The Shadow of the Torturer

Edit after finishing main 4 books: Oh boy... I was so wrong... I will not be changing my review nor my rating for my own posterity as I find it hilarious right now. Rating may not actually change because I really did struggle with some of the book's parts but my opinion has changed very much. There is nothing comparable to this. This series is a masterpiece but you have to think and even search the Internet for some stuff. Similar to Malazan but oh so different. Even though I rated 3 out of 4 books with four stars and only Sword with five I find this series a masterpiece of fiction when put together. There is so much hiding within in the second, third, fifth, eighth, thirteenth layer!

This book pleasantly surprised me at first, I was ready to sing praise for it. I loved the first half! And then Severian met Agia and it became a filler for the entire rest of The Shadow. Don't expect much plot, entire book is full of worldbuilding and atmosphere which isn't my issue. Agia is. And how nonsensical the entire subplot was with plotholes that I doubt will ever be explained because they're logical ones.

It's sort of a mix of Malazan and The Witcher. Which is more than great set up as far as I'm concerned. Torturer shunned by everyone traveling alone, getting mixed up with politics and other people even if he doesn't want to. And it's written like Malazan where nothing is outright explained and there are words, things, animals we don't understand because it's happening hundreds of thousands of years in the future, after “Urth” fell. I loved some of the descriptions too. Like “sun has set” is described as the “west was lifted to cover the Sun”.

I see now that this is actually one novel split into four parts and were it to be released today it would have 1000+ pages and from what I can tell most of the latter half of The Shadow would be crossed out. I guess Wolfe needed to fill up the space somehow. It picks back up after the entire Agia debacle but abruptly ends in medias res. No wonder that books are bundled into two volumes. This wouldn't fly at all today and I have no idea how it could back in the 80's either.

I was promised a lot of foreshadowing and hidden things in the book that will be revealed on re-read. But if by that people mean Agia's subplot no thank you. I'm sure there will be something about Thecla and Dorcas and Vodalus of course. Which reminds how weird Severian's thoughts about women were, how easily he fell in love on first sight. I understand he grew up in what could be considered monastery but even then. He's too easy.