Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun"

John Redford · undated · from sf-lovers.1982.mbox

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From: John Redford <VLSI at DEC-MARLBORO>
Subject: Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun"
Date: 26 Nov 1982 2216-EST
Message-ID: <sflovers-v6-89-3 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V6 #89
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-06

The third book in the series is "The Sword of the Lictor", and not
"The Citadel of the Autaurch", as was previously reported.  TCotA is
the fourth (and last) book.  "The Sword of the Lictor" is out in
hardback, and should be out in paperback in a matter of weeks; I saw a
sample cover for it in the Science Fantasy bookstore in Cambridge.  I
recommend it.  Our torturer-hero, Severian, is once again forced to
flee for committing the crime of mercy.  He loses his second love,
meets his first (in monstrous form), and confronts aliens
("cacogens"), a king and a giant.  Like a lot of Wolfe's words, 
"lictor" sounds made-up, but isn't.  It means "a Roman officer who
bears the fasces as the insignia of his office", i.e. an enforcer.

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