Post by Taika of Narfell on Feb 5, 2007 23:48:13 GMT 1
Gene Wolfe - Shadow of the Torturer (Volume 1 of Book of the New Sun)
I have begun collecting Gollancz's Fantasy Masterworks series. It seemed like a library with the kind of fantasy novels I like - that is to say, novels that can actually be considered literature rather than pulp or trivia. A writer that shows up more than once is Gene Wolfe (he also has works in the SF Masterworks line). Shadow of the Torturer is the first of four novels and comprises the first half of the volume from Fantasy Masterworks. The series is called Book of the New Sun and this volume has the subtitle: Shadow and Claw (The second novel included in this volume is Claw of the Conciliator).
On the back cover this text is found:
"Recently voted the greatest fantasy of all time after The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is an extraordinary epic, set a million years in the future, on an Earth transformer in mysterious and wondrous ways.
Severian is a torturer, exiled from his guild after falling in love with one of his victims, and now journeying to the distant city of Thrax, armed with his ancient executioner's sword,Terminus Est."
This has rightly been called science fantasy rather than just fantasy. We see a futuristically medieval Urth where technology and even genetic manipulation has given extinct races a renaissance, where sword and rapier are popular weapons for the noblemen whose main means of transport is some sort of flying machines, where torture is conducted on royal license with such means as the classic flaying but also hi-tech equipment that tortures the 'client's' psyche. In fact, it took me some time to realise that this setting was not strictly medieval, because Wolfe's presentation of it lends it so much nitty gritty atmosphere that I never even considered the feudal society as anything but medieval.
But buildings are made of steel, and the impossibly large building The Citadel, which houses all the guilds, looms over a city, Nessus, so huge that it couldn't possibly support itself in terms of food and other ressources. The Citadel in which the story opens is so large that most of its inhabitants know only their local area and will be lost when venturing outside those familiar grounds.
The story is told in first person narrative by Severian looking back on his life. He tells of his upbringing as an apprentice in the torturers' guild - officially named The Order of the Seekers for Truth and Penitence, such a sober name for something so nasty. We hear the story from when he's a teenager and we follow him to status as journeyman of the guild. As all torturers Severian, too, is detached and cynical, though neither cruel nor evil as such. He does have feelings, and that is what becomes his downfall when he takes a liking to the Chatelaine Thecla. The Chatelaine spends many long months in a cell in the guild's dungeon awaiting her sentence, but since she is a prominent personage she is allowed some company and the luxury of some few books. The company granted her is Severian's. The young lad has his horizon considerably broadened by talking to Thecla and he takes quite a shine to her, something entirely unsuitable when sh receives her sentence and is tortured. Her torture is a slow sort and once administered she should be able to stay alive for a month or so before she succumbs. Severian smuggles a knife into her cell for her to end it before it gets too horrible. For this he must receive a punishment of sorts. According guild codes he ought to be tortured to death, himself. But such a thing would be difficult to do, since it would require an explanation to the authorities who would then also need to be told of the Chatelaine's premature and relatively easy departure. Likewise they cannot expel him as that would also require explanations.
Eventually Severian is sent off to Thrax - a faraway town in need of an executioner. It is an ungrateful position and it is about halfways through the book that we see him off on his journey. He travels for quite some days without even leaving Nessus - that should give you a clue as to how huge that city truly is.
Everyone can recognise him as a torturer because he wears his guild colour, namely the colour fuligin - a shade darker than black. So dark indeed that you cannot even see folds in the cloth. I might mention I'd be awfully happy to have such a cloak myself. As he stands out so much it leads him to quite a few odd adventures before reaching the city gates. The book ends with him and his companions leaving by way of the humongous city gates.
One thing I dislike about the book is the seeming influence of Fate - or whatever we might call it. I always carry some dislike towards a destined hero. I'd much rather see heroes struggle to achieve their goals and do it by way of their own skills and intelligence, I don't like to see that for some inexplicable reason the normally instantly fatal poison didn't kill him. There is one such instance in Shadow of the Torturer and it frankly disappointed me somewhat since the rest of the book appeals to me so greatly. However, I still have hopes that Severian's unexpected survival can/will be explained when we learn more of his hitherto unknown roots. We know naught of his parents, and Severian at this point of the story doesn't know either.
What is also interesting is that the frame story peeks out once in a while and tells us that at the time of writing his biography Severian is occupying a room in the castle of the autarch - the supreme ruler. Indeed it sounds to me like he *is* the autarch at the time of writing, which I am very much looking forward to having confirmed or otherwise.
Another issue I have with this book is how quickly people seem to decide that they lover one another. After a few days (and sometimes even less than a day) of acquaintance they love each other. Quite remarkable and after a while also quite cheesy. But since the setting a story are so different and interesting I bear with it and ignore the slight cheesiness.
All in all I am very much looking forward to reading the next book as I enjoyed this one very much. Following a main character who is not the noble soft-hearted hero we've seen so many a time is a refreshing thing. Plus, I like the descriptions of torture methods. I'm evil like that.
