The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
"The Book of the New Sun" is a science fantasy series set on a distant future Earth, referred to as Urth, where the Sun is gradually dying. The narrative unfolds in a society reminiscent of medieval cultures, primarily divided between the Commonwealth in the South and the Ascians in the North. The protagonist, Severian, is born into the Guild of Torturers in the city of Nessus, where he is trained under a strict master. His journey begins when he befriends a prisoner named Thecla, whose fate impacts his moral compass and leads him to a path of exile.
As Severian ventures out, he gathers a diverse group of allies, including the abandoned woman Dorcas and the enigmatic figures Dr. Talos and Baldanders. His adventures lead him to acquire the Claw of the Conciliator, a gem symbolizing hope and redemption for Urth's people. The story reveals deeper cosmic themes as Severian learns of his mission to find a new sun for his planet, culminating in his ascension to the role of Autarch and his transformative journey into space.
The series blends elements of mythology, philosophy, and intricate world-building, while exploring themes of power, identity, and redemption. As Severian's journey unfolds, the fate of Urth hangs in the balance, ultimately leading to a cataclysmic rebirth of the planet.
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The Book of the New Sun
First published:The Shadow of the Torturer (1980), The Claw of the Conciliator (1981; collected with The Shadow of the Torturer as The Book of the New Sun, Volumes I and II, 1983), The Sword of the Lictor (1982), The Citadel of the Autarch (1983; collected with The Sword of the Lictor as The Book of the New Sun, Volumes III and IV, 1985), and The Urth of the New Sun (1987)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—theological romance
Time of work: Millennia in the future
Locale: Urth
The Plot
In an Earth (now called Urth) of the distant future, the Sun is slowly dying. Humanity is divided into the Commonwealth, centered roughly in what is now South America, and the Ascians, or those without shadow, who dominate the Northern Hemisphere. The society resembles medieval cultures such as that of the Byzantine Empire.
Severian is born into the hereditary Guild of Torturers in the city of Nessus. The Torturers are assigned to torment the enemies of the city’s ruler. Severian, along with several other apprentices, is trained by the dour Master Gurloes. One of the few exceptions to their grim regimen is the annual celebration of their patroness, Holy Katherine. Severian meets a prisoner named Thecla, on whom he takes pity, eventually bringing her books and trying to console her. Severian gives Thecla a knife, and from the pools of blood he sees outside her prison door the next time he comes to visit her, he concludes that she has committed suicide. Severian informs Master Palaemon, one of his superiors in the Guild, of what he has done. Palaemon advises Severian to go into exile and gives him a resplendent sword named Terminus Est to aid him during his adventures and ordeals.
Severian ranges far and wide, eventually meeting an abandoned blonde woman named Dorcas as well as the mysterious Dr. Talos and his sidekick, the giant Baldanders. Severian’s network of acquaintances begins to solidify, forming a circle of personal loyalties around which his destiny will unfold. Eventually, some of these people’s memories become fused with Severian’s when he comes to be the representative of his entire planet.
Severian journeys to the north, toward the Windowless City of Thrax. He manages to get hold of the Claw of the Conciliator, which despite its name is not a weapon but a glowing, beautiful, and redemptive jewel that holds the promise of future peace for the warring and injured peoples of Urth. Along with Dorcas, he encounters the cannibalistic Alzabo and helps the people of the region surrounding Thrax win their freedom.
Severian finds out that Thecla has not in fact died but used the knife to escape. He also finds out that Baldanders and Dr. Talos are not what they seem. Dr. Talos is a mechanical man who, despite his air of authority, is Baldanders’ servant. Baldanders, for his part, is in communication with extraterrestrial spirits called hierodules. These hierodules, Ossipago, Barbatus, and Famulimus, reveal to Severian the calamity that is overtaking Urth and inform him that he has been appointed to journey into space and find a new sun for the planet.
First, though, Severian has to attain full authority on Urth. With the backing of the power he has accumulated in Thrax and elsewhere, he returns to Nessus and is declared Autarch. He marries Valeria, an aristocratic lady of the city who is a suitable partner for him, although parts of his love will always be directed toward Dorcas and Thecla. As Autarch, Severian brings more justice to Urth than most of his predecessors had managed.
The hierodules arrange for a huge starship to transport Severian into space. Aboard the giant ship, Severian is attacked by “jibers,” crewmen from other worlds who have been in the ship so long that they have become permanent residents of its underclass. He is saved from them by a pretty but strangely world-weary woman named Gunnie and an engaging sprite named Zak. Severian learns that he is going to the planet Yesod for a trial in which he will represent Urth. His task is to convince the Hierogrammate Tzadkiel to give Urth a new sun. Upon arrival at Yesod, Severian encounters a woman (actually an embodied, angelic larva) named Apheta who reveals the utter insignificance of Urth in the cosmic order but hints at implications in his mission that Severian himself has not realized.
Severian meets the great Tzadkiel only to find that it is the apparently harmless Zak, in vastly transmuted form. Tzadkiel informs Severian that he is Urth’s new sun and that he will be returned amid great cataclysm for the planet’s rebirth. Tzadkiel also indicates that, in some other dimension of time, he and all of his sort had been made by humans from Urth. Severian returns to Urth, this time accompanied by Gunnie’s younger incarnation, Burgundofara. Much of Urth is destroyed, but Severian survives to see the planet renewed and renamed Ushas, signifying its new state of being.