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The Book of the New Sun
Hwaet..... time to start off the slow read discussion. Is everyone good to go soon-ish?
Some general comments on how this will go:
- I'll post a new discussion thread each Wednesday, starting on the 20th March (most likely evening, UK time).
- The idea of the slow read is to give us time to discuss each few chapters, which will be around 40 pages each week.
- If you're rereading the book, try to treat it on its own terms, and read as if you're reading for the first time. Please don't rush ahead with the reading if you can avoid it, but equally, please try not to look ahead. Read it as if it's the first time through, and try not to say things in the discussion referring to later chapters. If you have a thought, note it, and come back when the later chapter comes around. Some of us will be more familiar with the book than others. Some of us will be reading for the first time.
- Also, if you can avoid it, please try to avoid falling behind.
Now, some Book of the New Sun specific thoughts: I don't think it's a "difficult" book, but there are some ways it's strange.
- It's a first person narration, and the narrator isn't always reliable. He doesn't lie, but sometimes evades issues, shows bias, and leaves gaps.
- There are plenty of mysteries when reading. We won't get to the bottom of them all. And the clues to some of these are where there are gaps. I think one can have a good time reading it without trying to puzzle everything out, but not everything is easily or clearly explained.
- Read without a dictionary to hand. This is unusual advice, but the author makes deliberate use of archaic words to invoke an exotic effect, and they're deliberately obscure ones. He does this rather than inventing words for strange and alien concepts, and for me it adds to the atmosphere. I'm not saying don't look things up- I'm suggesting don't stop reading a chapter to look things up.
- Have fun. Don't get hung up on what people say about there being challenges in working everything out, or the narrative not being completely traditional. It's not hard to read. It's interesting, and gripping. It's not pretentious. And it's an enjoyable read.
There's more on these points here, if you want to get yourself juiced up for reading.
https://www.tor.com/2017/12/04/the-best-way-to-approach-the-book-of-the-new-sun/
Comments
And the schedule: I'll edit to add in the rest of the precise dates. I've put breaks between volumes 1 and 2, and 2 and 3; there are breaks in the book's narrative between those and I wanted to mirror that as well as give us a rest.
The Shadow of the Torturer
Week 1 (20th March discussion)
Chapter 1: Resurrection and Death
Chapter 2: Severian
Chapter 3: The Autarch's Face
Chapter 4: Triskele
Week 2 (27th March discussion)
Chapter 5: The Picture Cleaner and Others
Chapter 6: The Master of the Curators
Chapter 7: The Traitress
Chapter 8: The Conversationalist
Week 3 (3rd April discussion)
Chapter 9: The House Azure
Chater 10: The Last Year
Chapter 11: The Feast
Chapter 12: The Traitor
Week 4 (10th April discussion)
Chapter 13: The Lictor of Thrax
Chapter 14: Terminus Est
Chapter 15: Baldanders
Chapter 16: The Rag Shop
Week 5 (17th April discussion)
Chapter 17: The Challenge
Chapter 18: The Destruction of the Altar
Chapter 19: The Botanic Gardens
Chapter 20: Father Inire's Mirros
Week 6 (24th April discussion)
Chapter 21: The Hut in the Jungle
Chapter 22: Dorcas
Chapter 23: Hildegrin
Chapter 24: The Flower of Dissolution
Week 7 (1st May discussion)
Chapter 25: The Inn of Lost Loves
Chapter 26: Sennet
Chapter 27: Is He Dead?
Week 8 (8th May discussion)
Chapter 28: Carnifex
Chapter 29: Agilus
Chapter 30: Night
Chapter 31: The Shadow of the Torturer
Week 9 (15th May discussion)
Chapter 32: The Play
Chapter 33: Five Legs
Chapter 34: Morning
Chapter 35: Hethor
Week 10
Break
The Claw of the Conciliator
Week 11 (29th May discussion)
Chapter 1: The Village of Saltus
Chapter 2: The Man in the Dark
Chapter 3: The Showman's Tent
Week 12 (5th June)
Chapter 4: The Bouquet
Chapter 5: The Bourne
Chapter 6: Blue Light
Week 13 (12th June)
Chapter 7: The Assassins
Chapter 8: The Cultellarii
Chapter 9: The Liege of Leaves
Week 14 (19th June)
Chapter 10: Thea
Chapter 11: Thecla
Chapter 12: The Notules
Week 15 (26th June)
Chapter 13: The Claw of the Conciliator
Chapter 14: The Antechamber
Chapter 15: Fool's Fire
Week 16 (3rd July)
Chapter 16: Jonas
Chapter 17: The Tale of the Student and His Son
Chapter 18: Mirrors
Chapter 19: Closets
Week 17 (10th July)
Chapter 20: Pictures
Chapter 21: Hydromancy
Chapter 22: Personifications
Week 18 (17th July)
Chapter 23: Jolenta
Chapter 24: Dr. Talos' Play
Chapter 25: The Attack on the Heirodules
Week 19 (24th July)
Chapter 26: Parting
Chapter 27: Towards Thrax
Chapter 28: The Odalisque of Abaia
Week 20 (31st July)
Chapter 29: The Herdsmen
Chapter 30: The Badger Again
Chapter 31: The Cleansing
Week 21: Break
The Sword of the Lictor
Week 22 (14th August)
Chapter 1: Master of the House of Chains
Chapter 2: Upon the Cataract
Chapter 3: Outside the Jacal
Chapter 4: In the Bartizan of the Vincula
Week 23 (21st August)
Chapter 5: Cyriaca
Chapter 6: The Library of the Citadel
Chapter 7: Attractions
Chapter 8: Upon the Cliff
Week 24 (28th August)
Chapter 9: The Salamander
Chapter 10: Lead
Chapter 11: The Hand of the Past
Chapter 12: Following the Flood
Week 25 (4th September)
Chapter 13: Into the Mountains
Chapter 14: The Widow's House
Chapter 15: He Is Ahead of You!
