Sword and Citadel

The final two volumes in Wolfe's masterwork where we continue to follow Severian on his travels across the Urth under the baleful glare of the dying sun. Finally reaching the northern city of Thrax, he finds himself uncomfortable in the role of Lictor and once again shows mercy to a prisoner and goes on the run from the authorities, heading ever north towards the distant war zone.

Wolfe's depiction of this strange, ailing planet is one of the great achievements of fantastic fiction. Science and superstition mingle with edged weaponry and energy weapons. Society is held in stasis, barely above the level of barbarism, as the world awaits the arrival of the ‘New Sun', although no one is ever quite clear exactly what or who that might be. For Severian it is the return of the Conciliator, a mythical figure who carried a jewel called The Claw. That jewel is still in Severian's possession and he struggles to understand its powers. Can it heal the sick and raise the dead, as it seems to have done so in the past, or is it a power already within Severian himself?

Things are never straightforward in this world, and again a cast of characters appear, disappear and reappear as Severian moves inexorably towards his destiny. Wolfe's prose might seem funereally paced to some, but you really have to let yourself be immersed in it. His depiction of the war is truly horrifying, as the enemy, brainwashed and seemingly vast in number, battle the forces of The Autarch.

Wolfe, within this story, comments on everything from the nature of power, memory and war, to love, duty and religion.

Taken as a whole, the four Volumes of the Book of the New Sun are one of the crowning achievements of Fantasy fiction and I would recommend them to anyone who loves fantasy. They may not be to everyone's taste, but persevere and they will stay with you.