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Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' Paperback – October 15, 1994

4.3 out of 5 stars 2,673

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The Book of the New Sun is unanimously acclaimed as Gene Wolfe's most remarkable work, hailed as "a masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis" by Publishers Weekly.

Shadow & Claw
brings together the first two books of the tetralogy in one volume:

The Shadow of the Torturer is the tale of young Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession -- showing mercy toward his victim.

Ursula K. Le Guin said, "Magic stuff . . . a masterpiece . . . the best science fiction I've read in years!"

The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic, and learn the truth about his hidden destiny.

"One of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century." --
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction


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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the most acclaimed "science fantasies" ever, Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is a long, magical novel in four volumes. Shadow & Claw contains the first two: The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator, which respectively won the World Fantasy and Nebula Awards.

This is the first-person narrative of Severian, a lowly apprentice torturer blessed and cursed with a photographic memory, whose travels lead him through the marvels of far-future Urth, and who--as revealed near the beginning--eventually becomes his land's sole ruler or Autarch. On the surface it's a colorful story with all the classic ingredients: growing up, adventure, sex, betrayal, murder, exile, battle, monsters, and mysteries to be solved. (Only well into book 2 do we realize what saved Severian's life in chapter 1.) For lovers of literary allusions, they are plenty here: a Dickensian cemetery scene, a torture-engine from Kafka, a wonderful library out of Borges, and familiar fables changed by eons of retelling. Wolfe evokes a chilly sense of time's vastness, with an age-old, much-restored painting of a golden-visored "knight," really an astronaut standing on the moon, and an ancient citadel of metal towers, actually grounded spacecraft. Even the sun is senile and dying, and so Urth needs a new sun.

The Book of the New Sun is almost heartbreakingly good, full of riches and subtleties that improve with each rereading. It is Gene Wolfe's masterpiece. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

Review

The Book of the New Sun establishes [Wolfe's] pre-eminence, pure and simple....The Book of the New Sun contains elements of Spenserian allegory, Swiftian satire, Dickensian social consciousness and Wagnerian mythology. Wolfe creates a truly alien social order that the reader comes to experience from within...once into it, there is no stopping.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“Magic stuff...a masterpiece...the best science fiction I've read in years!” ―
Ursula K. Le Guin

“Arguably the best piece of literature American science fiction has yet produced.” ―
Chicago Sun-Times

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orb Books; First Edition, Stains (October 15, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312890176
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312890179
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.82 x 1.14 x 8.17 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 2,673

About the author

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Gene Wolfe
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Gene Wolfe is winner of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and many other awards. In 2007, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He lives in Barrington, Illinois.

Photo by Cory Doctorow licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
2,673 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2016
I read The Shadow of the Torturer – or, at least, I read some of it – way back in high school. At the time, I don’t think I was quite prepared for this strange, fascinating book. I assumed – quite wrongly, as it turned out – that this might be of a piece with the Thomas Covenant series, giving me a true anti-hero to follow through this world as he reluctantly became something more. That’s not a bad assumption, given that the series is about a professional torturer who is exiled from his tribe and forced into a world that mostly despises him and those who practice his trade.

And yet, that basic premise is more of the starting point for The Book of the New Sun, rather than its hook. Yes, Severian is a fascinating anti-hero, a man who is capable of brutal torture and yet whose principal crime is one of kindness; a man who is both selfish and oddly kind; a man who is both interested in the honor of his guild and in overthrowing the society around him. But none of that really seems to touch on the heart of Shadow & Claw (which is comprised of the first two books of the New Sun series, The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator), which is as interested in its strange, undefinable world as it is in its characters.

And what a unique world it is. It’s easy to make the assumption that Shadow & Claw is fantasy; there’s an undeniably medieval feel to the setup, to the massive castles and shadowy guilds and deadly swords. But before long, you realize that this is not an ancient world, but an impossibly distant one, and that what we are seeing is not primitive settlements but devastated ruins. What we see is not a mankind learning to connect and build a society, but one that may be dying out, as the universe itself dies out around it. That uneasy blend of past and future, of science-fiction and Arthurian myth, is one of the features of The Book of the New Sun that’s so fascinating, so compelling.

