Wolfe's "New Sun": Severian Unmasked!

raibeck · 20 Sep 1995, 21:01 · from sf-lovers.1995.mbox

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From: raibeck at tiac.net
Subject: Re: Wolfe's "New Sun": Severian Unmasked!
Date: 20 Sep 1995 21:01:53 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v20-369-9 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V20 #369
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-20b

Unfortunately I can not add anything to your discourse since I have not yet
read the series. However maybe you (or someone else) can give me some
advice.

I have been trying to get started with this series for quite some
time. It's supposed to be one of the masterworks of the field. Yet, no
matter how hard I've tried, I just can't get past the first 30 pages or so
of the first volume (The Shadow of the Torturer). Obviously this is not
light reading.

I like to think I'm at least half-bright, but this book has me stumped. How
can I best approach this series? Is there a particular background I need?
(Wolfe's extensive vocabulary doesn't make things any easier; even my
Random House College Dictionary doesn't have a lot of the words.)

Thanks in advance.

Andy

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