From the Bookshelf of SpecFic Buddy Reads…

The Shadow of the Torturer (The Book of the New Sun, #1)

Gene Wolfe

Discussion: Short Fiction Reads Archive

Discussion leader: John

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 237 topics — 2,050 comments total

Short Fiction Reads Archive

* Big Book of SF: Master List
By Lindsay , Cartoon Evil Genius · 19 posts · 25 views

last updated Nov 14, 2023 06:53AM

The Feminine Future: Early Science Fiction by Women Writers (Dec-???) - Full Discussion
By DivaDiane , Our Lady of Perpetual TBR Optimism · 58 posts · 11 views

last updated May 08, 2025 01:25AM

showing 10 of 17 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 25, 2017 Lyn rated it it was amazing

A dark jewel.

Reminiscent of Ursula Le Guin, Robert Silverberg and Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe’s 1980 high fantasy begins a four book series about Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers who shows mercy and is exiled as an executioner.

And like most fantasies, it’s about a lot more too. Wolfe explores themes of honor, guild loyalty and resurrection / rebirth. This can also be seen as a religious allegory, though his tone is somber and the redemption is subtle and hidden in his intricate writi ...more

270 likes · Like · see review

Jul 22, 2012 Chris Haught rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2013-read-owned, made-my-eyes-bleed, specfic-group-reads, speculative-worlds, scifi-fan-group

I tried. Fuck it.

That was my original review, but not much to go on. Then again, if I took up 200 pages with flowery words of why this booked suck, I'd be doing the same thing the author of this piece of shit did.

The Torture of the Shadower:

Flowery prose? Yes. Gene Wolfe has it. He's a talented writer that can make a pretty sentence. I was often impressed with his word usage and some of the sentences were really enjoyable to read.

That said, you don't have to construct pretty sentences to impress I tried. Fuck it.

That was my original review, but not much to go on. Then again, if I took up 200 pages with flowery words of why this booked suck, I'd be doing the same thing the author of this piece of shit did.

The Torture of the Shadower:

Flowery prose? Yes. Gene Wolfe has it. He's a talented writer that can make a pretty sentence. I was often impressed with his word usage and some of the sentences were really enjoyable to read.

That said, you don't have to construct pretty sentences to impress me. That won't last but a moment, gone by the time I've moved to the next sentence. But when you string along a bunch of them, I start getting annoyed. Look, I read a work of fiction for story. Not to clap my hands to my face and get orgasmic because the writer is so very talented and smart.

I get that Gene Wolfe is smarter than I am. Frankly, I don't give much of a fuck. I'm reading a book for story. Tell me one. And while you're doing that, try using the language that your readers read (in this case English). Wolfe has this insanely annoying tendency to make up a bunch of words without definition and string them through the narrative, making the readers feel like the dumbfucks because they don't know what they mean. Many of these you can pick up in context, until after the halfway point of the book when context goes out the window. Because you don't know the fuck is going on. And don't much care by this point. This reminded me of China Mieville, and as people that know me will tell you, THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING.

I found myself skimming by the last 40 pages or so. Sure, I missed a lot of what was happening by doing this, but to be honest, I wouldn't have gotten much more by reading every flowery word. I'd have just been more impressed with Wolfe's ability to use fancy words (which he either makes up or I'm just too stupid to comprehend), and been angry with him for wasting my time.

I get that some people love this stuff. That's fine. I can see where one might. I'm just not that one.

1 1/2 stars. ...more

105 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2013 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, 2016-shelf, worldbuilding-sf

I was awash in strange expectations and assumptions before picking up this book, and after coming out the other side, I'm happy to say that this thoughtful novel pleased me.

It didn't wow me, but it certainly pleased me. I was very worried it wouldn't because the period of the late seventies and early eighties was a time of Fantasy that I just never really liked.

What? But this novel is SF!

Yes it is, and I loved all the old incorporation of alien life, our dying sun, quantum physics extrapolatio ...more

58 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2016 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016

I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I wanted to read outside my normal comfort zone in order to broaden my horizons. (Thanks, John, for the suggestion!) Well, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I immediately connected with both the style of writing and how the narrator presents the story as reflecting back upon his life and the choices he made or did not make. I also loved the ancient feeling of this world, although (view spoiler) ...more

35 likes · Like · see review

Nov 15, 2014 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016

3.5 for personal enjoyment, 4.5 for depth of writing and research. While constantly impressed with the references and allusions littered through the story and the resonance of the world Wolfe builds, the book in the end failed to engage my emotions alongside my brain.

19 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2014 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy-challenge-2016, world-fantasy-award

What fascinated me most about this was the overall tone of the narration. It was sorrowful and introspective and I loved that. I did feel that Sevarian was a bit too trusting of every single person he met! My only real complaint is that there are hints that he's writing this from someplace and for some reason but we're given no information on that. I'm sure we'll hear about it later but I would have appreciated a bit more info. ...more

15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 08, 2016 John rated it it was amazing

Occasionally I read a book that I know is worthy of five stars, but I give it four because it just did not engage me personally. Once in a while, I also find a book that's the opposite; Shadow of the Torturer is one of those. Objectively it's probably a four-star book, but man I had fun pondering its mysteries. If I finish the series unsatisfied, I'll probably come back and knock a star off. Otherwise, this one gets graded on a slight curve.

Also, Wolfe sure can write pretty. ...more

7 likes · Like · see review