For all of that, though, it has to be said that The Book of the New Sun doesn’t read like anything else, either. Even now that I’m halfway through the series, I’m not sure I could tell you what it’s truly about; yes, Severian is on a journey, but to what end? To what are we building? What, if anything, does it all mean? I don’t have any answers to that, and to be honest, I’m not even sure that there will be answers to it. Part of that comes from Wolfe’s conceit (the series is written as Severian’s memoirs, written much later in his life, and for an audience presumably of the world around him), which results in a book that’s meandering at times, philosophical in others, and more subjective than we often realize. But much of it comes from the plotting, or lack thereof; the book often feels like a mosaic, a collection of incidents that are coming together to create something larger that we can’t see until we step back a bit and take it all in.

It’s why I've been struggling to rate this book. On one level, it’s a masterful piece of writing – wholly unique, thought-provoking, endlessly fascinating. On another, it’s frustrating, wandering, unfocused, and sometimes bewildering. Its scope and imagination are impossible not to admire, even while you sometimes wonder what it all means – or if it means anything at all. And perhaps that will change as I finish the series and I get a sense of Wolfe’s larger goals, his bigger pictures. Whatever the case, it’s a series that I’m fascinated by and compelled to keep reading, and one that I’m glad I came back to after all these years. I don’t know how far I made it when I read it all those years ago, but reading it now, it’s a book that I feel I’m far more likely to appreciate now that I’m (slightly) more mature.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2021
THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER

Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is a popular recommendation in terms of non-traditional fantasy/science-fiction, and the man is well-respected by authors I respect so I figured it was time to find out why.

The Shadow of the Torturer is the first book in a tetralogy and it feels like it. It's a little sliver of a world, a little taste-test of Urth (a planet with a dying sun) and its weary inhabitants, and then cuts off hard at the end, offering no real conclusion. In a sense I expected this, as this story is often sold as two volumes of two books, or even a single volume of all four books. So in a way I was ready for it to be a very... introductory type story, and it was. It is a very promising introduction though.

I am a sucker for sci-fi settings that take place so far in the future that they end up feeling like the past instead. Science-fantasy, I've heard it called (though I prefer space-fantasy). The types of stories that rest on forgotten epochs and eons upon eons of history. Dune is like that. But unlike Dune Wolfe's books take place on Earth itself, or Urth. It is unclear just how far in the future the story takes place (at least, it's unclear at this time) but you can feel the history of the world. It's a tangible thing, and you can read it in the characters' faces, scry it in the ancient river Gyoll, see it in the massive border-wall of Nessus, and in the eerie halls of the Citadel... It's a world that feels old—with all of the strange mythos and cultural idiosyncrasies one would expect—and those are often the best kind.

Now, I was less sold on the characters than I was on the world itself. The story is about Severian, an apprentice of the Order of the Seekers for Truth and Penitence, more commonly known as the Guild of Torturers. We are being told the story, in Severian's own words, of his exile from the guild and ascension to the throne of the autarchy. And while that story is really just getting started, the nature of Severian's unreliable narration is one of the more interesting parts of the series thus far. This unreliability could certainly be why I don't quite know how to feel about Severian yet, but the other characters that surround him sometimes felt like mere carriers of plot points instead of people with agency. I'm looking for improvement there.

Beyond the story, beyond the characters, the writing itself is noteworthy. I must be on a path of difficult lexicons or something. First Wallace, now Wolfe. I should read McCarthy soon and complete the hat trick. Bring a dictionary, is what I'm saying. Better yet bring a google search bar, because not only is Wolfe using words of utmost antiquity, he's perverted them with time. Which is realistic, but does not help in the effort of deciphering the language. Vocabulary aside, the man can write. His prose is that of someone who loves language, and wants you to love language. And there were phrases that caught me in just the right way.

So ultimately, it was a good start. And I did enjoy joining Severian as he encounters the wider world outside of his guild's Citadel. He has a lot to learn, and frankly so do I.

THE CLAW OF THE CONCILIATOR

A step up from the first book, I am considering giving this one all five stars. I felt that it lost some of its steam toward the end, but may yet still change my mind.

In any case, certainly a step up. Though honestly it may just be the simple fact of getting more familiar with the world, more familiar with the characters. It's what generally happens in any series that I spend more time with (assuming consistent—or in this case improved—quality).

The Claw of the Conciliator seems to take a firmer grip on what Wolfe is shooting for this series to be. Drug experiences, strange creatures, non-linear time, secrets and myths, even tongue-in-cheek stage plays, all of these things lent to a more... involved feeling story for me here in book two.

