Shadow & Claw : The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun'

Rating:
Summary: READ BEFORE BUYING!!!
Review: I base this review upon the entire collection of Gene Wolfe's New Sun series, and not just upon this collection. The first two books of the series are considerably more simple than the latter books; this is attributed to the narrator's loss of sanity throughout the book. I consider this a great book, the best of it's type I have ever read, and a mandatory read for anyone who considers them selves a sci-fi/fantasy fan. The book takes place in the future, on a planet known as Urth, which is actually our own. It is so far into the future that our own culture is thought of as only a fairy tale, and is known of only through children's fairy tale books. Because of this, the book is not truly hardcore sci-fi, more of an epic/fantasy. Some literary elements contained in the book might make for a less enjoyable read, so I feel obligated to divulge them before you make your purchase: unresolved conflicts - Quite a few, mainly due to Severian's unrealistic encounters, and other's opinions of him, mainly his apparent lack of sanity, lead to a breakdown of communication between Severian and other parties, but neither feels resolved to dispute the issues, and they are left unresolved. non-Anglo words - Wolfe decides to make up words to represent things we don't have words for, and is not always nice enough to leave context clues as to what they might mean. EXTREMELY DIFFICULT READING - in some isolated chapters throught the latter two books of the series, Severian's experiences overwhelm him, and he breaks down. He does not become illiterate, but instead starts peppering his speech with redundancies and superfluos descriptions of events long past, while leaving out minor details. Although magnificent, these unique texts require much rereading and deciphering before meaning arrives, and there is not much help in deciphring them outside of the book (in say, extensive book reviews). I highly reccomend this book, but warn anyone who wants to peruse the book and remain satisfied.

Rating:
Summary: Surely the Book of Gold
Review: Gene Wolfe's four-volume work The Book of the New Sun must rank among the finest works of literature of the past quarter-century. SHADOW AND CLAW is an omnibus consisting of the first half, the volumes THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER and THE CLAW OF THE CONCILIATOR.

The Book of the New Sun is shelved among science-fiction, but it is much more. Wolfe draws on Christianity, the works of J.L. Borges, medieval morality plays, and a thousand elements of "Spritus Mundi." It is essentially a Christian allegory, as "Sun" is clearly the homophone of "Son." However, this element doesn't intrude on the unbelieving reader. The BotNS is written with a colourful array of obscure English words, for example: odalisque, fulgurator, carnifex, cenobite, peltast. Nonetheless, Wolfe gives such context that reaching for the Oxford English Dictionary is hardly necessary. A saint's dictionary helps, however, as most characters are named for nearly-forgotten saints.

SHADOW AND CLAW introduces us to Severian, an apprentice to a guild of torturers in a far-future Earth, when the sun is dying. As he confesses early on, Severian's narration is essentially the story of how he has "backed into the throne." He begins by telling the reader of his exile for showing a condemned woman mercy and his going forth into a world both alien and wispily recognizable.

THE CLAW OF THE CONCILIATOR continues Severian's wanderings, and his unwitting involement in the mysterious politics of his day. Most striking is a play transcribed in the second half. "Dr. Talos' Play: Eschatology and Genesis" seems at first a poorly written morality play, but the careful reader will notice myriad hidden references to the book's plot, Greek and middle-eastern myth, and the renewing salvation of Christ as seen by Christianity.

Severian is among of one the most complex and believable narrators I've ever read. Wolfe uses Severian to see Urth through his eyes, and much of the information we gather about his world comes from what he doesn't understand. For example, he lives in a world where one no longer distinguishes between ocean and space-going craft, and his confusion gives us important clues about the character Jonas. Furthermore, this book, although only four volumes and a coda, spawns whole years of exegesis, as denizens of the 'net mailing-list "Urth-l" can attest. Mystery has always been a continual element in Wolfe's works, but answers do luck in every paragraph.

I admit that the Book of the New Sun is not for everyone; its million allusions and complex language require a fair degree of classical education and may bore many people. Nonetheless, for me it was "The Book of Gold," as I discovered it at an age when it sped me on to the glories of world literature. It shows the way to Borges, Robert Graves, Roman and Greek history and myth, the splendour of exegesis and, for at least me personally, the Catholic Church. If this review makes the work sound appealing, I would recommend buying SHADOW AND CLAW and experiencing this wonderful work.

Rating:
Summary: This is seriously tasty Brain Food
Review: Gene Wolfe's writing is nourishing. His world has a mythic feel, like reading the real accounts of godlings, before oral tradition has embellished it into fable. He establishes a world within the first pages and religeously adheres to it, unabashed in its assumed authenticity. This book is a delight to read both for its story and its style.
Shadow & Claw is a terrificly involving book to read. It is the perfect beginning for this series, easily guiding the reader into the world of the New Sun. The language used by Wolfe is very involving, this is not the kind of book that can be skimmed, and truly appreciated. This is the kind of series that will either enflame a passion for gifted science fiction, or ignite one.

