Book of the New Sun-Should I keep going?

rrhmah · 12 Dec 1996, 13:43 · from sf-lovers.1996.mbox

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From: rrhmah at aol.com
Subject: Re: Book of the New Sun-Should I keep going?
Date: 12 Dec 1996 13:43:29 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v21-516-13 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V21 #516
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-21b

I think that _The Book of the New Sun_ is the best science fiction of the
last 25 years. And it is, in my opinion, definitely science fiction and not
fantasy.

That said, if you didn't like _The Shadow of the Torturer_, you probably
won't like the rest of the series any better.  All the elements which make
_The Book of the New Sun_ great are in _The Shadow of the Torturer_: the
mysteries, the elegant language, Severian and his complex relationship with
Thecla, his job, hints about his future, the (to me, I'm afraid, rather
obvious, though no less delightful for all that) true nature of Urth.  Not
everyone likes the same stuff, or responds to the same stuff.  So maybe
_The Book of the New Sun_ isn't for you.

Rich Horton

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