Severian... I still don't know what to think about Severian. He has a strong sense of justice, and often does honorable things. He’s loyal, and even compassionate at times. But he also performs despicable acts, seemingly without thinking about them. And I'm not talking about his work as a headsman. In fact, as morbid a thought as it is, I actually found it fascinating how this book gets you inside the head of someone whose job is to torture and kill people for a living, and forces you to consider the thoughts and emotions that accompany such a role. Severian is a professional. He doesn't worry about the things that would make someone like me squirm. He worries about his nerves. He worries about doing a good job. In a weird way, it makes him far more relatable.

But then there's also the fact that the entire story—told as it is by Severian himself—could be full of as many lies and deceptions as he sees fit to tell. Additionally, I did not really think all that much during the first book about the repercussions of having perfect recollection. The dangerous possibility of getting lost in such a thing. How could you differentiate memory from reality? Memory from dream? Dream from reality? It would be very difficult, and is thus on occasion difficult for the reader to differentiate between these things, on top of the unreliable narration.

From a writing standpoint, I think I needed to get used to Wolfe's prose just like I needed to get used to the setting, because it was really hitting for me at times here. Many vividly and poetically described scenes that I found myself appreciating.

Taking a short break then I'll read on for the third and fourth entries in the tetralogy.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Penis
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't trust the negative reviews if you are have normal or above average intelligence.
Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2022
People who don't understand this book got caught in the pleb filter. Book is amazing. Some of the terminology is archaic, but it adds so much character to the book; you won't find anything like this anywhere else (in a good way). Helps if you can also read Latin at a beginner level, but not essential.
4 people found this helpful
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Severian
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro, edición extraña.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 17, 2021
El libro es un clásico; difícilmente se puede hablar con justicia de él en tan pocas líneas, pero si te interesa mínimamente vale la pena leer toda la saga. El único problema es que la edición, al incluir dos libros, tiene letras bastante pequeñas, combinado con que es una lectura complicada de por sí, hace de la experiencia algo cansada y tediosa. De todas formas vale la pena comprarlo, es un buen precio y es de las pocas ediciones que se puede encontrar a la venta. 10/10
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Severian
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy buen libro, edición extraña.
Reviewed in Mexico on March 17, 2021
El libro es un clásico; difícilmente se puede hablar con justicia de él en tan pocas líneas, pero si te interesa mínimamente vale la pena leer toda la saga. El único problema es que la edición, al incluir dos libros, tiene letras bastante pequeñas, combinado con que es una lectura complicada de por sí, hace de la experiencia algo cansada y tediosa. De todas formas vale la pena comprarlo, es un buen precio y es de las pocas ediciones que se puede encontrar a la venta. 10/10
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Marc
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Books in the Series
Reviewed in Germany on March 12, 2022
The first book is really my favorite. I really wish someone would make a movie/game of this already, though some of Gene's ideas only work in a written work. In the second book, some stuff happens that absolutely ties these two together. The prose is my favorite of any Gene Wolfe book and the story gets better and better the older I get. Must read for any Lovecraft fans.
xyz
3.0 out of 5 stars Thin paper, you can see the ink bleeding through the page from the other side.
Reviewed in Poland on November 20, 2021
I paid extra money to buy a hardcover book (circa 50% more honestly), and while it's okay and was delivered rather undamaged, it was:

- poorly packed (not a single piece of bubble foil or anything else really, just thrown into a cardboard box, both parcels, that's also why some of the paint came off on the corners of the books)

- a bit dirty (some sort of stain that I cleaned up with wet towels. It wouldn't come off under finger)/scratched (one of the books has small kind of damage, looks like it was scratched in the warehouse.

- the hardcover is indeed "hardcover", but it's not anything special really. I have seen better ones, but fine. It's not something that I can blame amazon for, but the quality of paper is kind of a joke to me (for the price they want).

The chapters have ugly headers, but the book looks okay. It's the matter of "style", although I have seen some pretty books...

It's printed in the USA (chinese quality though). I wanted the edition written in English, because this is the author's main language, plus I wanted something else than paperback, because they tend to fall apart quite easily...
Thiago Sanches Ranzani da SIlva
5.0 out of 5 stars For speculative fiction fans
Reviewed in Brazil on March 16, 2020
Wolfe's writing is far from simple. This two-books-made-one (and also the others from the New Sun series) are difficult to read; the vocabulary is sometimes confusing, the sentences are mostly convoluted and several concepts are difficult to comprehend. The story, however, is rich, with interesting characters and bizarre situations. The narrative is mainly slow-paced, diverging from other high fantasy stories.

Reading this book is a challenge. And, in my opinion, a totally rewarding one, since its plots and storytelling structure does not follow the same rules and formulae applied in almost every fantasy story currently available.
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