Rating:
Summary: **5 Stars!** Beyond Category
Review: Shadow & Claw: The First Half of the Book of the New Sun: The Shadow of the Torturer/the Claw of the Conciliator is without doubt a landmark work of great literature. Previous reviewers have clearly pointed that out in much better detail. Mr. Wolfe is in a class by himself and will be celebrated for years to come. Immediately, you are gripped by the mystery as to who are the people of Nessus and the instrumentality that is the Autarch that rules them. Meet Severian, a torturer who changes the lives of those around him and himself. Mr. Wolfe weaves an intricate tapestry that is multi-layered, full of twists and turns that are engaging and enlightening. Part fantasy, part horror, part science fiction and part love story. The only category I can give it is 21st century Lit. There are a lot of fantastic elements in this series. The characters are varied and full of curious interest (each character could have a novel unto themselves). After reading this book, the plot will come back to you in different ways. I have gained new perspectives when ever thinking about the far far future of "Urth" and the role of technology. At times, the story becomes abstract in a poetic kind of way (that makes it at once personal), only to reward the reader with crystal clear reasoning later on. Reading does at times require a little mental stamina, but just hang on and enjoy. The sequel, the Sword and the Citadel, Second half of the Book of the New Sun series, is even better. When I finish that, look for my review. Thank you Mr. Wolfe.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Man's Herman Hesse
Review: Book one of this series contains a scene in which the main character is forced to follow someone in the dark. He doesn't know where the other person is going, so he must grope behind and trust his guide to lead.

In a nutshell, that's how I felt reading this book. I had no idea where Wolfe was going most of the time. I just kept hoping he would explain it all to me at some point. But Wolfe never did show me anything.

Honestly, I had to force myself to pick up the book. The story just meanders from scene to scene, loosely tied together by the main character's Herman Hesse-like musing about himself and his purpose. Unlike Hesse, though, Wolfe fails to move the story while developing his character(s)--at least not fast enough for me.

To be fair, I can see why people enjoy the series. The tone is mysterious and introspective. But that's not what I was looking for. If I was, I'd rather read "Narcissus and Goldmund." It may not be sci-fi or fantasy, but I'm not convinced "Shadow and Claw" is, either.

Rating:
Summary: It's all about the story...
Review: There has been much written about the 'complexity' and 'vocabulary' associated with this series. But the bottom line is, we read books for their stories. We want to be whisked away to a far away place of wodner and excitement. Gene Wolfe takes you there on an incredible tour that you will never forget.
Are there incredible plot twists? YES! Does it ruin the story? NO! People who want something boring and unpredictable should go elsewhere. There are very few books that get better with each reading; this is one of them.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult Reading Equals Masterpiece?
Review: Please note -- Spoiler alert: Two specific plot points are divulged in this review.

Boy, was this series a disappointment. I had high expectations, especially with praise like, "the finest writer the science fiction world has yet produced" from the Washington Post. And so many positive customer reviews, too. Well, I should have looked a little closer.

Beware of reviews that state that anyone who likes complex and hard reading will love this book, thereby implying - or sometimes explicitly stating --that if you don't like the book you must be a Philistine with a junk food diet in literature. These reviewers are too busy patting themselves on the back to give useful advice.

Let me make this clear: I like a challenging vocabulary. However, Wolfe's use of arcane words adds nothing. Few of the words are used in any sort of context, that one might glean their importance to the story. Mostly, they're dropped in at random points in Severian's journey, like specks on the horizon, signifying nothing. One could just as well substitute names of trees for the same effect. Also, the whole conceit behind the use of these words is that the book is being translated from a document and that these are the closest words to the meanings in the document. A translation that requires one to translate yet again is a bad translation. It is a very lazy device for the author to say that these things are so different from what we know today they cannot be described.

For example, here is a quote from the book when Severian describes partygoers in the city of Thrax as, " . . . the autchthons, gymnosophists, ablegates and their acolytes, eremites, eidolons, zoanthrops half beast and half human, and deodands and remotados in picturesque rags, with eyes painted wild." Sounds promising, especially the bit about half beast and half human. I even know a few of the other words without having to look them up in the dictionary. But so what? It's all background noise, never more a part of the story than a laundry list. It's a distracting gimmick that wears thin.

Another distraction for me was the sun's burning down like an unattended campfire. Any astronomers please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the sun has another three or four billion years' worth of fuel before it enters its next stage, red giant, in which it will burn brighter, pretty much turning the Earth into a cinder.

