Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" [Paperback]

Robert Borski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2004

Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN has been hailed by both critics and readers as quite possibly the best science fiction novel ever written. And yet at the same time, like another masterpiece of fiction, James Joyce's Ulysses, it's been deemed endlessly complex and filled with impenetrable mysteries. Now, however, in the first book-length investigation of Wolfe's literary puzzlebox, Robert Borski takes you inside the twisting corridors of the tetralogy and along the way reveals his solutions to many of the novel's conundrums and riddles, such as who really is Severian's lost twin sister (almost certainly not who you think) and why he believes the novel's main character may not even be the torturer Severian. Furthermore, and in essay after essay, Borski demonstrates how a single master key will unlock many of the book's secret relationships--all in the attempt to guide you through the labyrinth that is Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Borski, in addition to writing the entry for Gene Wolfe in the recent Supernatural Fiction Writers, has penned a series of essays about Wolfe?s novels for The New York Review of Science Fiction. He continues to work out of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (May 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595317294
• ISBN-13: 978-0595317295
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,068,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Critical Look at the Greatest SF Novel, May 25, 2005

By 

R. Davies (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" (Paperback)

I would recommend this book to any fan of Wolfe's magnum opus. It is basically broken down into small, cogent essays on different characters and conundrums in the Book of the New Sun. I don't agree with every one of Borksi's conclusions, but they are well supported by the text and extrapolation, and they certainly made me rethink a few of my own assumptions. He also references the criticisms of John Clute and Michael Andre-Driussi. Overall, it makes me want to read the Great Book yet again and discover something new.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Deep... but somewhat off the reservation, January 1, 2007

By 

A. Crow - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" (Paperback)

Some of the thoughts evoked by the author are very deep and insightful. If you enjoy GW's series, it will help you to find some new levels of appreciation for the cleverness. Reveals some of Severian's relatives... the clues were there, but I never noticed them.

But.... some of his ideas are just nuts. The part I dislike is that if the author does not know the answer and cannot come up with a clear deduction, he'll almost make it up. While he uses text from the book, he will almost (not literally) try to prove red is truly green "because they are opposites and that's the key! Yes, the key! So, during Christmas... um, they go together... and it's a Christian holiday, so OBVIOUSLY Gene Wolfe meant for us to see that!"

Good to read, but take it with a grain of salt. I'd prefer less reaching and more "I just don't know"

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book if you're a fan., April 16, 2006

By 

PBNTOAU (Ilinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" (Paperback)

Borski does a great job of exploring the four (plus one) books of the New Sun series. I learned several things I had either not known or had failed to recognize--even after at least 5 re-reads over the last 20 years. And while I don't agree with some of his conclusions, it's hard to deny the enthusiasm he has for Wolfe. So if you're a fan, what's not to like about getting another fan's well-constructed insight into one of the greatest SF works ever written? Get it. Like the series, it will make you think.