Product Description

Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN has been hailed by both critics and readers as quite possibly the best science fiction novel ever written. And yet at the same time, like another masterpiece of fiction, James Joyce's Ulysses, it's been deemed endlessly complex and filled with impenetrable mysteries. Now, however, in the first book-length investigation of Wolfe's literary puzzlebox, Robert Borski takes you inside the twisting corridors of the tetralogy and along the way reveals his solutions to many of the novel's conundrums and riddles, such as who really is Severian's lost twin sister (almost certainly not who you think) and why he believes the novel's main character may not even be the torturer Severian. Furthermore, and in essay after essay, Borski demonstrates how a single master key will unlock many of the book's secret relationships--all in the attempt to guide you through the labyrinth that is Gene Wolfe's BOOK OF THE NEW SUN.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #569239 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-20
• Released on: 2004-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 204 pages

About the Author
Robert Borski, in addition to writing the entry for Gene Wolfe in the recent Supernatural Fiction Writers, has penned a series of essays about Wolfe's novels for The New York Review of Science Fiction. He continues to work out of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Answered questions I didn't know I didn't know
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.

Deep... but somewhat off the reservation
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"

Deeper Understanding
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.