Name: citadel of the autarch
Rating: 4.46875 (16 reviews)
ISBN: 0671496662

Gene Wolfe

citadel of the autarch

Greg Talbot

Spellbinding as usual, Wolfe's story of Severain, and his norhtern adventure are completed in this final book of the New Sun. Themes of war and identity are prominent here. With his trusty Terminus Est destroyed, and in a foreign land consumed by the never-ending war with between the Ascians and the Autarch, Severian is forced to meet new challenges. The second half of the book in particular is revelatory and helps to make sense of some of the preceeding chaos of the last 3 books.<br /><br />As a series, the "Book of the New Sun" is unparalleled. It's some of the best writing i've come across in any genre. Stories are laced within stories. Identies within identiies. Meanings within meanings. Like many readers, I expect I too will revisit these daring books. But as Wolfe writes in summation, and it is my particular sentiment after an exhaustive read this summer:<br /><br />"My pen halts, though I do not. Reader, you will walk no more with me. It is time we both take up our lives (p.407).

Severian the Torturer continues his epic journey across the lands of Urth, carrying with him the Claw of the Conciliator and the great sword, Terminus Est. All his travels are leading towards a destiny that he dare not refuse . . . Winner of the John W. Campbell Award for best novel, 1984

Urth: Book of the New Sun Book 4

The Citadel of the Autarch

Tobias V. Langhoff

And so this epic tetralogy closes; actually, this is rather the fourth volume of one long novel, because things didn’t start making a lick of sense before the third book, and even know there are lots of things I don’t understand. I intend to read the coda next, The Urth of the New Sun, which apparently will make things even clearer, although many people say that a second read-through might be required too.
 
It was a wild ride, and a great one. Looking back, I see I gave the second book four stars and not five. In retrospect I’m not sure why that was, although like I said, answers to the many great mysteries that begun in the first book didn’t start popping up until the third book, so I suppose I was very bewildered as I finished the second one. I’m sure now that this is one of the best works of speculative fiction (because it’s both sci-fi and fantasy) I have read.

citadel of the autarch

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