Gene Wolf The final Book of the New Sun, not counting the many sequels like Urth and so forth. Over on the OSR server we’ve been reading through the Book of the New Sun. Unfortunately, I didn’t start recording my thoughts until this book.
It’s been really interesting. Severian, the narrator, and the lead protagonist is a man of contradictions. He constantly says he never lies and has perfect memory (later seems to be a form of perfect recall he has to “turn on”) who forgets things and omits constantly, a rapist who thinks all women are into him, a killer who seems to only ever kill in self-defense or in service of “justice”, a rebel who constantly looks for someone to follow, and a lot more.
The setting is a fascinating far future dying world, but because the author tends to use old words instead of made-up ones the whole thing has a sort of medieval vibe and one could easily mistake the setting for a fantasy one at first read. There’s a lot of very good prose and a lot of blinks and you’ll miss it details. The world unfolds itself slowly over the course of all the books, which can be frustrating if after two books you are still having fundamental questions about the nature of the world, but it does make it satisfying when you get that payoff later.
Ch 2. I think memory Thecla is still conscious as she recognizes she’s been eaten.
Ch 3. The New Sun is another name for the conciliator? So the book of the new sun is in fact the book of the Conciliator.
Ch 3. Healing as a form of reverse time travel is an interesting take. Reminds me of how Orihime’s rejection ability works (From Bleach).
Ch 5. The ascians from the northern continent speak like a cross between a Bible thumper and a Tamarian from Star Trek. Such a great idea for a fantastic culture. Be sure to nick it for my/your/our game. That last quote though sounds like newspeak from 1984.
How shall the state be most vigorous? It shall be most vigorous when it is without conflict. How shall it be without conflict? When it is without disagreement. How shall disagreement be banished? By banishing the four causes of disagreement: lies, foolish talk, boastful talk, and talk which serves only to incite quarrels. How shall the four causes be banished? By speaking only Correct Thought. then shall the state be without disagreement. Being witout disagreement it shall be without conflict. Being without conflict it shall be vigrous, strong and secure
The wounded Ascian – Citadel of the autarch, end of chapter 5.
Ch 7. Gene Wolfe loves his stories within stories, doesn’t he? Now we have a contest of stories. This one feels like a classic nordic revenge plotline. Reminds me of the Saga of Grettir.
Ch 8 – It seems obvious in hindsight that the claw didn’t always use its healing powers. Makes sense that Severian, thick himbo he is, didn’t get that. Makes me feel dumb for not catching that. To be fair it is entirely possible that it was healing the Pelerines. Mysterious religious order and all. I would not have put it past Wolfe to have a religious order whose members are made immortal by a relic of fantasy Jesus. Mental note to add such an order to my games.
Ch 9 – “People tell me I’m a very stupid man” made me lol.
Ch 10- “You’re a materialist, like all ignorant people. But your materialism doesn’t make materialism true. Don’t you know that? In the final summing up, it is spirit and dream, thought and love and act that matter.” Ava speaks truly although the inverse is also true, one’s spiritualism does not make spiritualism true. The quotation reminds me of a passage from Neil Gaimans Sandman.
“Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
Ch 11 – The Ascians tale is interesting because it’s an interpretation of a story based on a recitation of specific passages of, for lack of a better word, scripture. One translation struck me as a bit of a strecth but it fits into the rest of the story.
“How are the hands nourished? By the Blood. How does the blood reach the hands? By the veins. If the veins are closed, the hands rot away”
“He left that farm and took to the roads”
Ch 11 – It should be noted that each of the statements is in point of fact scripture and by paying attention to the statements one can understand a bit about the Ascian society. There’s some striking stuff here:
“It is better to be just than to be kind, but only good judges can be just; let those who cannot be just, be kind”
“The Citizen renders to the populace what is due to the populace. What is due to the populace? Everything.”
“Can all petitioners be heard? No, for all cry together. Who, then, shall be heard-is it those who cry loudest? No for all cry loudly. Those who cry longest shall be heard, and justice done to them.”
