Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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"

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.

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. For anyone wanting to engage in literary analysis, or deconstruct a text, Wolfe supplies the reader with an abundance of materials, and Borski clear takes advantage of this.

However, I found the majority of his conclusions to be well off the mark. Borski is able to provide solid proof for maybe 25% of his hypotheses, but the other 75% of his conclusions are total speculation and overreach, with little if any support from the text. He attempts to connect characters from the book who are vastly different, and seems convinced that half the characters in the series are close blood relatives of Severian - grandmothers, brothers, sisters, or cousins - including just about every character Severian sleeps with. Borski is trying much too hard to ram square pegs into round holes, and if you're a close reader of the series, it shows. If you're a casual reader of the Book of the New Sun series you will find Borski's analysis extremely confusing; if you're an avid fan, you will find it annoying. Either way, do yourself a favor & give Solar Labyrinth a pass.

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 example, the Hierogrammates are given little more than a mention)! The author seems caught up in the arcana arguing by implication that Wolfe is seeking not much more than the consternation of his readers through twistings and turnings of identities. Perhaps that is one of the tools he uses in his writings (there does seem to be a consensus on that point though I remain unconvinced), but it isn't really all that interesting as an end. Of far greater value -- and as little as I understand him, I know this to be true of Wolfe's intent --is what the author is intending to TEACH. Not a word about that.

If you like tortured reasoning and twisting character identification, you might like this book. I, however, regret the time I spent with it.

The author has obvious knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the Book of the New Sun. But be warned: this book consists of a sequence of highly contrived theories, often of the form "but isn't it just possible that...", completely unsupported by the text. Or, rather, apparently "supported" through numerology, detailed etymology, and an elaborately contrived symbolic system ("Wolfe ... only uses the word 'gold' as a character attribute to link the various members of Severian's bloodline") which is developed without much evidence, and then used to "prove" further hypotheses.

This kind of thing can be fun, and if you enjoyed scouring web forums for conspiracies in Lost built from a mountain of minutiae and coincidence, you might enjoy this too. But anyone looking for a serious, insightful study of this complex work should look elsewhere.

Well this book definitely opened my eyes about all the clues that were laying around, folded into the narrative. I had never considered that any of the characters were related to Severian and I never considered the "many faces" of Father Inire. The list goes on, but now I'm re-reading the series and finding all the clues I passed over even after reading the whole series three times.

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. It gave me some new insights to think about.

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 simply as a story. But there are many questions left unanswered. Why are so many characters left unnamed? Why does Severian consistantly mishear or misunderstand what people say? What is that play all about? These questions are answered in Borski's collection of essays about The Book of the New Sun.

It may seem foolish to some to buy a book explaining another book, but it will truly enhance your understanding and enjoyment of Wolfe's magnum opus. Many of the things Borski explains will simply seem to click. "Oh, I get it now... it makes so much sense." But you would probably never figure it out on your own, or even realize there was something to figure out. Borski's work is a very useful and enjoyable way to more fully understand one of the greatest works of american fiction.

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. If nothing else, I am inspired to read Book of the New Sun again, armed with new ideas. That, in itself, makes this book worth buying.