CURRENTLY LIKING

I've been absolutely obsessed with this book series I've fallen into called Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. In an article I can no longer find, someone described it as a "sci-fi novel where the main character thinks he's in a fantasy novel." It is a dying earth sci-fi fantasy novel series, on an Earth set a million years in the future. The sun is dying, bloated and red, and the world is inhabited by all manner of strange creature and man, all eeking out a living digging through the leftover refuse of past civilazations. Characters ride mounts while they carry around swords and wear armor, but laser guns and spears with flaming tips abound as well.

We follow Severian of the Torturer's Guild (The Order of the Seekers of Truth and Penitence, as they refer to themselves). He is exiled from the guild as a journeyman for reasons I won't reveal, and we watch his adventures through the world unfold as he finds meaning in his new life. The book itself is written in first person, as Severian documenting an account of his life, which grounds the story in a way that I haven't experienced before. The writer will refer to the reader (you) as if you are in fact a citizen of this world, which makes you feel smart and stupid at the same time, smart for the faith Severian places in you to know what he's talking about, and stupid because the faith is ultimately misplaced as I often don't know what the hell he is talking about. It's the kind of book you read throgh once and go "huh?" and then read through again and go "oh".

I think it's because of this I find myself so enraptured. Reading the book feels like you have discovered some ancient text in an unearthed tomb. This is compounded by the fact that there is an appendix for referencing unfamiliar terms and concepts, however, the appendix is written by the author as if he himself has discovered this book and is only translating it, admitting that he is just as confused as you are. What a cheeky guy.

So yeah, go read this masterpiece. I am about 2/3rds done with the second book in the series (there are four, technically five I guess) and can't wait to open the next one. As a bonus, here is a cover of a Japanese printing of the book with art by Yoshitaka Amano, known for his work on the Final Fantasy series.