Chapter 16: The Alzabo
Week 26 (11th September)
Chapter 17: The Sword of the Lictor
Chapter 18: Severian and Severian
Chapter 19: The Tale of the Boy Called Frog
Week 27 (18th September)
Chapter 20: The Circle of the Sorcerers
Chapter 21: The Duel of Magic
Chapter 22: The Skirts of the Mountain
Chapter 23: The Cursed Town
Week 28 (25th September)
Chapter 24: The Corpse
Chapter 25: Typhon and Piaton
Chapter 26: The Eyes of the World
Chapter 27: On High Paths
Week 29 (2nd October)
Chapter 28: The Hetman's Dinner
Chapter 29: The Hetman's Boat
Chapter 30: Natrium
Chapter 31: The People of the Lake
Week 30 (9th October)
Chapter 32: To the Castle
Chapter 33: Ossipago, Barbatus, and Famulimus
Chapter 34: Masks
Chapter 35: The Signal
Week 31 (16th October)
Chapter 36: The Fight in the Bailey
Chapter 37: Terminus Est
Chapter 38: The Claw
The Citadel of the Autarch
Week 32 (23rd October)
Chapter 1: The Dead Soldier
Chapter 2: The Living Soldier
Chapter 3: Through Dust
Chapter 4: Fever
Week 33 (30th October)
Chapter 5: The Lazaret
Chapter 6: Miles, Foila, Melito, and Hallvard
Chapter 7: Hallvard's Story—The Two Sealers
Week 34 (6th November)
Chapter 8: The Pelerine
Chapter 9: Melito's Story—The Cock, the Angel, and the Eagle
Chapter 10: Ava
Chapter 11: Loyal to the Group of Seventeen's Story—The Just Man
Week 35 (13th November)
Chapter 12: Winnoc
Chapter 13: Foila's Story—The Armiger's Daughter
Chapter 14: Mannea
Chapter 15: The Last House
Week 36 (20th November)
Chapter 16: The Anchorite
Chapter 17: Ragnarok—The Final Winter
Chapter 18: Folia's Request
Chapter 19: Guasacht
Week 37 (27th November)
Chapter 20: Patrol
Chapter 21: Deployment
Chapter 22: Battle
Week 38 (4th December)
Chapter 23: The Pelagic Argosy Sights Land
Chapter 24: The Flier
Chapter 25: The Mercy of Agia
Chapter 26: Above the Jungle
Week 39 (11th December)
Chapter 27: Before Vodalus
Chapter 28: On the March
Chapter 29: Autarch of the Commonwealth
Chapter 30: The Corridors of Time
Week 40 (18th December)
Chapter 31: The Sand Garden
Chapter 32: The Samru
Chapter 33: The Citadel of the Autarch
Chapter 34: The Key to the Universe
Week 41 (28th December; slightly later because I doubt we want to discuss on Christmas Day)
Chapter 35: Father Inire's Letter
Chapter 36: Of Bad Gold and Burning
Chapter 37: Across the River Again
Chapter 38: Resurrection
I'll probably be late joining this one (breaking rule 4 already!) but will catch up. 41 weeks - this will bring us to Christmas, I think. This looks daunting when presented this way, but the chapters are quite short, and the entire work amounts to a little over 800 pages, which is 300 less than The Lord of the Rings.
Please keep in mind we also have monthly books to discuss - hopefully everyone won't abandon those for the long read.
Thanks...I won't say no to the offer of help there!
Okay, this link should work: https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=MTBjZHFndDdpODNzYWtrY2ZkNTFkNm5xcjBAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ
Thank-you! And Chris, you were right about the finish at Christmas. I agree with not letting it interfere with the monthly book club discussions.
Best head-math I've done in years.
My head-canon shoots your head-canon!
It begins!
https://ttrpbc.com/discussion/210/shadow-of-the-torturer-chapters-one-to-four
I'm back and I'm in! Catching up on the reading and will be ready to go this week! This looks wonderful and thank you all for the coordination and calendar efforts!
Oho- it will be great to have you on board!
It seems Gene Wolfe has died. Tor has an obituary:
@NeilNjae Thanks for bringing this to our attention - another great passes. I myself don't know Wolfe's work well enough, but my re-reading of The Shadow of the Torture has given me a new appreciation for his writing. I actually have quite a few of his books, and fully intend on reading all of them one day - The Fifth Head of Cerberus, the Latro series, and the Epiphany of the Long Sun.
For some reason I thought he was involved in the Timuras series (loosely based on Omar Khayyam), but that was actually by Allan Cole, who coincidentally just died 2 weeks ago.
The obit links to a New Yorker article which is quite interesting. Quite a few paragraphs discuss the Book of the New Sun and might make interesting discussion fodder. Also note that LeGuin referred to Wolfe as 'Our Melville' - a connection we already noted.