Sword & Citadel

Having finished all four volumes in this section of the Urth Saga now, I'm ... well, I'm still very confused, but in a good way. I'm just going to lock everything here under spoilers because I don't think I can talk about it without spoiling something.

I listened to an old podcast discussing this series which said that the enjoyment came not from any depth of character development or action in the plot, but from unravelling the puzzle of the world. I don't think I can say it any better. Wolfe has this sprawling fantasy setting with dozens of little science fiction clues in every chapter. I'm sure I caught less than half of them. I don't know where the line between magic and science is, which is likely the whole point.Things I think I enjoyed and maybe even understand: * I love how Severian becomes this Autarch and we then realize that these multiple presences have been influencing the telling all along. Somewhere in the fourth book, the voice shifts and its one of the biggest reveals in the story. The falling action of the fourth book was one of the most engaging pieces for me as I fit this new narrator into the scheme of the whole.*I like that Severian grows up a bit, and now I'm convinced that the apparent sexism of the first half is that of the character, not the author. By the end, Severian is no longer sleeping with every woman that comes his way (though he still does appraise and compare each one to all those who've come before), but he also spends a lot of time clarifying the women in his life, figuring out what drew him to people, what is missing in his own life. At least, I didn't get so distracted by his obsession with round thighs this book. *Dr. Talos may be my favorite character, and I like that he made it into his own role at the end. He's a sort of chaotic neutral force in the story, and I enjoy listening to him talk. I don't quite understand Baldanders or his relationship with the undines, but Dr. Talos is that survivor trickster who is always my favorite archetype.*The use of time is emphasized though never clarified, and leaves dozens of theories for readers to play with (and judging from the internet, they have). This would really fall into things I like but don't honestly understand. From the jungle room in the Botanic Guardens to the Last House, its clear that this universe is thin and overlapping, and the uncertainty this places on the reader always keeps you guessing. I love the Heirodules as these strange others, and I like seeing Master Malrubius and Triskele appear to guide Severian on his way. I am a sucker for a good dog story where the dog doesn't die, okay?Things I probably need to re-read to understand: *Abaius, Erebus, and the Undines. Nope. No idea.*Who is Valeria? Why is her time/universe so important? I assume I need to keep reading to learn this.*What is the Claw? Severian posits several theories and ends up not choosing any of them. Perhaps its a combination, a magic (or tech/genetically-altered plant sufficiently advanced so as to appear magic) object that channels Severian's natural gifts for time-warping.*Is Severian his own grandpa? Not literally, but what if Ouen is Dorcas' son and also looks like Severian... does that mean Dorcas was Severian's mother or that she had his son in a different time or that she and Ouen have Severian or... incestuous time-travel paradox ack! That's the worst kind of paradox. *Why does Agia let Severian live? I like that she took over for Vodalus as that symbol of not-so-noble revolution as it suits her perfectly, but I can't quite figure out why she doesn't kill him all the time. Maybe the Green Man informed her of something... don't know.*How does that Jonas/Miles situation work? I miss Jonas.

All said and done, though, the things I didn't understand just made me want to try harder to be a better reader. It's true that the quality of this book is in the puzzle and active readership it can't help but bring out. Wolfe is a master of slow reveals and epic time twists, and I would recommend this series if you A) have time to take on a few thousand pages and B) want to spend that time moving over those pages with a fine tooth comb.

It is possible I already had some presentiment of this review.

This series (it is one book originally split into four and now sold as a pair of duologies) probably doesn't fall within the category of ergodic literature even though I think it does require something more of the reader.
From the esoteric, yet oddly familiar, words to the unique, simple to follow but simultaneously baffling narrative structure, this book is an experience that has etched itself in my brain. It ticked so many boxes for me that I didn't even know I had wanted in a book or even imagined to be possible in a narrative form. So rare to read an incredible book and not have the regret that you will lose something in a reread. The Book of the New Sun is begging to be reread and the only thing stopping me from immediately restarting everything is the feeling that the experience will only be enhanced by allowing it to sink in deeper into my psyche.

As Ada Palmer puts it in her foreword titled ‘path of the new sun':

“...the Book of the New Sun is cluttered with more than spaceships, species, and ruins. It is cluttered with characters who come and go abruptly without closure, their functions clear only with rereading and contemplation. It is cluttered with rare words thronging ten to a page, which, in most books, would be one of a few signature terms key to the tale, and traded among fans as shibboleths... ...And it is cluttered with premises which would be the core of many other books, but here never surface again...
...Gene Wolfe, who warns us in each volume that this road (like Dante's) is no easy one, asks us to trust that this mes of strangers, interruptions, tangents, and abortive missions, with no resolution at volume's end, will mean something. Gene Wolfe, in turn, placing this puzzle-box masterwork in a stranger's hands, must trust that we, the reader, will know how to work the delicate mechanism, requiring pushing to mastery a skill many of us do not realise we have.”

Shoutout to the Alzabo Soup podcast which is a massive help in understanding this book. They discuss the whole thing chapter by chapter in glorious detail. I recommend at least reading The Shadow of the Torturer in its entirety before starting the podcast if you decide to listen along.