Book of the New Sun

It actually is unless you have good understanding of classical and modern physics and metaphysics, as well as the Greeks and Romans, and a healthy imagination

I don't know enough about mythology or astronomy to understand it.

I don't think I'll have much of a problem with that, then. I mostly take science classes in college, and I have a true love of astronomy. Metaphysics too, is something I'm really big about

Sounds like this book is at least worth reading to me

>It actually is unless you have good understanding of classical and modern physics and metaphysics, as well as the Greeks and Romans, and a healthy imagination
you don't even an adequate grounding in any of these to pace through botns on a first read. people who have been exposed to greek myth in literature in the canon won't even recognize some of the esoteric names that wolfe uses.

astronomy barely features either. and severian outright invents a few constellations.

none of these faggots knows what they're talking about. just read it and don't worry about references. botns threads happen enough here that you'll encounter people touching on the important ones.

I'm halfway through the book. Don't feel as if I need any special preknowledge, except maybe for a moderate understanding of latin.

What the book really demands is patience, as it's really slow.

I started reading The Shadow of the Torturer after Sam Hyde said it was his and Charles' favorite book, if I recall correctly. Fuck them and fuck Gene Wolfe and fuck my life. English is my second language. This book is full of uncommon words and it's strangely written. I did manage to follow along in the plot though I guess but got tired after a while and stopped.

>taking literature cues from Sam Hyde
You deserved all the anguish you experienced.
Also, what is wrong with you OP. Did you just make a thread about whether or not you should read a book that you already purchased?

nigger spotted

Wow you're pretty sensitive.

>slow
It only looks like that first time around because you don't know enough to realize how important absolutely everything that's happening is.

So, what can you faggots tell me about the Concillator? Aside from the obvious Christian implications (death and rebirth, one with God, prosecution by Typhon etc.), I can only think of Romulus who is said to have disappeared at a sudden darkening of the sun and became a god, whos legend is also referenced in the story of king Frog who was reared by a she-wolf and killed his brother. I don't know enough about religion and mythology to get the full picture

You can learn absolutely everything about the Conciliator if you read Urth of the New Sun, or if you don't want that I can give you bits and pieces just based on what's in Book of the New Sun. It feels so absurdly simple after Urth but missing it completely is perfectly understandable because of how Book of the New Sun presents everything.

I am actually only at the third volume, piecing it together is very novel

>rest of the rabble
it is popular amongst the rabble, the dissidents are the minority

i've only read "shadow" so far, and hoo boy, is it a ride. i studied latin and classical greek back when, so i thought i had a rich vocabulary. i know nothing compared to gene wolfe in this regard. it may sound shallow, but i'm amazed that wolfe could use so many historical descriptions so minutely and effectively in the pre-wikipedia age. i suppose his catholicism grants him access to a lot of these bits of esoterica.

to say nothing of the quiet brilliance of how prose through severian is written. coming in, i thought the "i'm a tortured autist with perfect recall" was a bit on the nose, but i'm amazed at how the writing is alternately flowery and limpid — often just so.