urth of the New
>Sun_.  There are four books in that series, I'm not sure what the names of
>all four are, but I think other than _The Shadow of the Torturer_, and
>_Claw of the Conciliator, there is _Sword of the Lictor(sp?)_ and
>something of the Antioch.

The first four books, which comprise the "Book of the New Sun", are *The
Shadow of the Torturer*, *The Claw of the Conciliator*, *The Sword of the
Lictor*, and *The Citadel of the Autarch*.  There is a little booklet
*about* these called *The Castle of the Otter* (which is the title given in
LOCUS when the fourth book was about to come out).  More recently, Wolfe
added a "coda" to the series, *The Urth of the New Sun*.

To me, these are among the best books ever produced in the SF field, for
their style, for the story, and for the "frenzy of interpretation" Wolfe
induces in us as we try to catch his hints as to what is really happening.
These are books that should be read in order (*The Castle of the Otter* is
of course optional, but it's fun), and that are worth re-reading many
times.  In fact, that's probably true of all of Gene Wolfe's books.

Fernando Gouvea

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