I have begun collecting Gollancz's Fantasy Masterworks series. It seemed like a library with the kind of fantasy novels I like - that is to say, novels that can actually be considered literature rather than pulp or trivia. A writer that shows up more than once is Gene Wolfe (he also has works in the SF Masterworks line). Shadow of the Torturer is the first of four novels and comprises the first half of the volume from Fantasy Masterworks. The series is called Book of the New Sun and this volume has the subtitle: Shadow and Claw (The second novel included in this volume is Claw of the Conciliator).
On the back cover this text is found:
"Recently voted the greatest fantasy of all time after The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is an extraordinary epic, set a million years in the future, on an Earth transformer in mysterious and wondrous ways.
Severian is a torturer, exiled from his guild after falling in love with one of his victims, and now journeying to the distant city of Thrax, armed with his ancient executioner's sword,Terminus Est."
This has rightly been called science fantasy rather than just fantasy. We see a futuristically medieval Urth where technology and even genetic manipulation has given extinct races a renaissance, where sword and rapier are popular weapons for the noblemen whose main means of transport is some sort of flying machines, where torture is conducted on royal license with such means as the classic flaying but also hi-tech equipment that tortures the 'client's' psyche. In fact, it took me some time to realise that this setting was not strictly medieval, because Wolfe's presentation of it lends it so much nitty gritty atmosphere that I never even considered the feudal society as anything but medieval.
But buildings are made of steel, and the impossibly large building The Citadel, which houses all the guilds, looms over a city, Nessus, so huge that it couldn't possibly support itself in terms of food and other ressources. The Citadel in which the story opens is so large that most of its inhabitants know only their local area and will be lost when venturing outside those familiar grounds.
The story is told in first person narrative by Severian looking back on his life. He tells of his upbringing as an apprentice in the torturers' guild - officially named The Order of the Seekers for Truth and Penitence, such a sober name for something so nasty. We hear the story from when he's a teenager and we follow him to status as journeyman of the guild. As all torturers Severian, too, is detached and cynical, though neither cruel nor evil as such. He does have feelings, and that is what becomes his downfall when he takes a liking to the Chatelaine Thecla. The Chatelaine spends many long months in a cell in the guild's dungeon awaiting her sentence, but since she is a prominent personage she is allowed some company and the luxury of some few books. The company granted her is Severian's. The young lad has his horizon considerably broadened by talking to Thecla and he takes quite a shine to her, something entirely unsuitable when sh receives her sentence and is tortured. Her torture is a slow sort and once administered she should be able to stay alive for a month or so before she succumbs. Severian smuggles a knife into her cell for her to end it before it gets too horrible. For this he must receive a punishment of sorts. According guild codes he ought to be tortured to death, himself. But such a thing would be difficult to do, since it would require an explanation to the authorities who would then also need to be told of the Chatelaine's premature and relatively easy departure. Likewise they cannot expel him as that would also require explanations.
Eventually Severian is sent off to Thrax - a faraway town in need of an executioner. It is an ungrateful position and it is about halfways through the book that we see him off on his journey. He travels for quite some days without even leaving Nessus - that should give you a clue as to how huge that city truly is.
Everyone can recognise him as a torturer because he wears his guild colour, namely the colour fuligin - a shade darker than black. So dark indeed that you cannot even see folds in the cloth. I might mention I'd be awfully happy to have such a cloak myself. As he stands out so much it leads him to quite a few odd adventures before reaching the city gates. The book ends with him and his companions leaving by way of the humongous city gates.
One thing I dislike about the book is the seeming influence of Fate - or whatever we might call it. I always carry some dislike towards a destined hero. I'd much rather see heroes struggle to achieve their goals and do it by way of their own skills and intelligence, I don't like to see that for some inexplicable reason the normally instantly fatal poison didn't kill him. There is one such instance in Shadow of the Torturer and it frankly disappointed me somewhat since the rest of the book appeals to me so greatly. However, I still have hopes that Severian's unexpected survival can/will be explained when we learn more of his hitherto unknown roots. We know naught of his parents, and Severian at this point of the story doesn't know either.
What is also interesting is that the frame story peeks out once in a while and tells us that at the time of writing his biography Severian is occupying a room in the castle of the autarch - the supreme ruler. Indeed it sounds to me like he *is* the autarch at the time of writing, which I am very much looking forward to having confirmed or otherwise.
Another issue I have with this book is how quickly people seem to decide that they lover one another. After a few days (and sometimes even less than a day) of acquaintance they love each other. Quite remarkable and after a while also quite cheesy. But since the setting a story are so different and interesting I bear with it and ignore the slight cheesiness.
All in all I am very much looking forward to reading the next book as I enjoyed this one very much. Following a main character who is not the noble soft-hearted hero we've seen so many a time is a refreshing thing. Plus, I like the descriptions of torture methods. I'm evil like that.