Ch 12 – Lashings are worse for fat people because the lash cuts deeper?
Ch 12- A man selling himself into slavery of a religious order is interesting. It contrasts with how selective the Pelerines usually are with their proper initiates as evidenced by Ava.
Ch 14- “No doubt many a man who walks about and does his work is dying and many who lie abed all day are healthier than those who bring their food and wash them”
Ch 15. “Distances on the map were in proportion to their difficulty, and turnings were adjusted to suit the dimensions of the paper” has anyone seen or written a map like this?
And he departs from the map. When he sees the final destination, attempting a straight shot. Of course he does. And when he does the destination disappears. Stupid GM railroading his players.
Ch 16. The reasoning about the army’s reinforcements reminds me somewhat of the ongoing conversation now about Russia’s recent recruiting tactics in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict. The fact that it so clearly matches what is going on means that either these are very simple truths, or that I, like Severian, am not that bright and there is something deeper going on here. Given that this is a statement made to Severian and not by him, I am inclined to think the former.
Ch. 17 – “…Resolution and plan are better than a sword because a man whets his own edges on them.” pithy. not sure how a man whets his own edges by having a plan. I suppose whetting a sword is a means of preparing for events to come. Not as deep as it seems at first glance yet still insightful.
Ch 23- ” I, however, never suffered more than a sore throat and running nose, forms of sickness that serve only to deceive healthy people into the belief that they know in what disease consists. Malrubius suffered real illness, which is to see death in shadows.” I don’t believe I have ever been sick enough to see death in the shadows. I am yet young and undoubtedly will come to that state sooner or later. Entropy comes for us all. This brings to mind the post “Who by Very Slow Decay”.
Ch 24- Major Spoiler: The Autarch also acts as several lower officials when appropriate. This is a great bit of characterization. It makes me think of the shenanigans Ankh Morporkhs Patrician Vetinari sometimes got up to in the filling of his duties. I like the idea of a savvy ruler who is not afraid to condescend to lower positions to make things happen when appropriate. Also makes me think of Odin and how he’d disguise himself as a traveller in some of the old legends.
Ch 24- She bits about anti-iron and promatter is a fascinating bit of sci-fi magic hand waving. I like the idea of regular matter being “pro” matter. It fits the naming schema well. I like how the explanation of real matter creeping in and causing the anti-matter to react, thereby causing the flier to lose its lifting power over time makes a sort of sense. It’s a brilliant bit of technobabble.
Ch 25 – Throne of Salt points out that the Autarchs legion of pasty lives is mostly composed of regular people, thereby serving as a counterbalance to the natural inevitable aristocracy. Makes me think of this scene from Malcolm in the Middle. Spoilers for the ending of that show.
Ch 30 – Hierodule means holy slave huh. A quick google tells me that’s true but it’s also a type of Tyrannid (Warhammer 40k). Funny, One would think hierodule would be a sororitas or inquisitorial model.
Ch31 – A White hole, I’ve heard of them but never looked into them much. Wikipedia offers a brief overview and the concept is really wild. The whole Big Bang could be said to be a white hole. Note to return to the concept of a White Hole in the future.
Ch 31- “We are Aquastors, beings created and sustained by the power of the imagination and the concentration of thought.” Now there’s a DnD planar creature if i’ve ever seen one. Makes me think of Terry Pratchetts Small Gods.
Ch 31- “because we could not conquer it it was our always” “Everything was a relic, All the World was a relic.” Indeed it is.
Ch 35 – The mandragore would be a wonderful dnd encounter. How does one roleplay a creature reading a players mind?
And now it is finished. So many interesting characters and beats. so much stuff worthy of stealing for your TTRPG. I feel I do not fully understand it but I understood that may be the case when I started it. I am sure with future rereads more will make sense. I am satisfied with what I have read for now. Onwards to the next book.
Throne of Salt also participated in the book club and has posted his thoughts on the whole of the Book of the New Sun here and here.
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