I quickly lost interest in the story soon after Severian left the Citadel. One event is so unlike another in Severian's journey that, after a rapid succession of strange encounters and narrow escapes, I felt more cheated by the capricious will of the author than drawn in to any sort of coherent future society. It got to the point that I could predict when Wolfe was getting tired of a character who would soon be making an abrupt exit. I certainly didn't flinch when Severian Jr. got barbequed. A dozen pages back, Wolfe seemed exasperated with the kid, as if he'd written himself into a corner.

I found the books to be surprisingly humorless, as well. Scenes like the play Severian performs in are supposed to be comic relief, I guess. I just found it grotesque.

And, finally, at the tail end of book four, when a little green man appears with a flying saucer to whisk Severian to safety, I wanted to throw the book against the wall. That one random and too convenient incident embodied my impression of most of the previous 800 pages, coming full circle -- back to the beginning when I thought, early on, why should I care?

I would suggest the following alternatives to The Book of the New Sun:

-Titus Groan and Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake. Two books that provide a much more richly imagined and alien medieval setting than New Sun.

-Engine Summer by John Crowley. Truly immersing read. The lyrical telling of a quest/coming of age story set in a distant future with gymnosophists, an eremite, and what could be called one big deodand. Although, Crowley does not use those words.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary.
Review: Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is not for everyone. That is to say it is not for someone who is wont to scan the pictures of glossy magazines or what not without reading the content or who finds enormous depth of meaning in captions. It is suffused with vocabulary that one can find perhaps only in the unabridged version of the Oxford English dictionary; so is Shakespeare (this is not meant as a comparison of literary merit between the two authors). On first reading it can pose a challenge to grasp the depth of characterization and plot, except of course the literati who have read Ulysses or Hamlet once and summarily composed their doctoral theses. So for those who seem to cavil at the lack of these in this work and the overabundance of "SAT" type words, a rereading or complete reading of it might be in order along with a new dictionary.

Rating:
Summary: Just not enjoyable
Review: Having finished the first 2 installments in this series I can safely say I won't be finishing it. It is difficult to read because of the lack of plot and the use of "big" words you haven't seen since the SAT. While you can infer the meaning of most of the words based on the context of the sentence it is still very annoying.

The first 2 books are essentially descriptive imagery of the places and people Severian happens to meet on his completely random and meaningless journey. There is no adventure or character development - just an endless stream of bizarre imagery interlaced with hidden references to present day Earth and ancient myths. Maybe the point of this story is revealed in books 3 and 4, but I don't care to find out.

Rating:
Summary: Silly, overwritten, underplotted and pointless
Review: To say The Book of the New Sun to a retelling of the old testament is to say that "Smokey and the Bandit" is a retelling of Ulysses.

I was originally taken in by the rave reviews and even gave the first volume, Shadow of the Torturer a grudging three stars. Now that I have completed the four novels I feel cheated. The "great vocabulary" is nothing more than a device that actually tires after awhile, not because one can't understand it, but rather it becomes a gimmick.

Good writing may make a reader search for meaning, but it doesn't make a reader search for plot. And that is one of several problems with this story. I kept expecting some sort of summation, some revelation of several needlessly ambiguous plot points. But, no such luck. Fine, if you want to convince yourself that being confused by an underplotted, overwritten storyline is really being treated intelligently by the writer, then go ahead. But an final vigorous editing is what this series needed badly.

Wolfe seems to "write on the fly". In other words, something is suddenly revealed in book three about a character in book one. You're left thinking- what? He uses this technique not because he planned it or to make the story or characters deeper or for any other reason than it fits into the gimmick storyline/adventure he has thought up for Severian at that moment in his writing. To think it's more complex than that is to fool yourself.

In the end this is a tale silly beyond words. Early on the main character- Severian- actually takes part in the horrible and brutal torture of the woman he loves. Well, at least one of the women he "loves", seems Severian falls in love at the drop of a hat. Redemption here, doesn't even build up. He just announces that he won't torture/kill again after letting a "client" go. The redemption itself is a response to the terrible critical beating Wolfe took over the ammorality of Severian by several literary reviewers of that time (early eighties), not to any pre-planned story line.

The characters are basically one dimensional, with little thought to any depth except maybe only slightly Severian, who is not that likeable for that matter. At the end of book II before he meets the "rebel" commander, he needlessly kills the three guards who work for the man he supposedly admires. Then, V, after seeing the headless body of one of his men, greets Severian as....a guest. Not exactly a military leader that would inspire confidence among his soldiers.

I began to think that Urth would actually be a better place if the main character and all of his torturers guild were basically wiped off the planet and the series itself would be a much better one if the mystery of how Urth became the way it was became the main point of the story rather than a collateral one.

So, if you are impressed by little used vocabulary, consider being confused by a poor plot "intellectually challenging" and are wowed with sophmoric philisophical musings thought up by one dimensional characters, then by all means take a stab at this. Otherwise look elsewhere.