T-Rex Book (P)Review: Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun

This book is not new. It is a science-fiction/fantasy masterpiece that can be quite intimidating to approach. Why? It comes with some big asks. They include:

• Despite being published as 4 separate novels, it is in fact one long work that is about 1,000 pages and …
• It will require multiple (re)readings. A second read is a must; most folks read it 3 or 4 times.
• It requires patience. Why? Well, for a few reasons, including …
• Much of the plot is pussy-motivated. Like the protag is a young cishet dude with a huge sword who immediately falls in love with every attractive woman he meets. There is at least one scene of dubious consent. Also …
• He is a torturer. And executioner. Truthfully, that one isn’t as bad as it sounds. There’s only a few grisly scenes—at least in terms of graphic detail. The rest is left to the reader’s imagination. He is, however …
• A total dumbass. At times a sweet dumbass, at times a cruel one, but he seems very easily tricked, duped, and manipulated, which may be frustrating for some readers. Likely to be equally frush-inducing is …
• The world-building is amazing; however, it is not explained in a way most readers are used to. It is described as it is seen by the protagonist, who is native to that world. So you will have to use your imagination and try to figure out if Wolfe is maybe fucking with you a bit. (Hint: he definitely is, albeit in a charming way.) Similarly …
• The plot is very straightforward … or appears to be, on first reading. So you’re quite likely to be about a hundo pages in an be like, “This is the masterpiece T was going on about? Did I get the wrong book?” You might begin to get it around halfway through the second book (The Claw of the Conciliator)—with help. Without help, you will likely require more time. And that’s okay. I just wish someone had given me some idea about when it would start to click because …
• In the beginning of the first novel, The Shadow of the Torturer, it seems like a plain old bildungsroman about an apprentice torturer in some grimdark fantasy world. The prose is very good, though, and that will likely hold your attention and interest for the first half or third of the first book. Things are established in a relatively familiar way at that point. But once it actually gets going, that’s when I think you’re at risk of feeling lost or bored and wondering why you should give a fuck. So you have to power through that shit, which is a big ask but worth it if you do.
• It’s also intensely Catholic in parts (Wolfe was Catholic), which I found particularly off-putting, but I bit down and labored on through.

Now, those are the asks. But there is help, too!

• There is a great YouTube series that provides excellent plot/storyline-only coverage for each of the individual books. So if you’re not sure that you’re understanding it or worried you missed something, these are great to check your reading against.

• The podcast team featured therein, Alzabo Soup, also do chapter by chapter readings, if you’re looking for a deeper dive and maybe more immediate assistance.

• There is a badass folio edition that is illustrated1.

• There are unabridged audiobooks, for people who like being read to. And …

• You’ve always got me, yo. Just ask, and I’ll be there …

So as you can see, this is not a proper review so much as a pitch for you to try to read the fucker. If enough of you do it, I’ll write a proper review.

Happy exploring the world of Urth!

Xoxo,

T

TRS 002 T-Rex Special Edition #2