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Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun'
 
 

Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (Paperback)

by Gene Wolfe (Author) "It was in my hair, Severian," Dorcas said ..." (more)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 18.95
Price: CDN$ 13.83 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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Frequently Bought Together

Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' + Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' + The Urth of the New Sun
Total List Price: CDN$ 54.85
Price For All Three: CDN$ 40.03

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Product Description

Review

"Outstanding...A major work of twentieth-century American literature." --The New York Times Book Review

"Wonderfully vivid and inventive...the most extraordinary hero in the history of the heroic epic." --Washington Post Book World

"Brilliant...terrific...a fantasy so epic it beggars the mind. An extraordinary work of art!" --Philadelphia Inquirer


Product Description

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 , and "one of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century" by T he Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Sword & Citadel brings together the final two books of the tetralogy in one volume: The Sword of the Lictor is the third volume in Wolfe's remarkable epic, chronicling the odyssey of the wandering pilgrim called Severian, driven by a powerful and unfathomable destiny, as he carries out a dark mission far from his home. The Citadel of the Autarch brings The Book of the New Sun to its harrowing conclusion, as Severian clashes in a final reckoning with the dread Autarch, fulfilling an ancient prophecy that will forever alter the realm known as Urth. "Brilliant . . . terrific . . . a fantasy so epic it beggars the mind. An extraordinary work of art!"- Philadelphia Inquirer "The Book of the New Sun establishes [Wolfe's] preeminence, 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." &mdashThe New York Times Book Review

Inside This Book (Learn More)
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"It was in my hair, Severian," Dorcas said. Read the first page
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Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun'
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Sword & Citadel: The Second Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' 4.4 out of 5 stars (27)
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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most helpful customer reviews

 
4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy 4 1/2 Star Account, May 7 2004
By B. Davis "HakMajik" (Fort Mill, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Gene Wolfe, here in Sword & Citadel, has managed to address some of the vagueries I found perplexing in the tetralogy's predecessor. The volumes seems more focused and driven, while, at the same time, not losing the meticulous prose that is his hallmark.

Indeed, Severian's tale has him travelling from north of Thrax, through the corridors of time, and, ultimately, back to the Citadel of the Autarch. I don't think it unfair to state that Severian, in this tale, doesn't achieve consummate happiness. As with the first book, he seems to radiate health for the unwell and (as with Angela Lansbury in 'Murder She Wrote') unhappiness for those near (up to and including) himself.

At the least, some of the mysteries of the tetralogy are resolved late in the book (4). Given Mr. Wolfe's style, it is not surprising that the book is 'thick' despite being a mere 400 pages. Nonetheless, I found it disappointing that the ending seemed rushed: an "I need 20 more pages" theme seemed to carry it. Hence, in this reviewers eyes, it ended with a whimper and not a bang.

The bottom line: I would recommend 'The Book of the New Sun' (both books, comprised of four volumes). I don't know that I would equate it to the literary masterpieces on its jacket as Wolfe, through his protagonist, does not use the vocabulary of the common man. This will, I fear, cause this tale to fade in its being read. And that would be a great loss.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Renewed my faith in science fiction / fantasy, Feb 17 2004
By Erik Hoggan (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Every few years I discover a book that reminds me why I began reading science fiction and fantasy in the first place. At it's best, the genre gives an author complete freedom to discuss ideas and stories that expand our imaginations while also illuminating our own human nature by placing characters in situations beyond our normal everyday existence. The result can be both extremely entertaining and inspirational. Wolfe's Book of the New Sun is science fiction / fantasy at its best.

Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't find Wolfe's prose difficult at all. It isn't even in the same league as Ulysses. I found it very readable, not at all requiring the intense concentration as the work of a Joyce or a Faulkner. And while it certainly doesn't match the work of those masters, it's a pleasure to read and is still a very intelligent, thought provoking book. But if you want good mindless space operas or swashbucklers (which can be fun to read sometimes), read some David Drake or Robert Jordan instead. Wolfe's book is on a different level than most of the pulp sci-fi/fantasy that gets published nowadays.

One caveat - the protagonist of the Book of the New Sun is raised as a torturer in a decadent world. As such, he does some pretty reprehensible things. While it's not any more graphic than it needs to be, I wouldn't recommend this work to younger readers. Severian is not an anti-hero in the vein of Donaldson's Thomas Covenant, but neither is he the idealized sypathetic character many authors choose as their protagonist. Severian is a likable hero, and very human, but he certainly isn't a role model to be emulated.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Conclusion to one of the finest, Dec 13 2003
By A Customer
I'll write this review for those who have read the first half of this series. Wolfe has a way ending the impossible and making it believable and engaging. I find time and again novels that write themselves into a story that is impossible to conclude in a reasonable fashion. So it seems with the magnitude of this epic. Yet with elegance Wolfe writes it to a successful close. The novel begins as we find Severian in Thrax serving as Lictor, as with Shadow and Claw, his mercy sets him forth on a journey that truly tests his strength. While in the previous novel Severian wanders in almost a childish fashion, this time around Wolfe is brutal on Severian, which evolves his character in new ways and opens new doors. The novel does not answer all the questions and is a lead way into Urth of the New. If you loved Shadow and Claw, you will love Sword and Citadel as well.
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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars More Literary Science Fantasy
Sword and Citadel is the combination of Sword of the Lictor and Citadel of the Autarch, the final two volumes in Gene Wolfe's tetralogy, The Book of the New Sun. Read more
Published on Sep 19 2003 by mrliteral

5.0 out of 5 stars For the sake of promotion
This book is good. Very good. The whole series is exceptionally good. I would not recomment it to anyone; I know too many people who would be unable to appreciate the depth of... Read more
Published on Nov 27 2002 by Darken

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning: Story may cause you to stay up all night reading
A masterful work by a masterful story teller -- dangerous because you'll be tempted into fits of obsessive reading all night long even though you have a morning meeting at work... Read more
Published on Jan 4 2002 by Gary R. Bradski

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Sun Lives beyond the 21st Century!
Sword and Citadel; the 2nd half the New Sun series, (both books) have no equal in literature. The better reviews (see Chris McCallister's right-on review), at Amazon are more... Read more
Published on Nov 20 2001 by RC

1.0 out of 5 stars Highly Overrated Series
In the Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe touches on many allusions and themes, thoroughly exploring none. Read more
Published on Nov 13 2001 by W.C. VandenBerg

5.0 out of 5 stars The second half of what is surely the Book of Gold
SWORD AND CITADEL is an omnibus containing the second half of Gene Wolfe's four-volume work The Book of the New Sun, the novels THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR and THE CITADEL OF THE... Read more
Published on Nov 6 2001 by Christopher Culver

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
The people who dimiss this by comparing it to great books of the past are making a BIG mistake. They are right in saying that it is not similar to this classic or that. Read more
Published on Oct 10 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Unique narration is the saving grace of this fantasy classic
I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi in general, and multi-volume "sagas" (re:$$$) in specific. Wolfe was recommended by a friend as a great, overlooked writer of first person... Read more
Published on Oct 9 2001

1.0 out of 5 stars Silly and bankrupt beyond words
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. Read more
Published on Jun 20 2001 by Virgil

2.0 out of 5 stars Not really comparable to the classics
This is the third in the Book of the New Sun series that I've read. Judged against other science fantasies it is among the best, but judged against classics it doesn't really... Read more
Published on Jun 16 2001 by Virgil

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