/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.17268377]

Just finished the castle of the autarch , there was an anon who said that he didn't read the urth of the new sun because Geneman wasn't planning on writing said book but rather was pushed to write it by publisher
how the fuck can you make sense of that bombshell at the end ? i'm hoping to find answers in the 5th book for you my dear reader i hope that you will take the wolfe pill

[Anonymous No.17268404]

>>17268377
The first book was above average in atmosphere but i felt like it was a bit slow and it took its time building up
the second book was better with cool twists here and there
the third book was one of the comfiest reads where i really got immersed during the mountain climb and the fourth book is just non-stop action
I even ended up caring for severian which speaks volumes of the quality of Gene's storytelling chops
i'm still trying to piece together the first severian stuff but other than that i'd say it is a great read and a wonderful universe

[Anonymous No.17268463]

>>17268377
Some people dislike Urth because it explains some of the things that are only hinted at in BotNS, but some of that is almost impossible to guess unless you read it six times whilst making notes. Still, Urth is not a 'here's what everything meant' kind of a book, but a direct continuation from a Severian ten years older than in BotNS. The style is a bit more plain, but it doesn't 'explain' BotNS; instead it expands upon it and tells its own story. If you only focus on the things it reveals about the earlier books, you miss what it is actually hiding—sometimes in plain sight. It's not as good as BotNS, but the second half of Urth is more exciting than—and very different from—the first.

There's also the Book of the Long Sun, which deals with religous themes more explicitly, and is overall pretty good, and the Book of the Short Sun, which continues from Long Sun and contains—in my opinion—some of the best parts Wolfe has written. Neither has much to do with BotNS besides an occasional mention, who aren't that important to begin with. Yes, I know there's more, but it's not really essential

[Anonymous No.17269064]

>>17268463
thanks man i will jump right in then

[Anonymous No.17269081]

>>17268377
Urth is great, little jarring in the transition from BotnS but I ended up liking it a lot

[Anonymous No.17269238]

Do you guys consider it a Catholic work? Urth had me doubt that somehow.

[Anonymous No.17269314]

>>17269238
I don't think there's anything inherently Catholic about it in the way that something like the Lord of the Rings is. I don't think it's possible to understand the Lord of the Rings without some knowledge of the Catholic views of sin, evil, human nature, and redemptive suffering among so many other things. The New Sun isn't fresh in my mind so I can't think of any particular examples but there were parts where I felt the authors thinking on these things was actually contrary to Catholicism, or at least enough to brand him a heretic in better times.