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

~ Robert Borski (Author)
Key Phrases: fifth head, old leech, New Sun, Father Inire, House Absolute (more...)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

List Price: $17.95
Price: $15.34 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  Hardcover, May 19, 2004 $27.95 $21.81 $27.26
  Paperback, May 19, 2004 $15.34 $13.06 $17.44

Frequently Bought Together

Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" + Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle + The Urth of the New Sun: The sequel to 'The Book of the New Sun'
Price For All Three: $39.76

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  • This item: Solar Labyrinth: Exploring Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" by Robert Borski

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  • Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle by Michael Andre-Driussi

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  • The Urth of the New Sun: The sequel to 'The Book of the New Sun' by Gene Wolfe

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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.


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: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #360,496 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
20 of 21 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
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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11 of 11 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
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Deep... but somewhat off the reservation, January 1, 2007
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"
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing.
I have to give Robert Borski a certain amount of credit. It's clear he's read Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series many times, and given it a great deal of thought. Read more
Published 1 month ago by call me The Avi

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Ideas
The most fascinating aspect of this book, for me, was the unraveling of Severian's family. There are fantastic ideas here, with plenty of evidence to back up the opinions. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brian G. Pevensie

4.0 out of 5 stars The path revealed
Robert Borski does a phenomenal job of explaining the intricate orbits of the various characters revolving around the Book of the New Sun. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Kurt Heinlein

4.0 out of 5 stars Answered questions I didn't know I didn't know
Well this book definitely opened my eyes about all the clues that were laying around, folded into the narrative. Read more
Published on July 17, 2007 by Michael White

4.0 out of 5 stars Deeper Understanding
Gene Wolfe is an author that is very difficult to fully understand. It is possible, and enjoyable, to simply read through his masterpiece, The Book of the New Sun, and read it... Read more
Published on July 30, 2006 by Ryan P. Barlow

4.0 out of 5 stars solar labyrinth
Borski's book seems to be more of a personal response than I expected it to be but it is WELL WORTH the read if you have already read the books yourself. Read more
Published on March 16, 2006 by Mary Ruth Sadler

1.0 out of 5 stars I wouldn't buy this
I bought it hoping for some good, well-argued literary criticism. It's not that. In fact, it's little more than an expanded glossary with some very unfortunate lacunae (for... Read more
Published on February 1, 2006 by B. Jones

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