The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe

Author's product rating:   

Would you read it again?
Story
Characters
Readability
How does it compare to other works by the same author?

Advantages:	Incredibly well written .  Engrossing story, engaging characters .
Disadvantages:	Hard to stop reading .  Definitely too complex for just one read through .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It's always difficult to describe anything by Gene Wolfe. I'm also very suprised that this is the first review of his work on Ciao. He is quite possibly the best author I've ever read, and The Book of the New Sun is possibly his finest work to date.

It covers four novels - Shadow of the Torturer, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor, and Citadel of the Autarch. Set in the very, very distant future, they tell the stort of a journeyman in the Guild of Seekers after Truth and Penitence, also known as the Torturers. The books follow him as he goes from an initiate in the Guild to, well, that would be telling...

But it's not just that. There is so much to these novels that it's hard to begin... I've reread them all many, many times, and each time, I find something new in there, something that I've not come across before - explanations of who the characters really are, and their relationships. It's astonishing just how much planning went into these books, as well as their follow-ups.

Why are you still reading this? Go out and buy these books. It'll be the best decision you made this year.