I am in the presence of a practitioner whose moves I cannot follow I see only the same illusions that are seen by those outside the guild. Whilst recognising that the publication of The Book of the New Sun was a ‘seminal event’ in the history of science fiction, Budrys gave voice to his growing suspicion that the narrative might not be as straightforward as it first appeared: (Certainly it does not present some of the problems of interpretation that The Fifth Head of Cerberus has posed for wary and unwary alike.) 2Ĭonversely, Algis Budrys was expressing a growing scepticism as the tetralogy saw print. On the one hand, critics like Michael Bishop were lauding The Shadow of the Torturer for being:Īn immediately accessible book for anyone with moderate intelligence and the ability to read. Colin Greenland, reviewing The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator for Foundation provides a somewhat restrained endorsement when he considers the texts as ‘the next classic sf sequence, on a par with Earthsea, the Titus Groan Books or even…the Foundation Trilogy.’ 1 However, embedded within this, and more extravagant praise, was a burgeoning paradox. It was acclaimed widely for its imaginative fertility, its formidable characterisation, its controlled and meticulous style, and the craftsmanship of its construction. In short, it became a publishing event, the repercussions of which were felt in fanzines, journals and mainstream publications alike.

The Book of the New Sun was applauded in a variety of periodicals ranging from The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction to Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine to The Library Journal and The New York Times. Campbell Memorial Award in 1984.Ĭritics and reviewers were unrestrained. Universally praised, each volume won at least one of sf’s most coveted awards: The Shadow of the Torturer took the Howard Memorial Award and the World Fantasy Award in 1981, and the British Science Fiction Award in 1982 The Claw of the Conciliator brought Wolfe his second Nebula Award in 1981, whilst Locus honoured the novel with its Best Fantasy Novel Award in 1982 The Sword of the Lictor received the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1983 and The Citadel of the Autarch took the John W. Long before its inclusion on Millennium’s SF Masterworks list, Gene Wolfe’s densely allusive four volume The Book of the New Sun ( The Shadow of the Torturer (1980), The Claw of the Conciliator (1981), The Sword of the Lictor (1981) and The Citadel of the Autarch (1983)) was acclaimed as one of science fiction’s ‘masterpieces’.

Volume Two: Sword and Citadel (Millennium, 2000).

Gene wolfe claw of the conciliator