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Gene Wolfe
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The Shadow of the Torturer (The Book of the New Sun, 1) Hardcover – January 1, 1980

by Gene Wolfe (Author), Don Maitz (Illustrator)
4.0 out of 5 stars 1,021 ratings
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  1. World Fantasy AwardWinner, 1981
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In a thoroughly decadent world of the future, Severian the torturer is cast out from the torturer's guild when he falls in love with one of his victims and allows her to die
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  1. Book 1 of 4
    Urth: Book of the New Sun
  2. Print length
    303 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1980
  6. ISBN-10
    0671253255
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0671253257
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 1980
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 303 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671253255
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671253257
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Book 1 of 4 ‏ : ‎ Urth: Book of the New Sun
  • Best Sellers Rank: #3,003,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 1,021 ratings

About the author

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Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe

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Gene Wolfe is winner of the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, and many other awards. In 2007, he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. He lives in Barrington, Illinois.

Photo by Cory Doctorow licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
1,021 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's fantastic world and slow-paced narrative. The character development receives positive feedback. The language and enjoyment aspects receive mixed reactions, with some finding it interesting while others find it boring.

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Fantasy contentCharacter developmentPacingEnjoymentLanguage
10 customers mention "Fantasy content"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the fantasy elements of the book, appreciating its fantastic world, with one customer noting it offers a great variation on the sci-fi/fantasy theme.

"...in retrospect, it's not even that slow-paced; instead, the story creeps upon the reader, without fanfare or making too much noice of itself...." Read more

"...Shadow of the Torturer and yet it is just the beginning of his magnificent work...." Read more

"...A great variation on the sci-fi/fantasy theme. I look forward to reading the other books in the series!" Read more

"...The reviews rave that this was one of the best fantasy books of our generation, but in my opinion it doesn't hold a candle to Martin's A Song of..." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"...around the events of this book, the pacing is perfect, the characters mysterious and interesting, this was an amazing book to read, also the audio..." Read more

"...In the end, the characters become dear, and you keep hoping for their success...." Read more

"I actually liked the main character in this book, but to be honest I found this a difficult read...." Read more

"...I enjoyed them again and appreciated the fantastic world, their characteres, and the plot. A classic that you need to read if you like fantasy." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book.

"...to a massive universe around the events of this book, the pacing is perfect, the characters mysterious and interesting, this was an amazing book to..." Read more

"...of my expectations, I found myself enjoying the story, quiet and slow-paced as it was...." Read more

"Full of richly textured unique language. This book is not a fast read, but rather a long, slow smoldering burn in your head...." Read more

10 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book, with some finding it interesting and surprisingly entertaining, while others describe it as boring.

"...of this book, the pacing is perfect, the characters mysterious and interesting, this was an amazing book to read, also the audio book narration is..." Read more

"Boring, wordy, no interesting developments." Read more

"...that, and despite the letdown of my expectations, I found myself enjoying the story, quiet and slow-paced as it was...." Read more

"A frustrating read full of wasted potential, it's as if the Author decided to not only ignore the Chekhov's Gun principle but to run afoul of it..." Read more

7 customers mention "Language"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the language of the book, with some appreciating its richly textured and unique style, while others find it wordy and difficult to read.

"Full of richly textured unique language. This book is not a fast read, but rather a long, slow smoldering burn in your head...." Read more

"...Parts were entertaining but other parts were just boring and poorly written. I didn't connect with any of the characters...." Read more

"I suppose that I am fantasy-poisoned. I loved Gene Wolfe's precise use of words, but the book itself was flat for me...." Read more

"...the main character in this book, but to be honest I found this a difficult read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Laurynas
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible world and captivating story
    Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The world, even though it's very small ( that we get to know) is incredibly well set up, there are enough bits of information to get a feel for how small the events in the book are compared to a massive universe around the events of this book, the pacing is perfect, the characters mysterious and interesting, this was an amazing book to read, also the audio book narration is perfect, Jonathan Davis is a true master.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Mika Kortelainen
    4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly entertaining
    Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I started reading this book (almost) without preconceptions, having just read a short review in a newspaper on the new translation of the second book. Though the review did not say much about the books narrative story, I was intrigued by the description of the use of language.
    So, I had next-to-none knowledge of the book, and for the first, I don't know, perhaps quarter of the book I was still uncertain whether I liked it or not. I kept expecting a familiar scifi or fantasy novel story line, and kept expecting events to start happening. But, this story is not like that, and despite the letdown of my expectations, I found myself enjoying the story, quiet and slow-paced as it was. And, in retrospect, it's not even that slow-paced; instead, the story creeps upon the reader, without fanfare or making too much noice of itself.
    In the end, the characters become dear, and you keep hoping for their success. And there are so many hints at what's to come that I cannot wait to get to the next 3 books I've downloaded from Kindle store.
    All in all, a surprisingly entertaining and, quietly, gripping story. Highly recommendable read for any friends of scifi and fantasy.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Kasey
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not that great but not terrible either
    Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I've read much worse books and comparatively this isn't so bad. Parts were entertaining but other parts were just boring and poorly written. I didn't connect with any of the characters. The random peppered language was more an annoyance than anything added to the book. The actions and reactions of the characters seemed cardboard and at times just sexist. More often than not it felt medieval instead of in the future. At least this book has seen something of an editor.
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  • Jason J. Attle
    5.0 out of 5 stars The first brush strokes of a masterpiece.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Gene Wolfe has crafted something very unique in The Shadow of the Torturer and yet it is just the beginning of his magnificent work. It defies classifcation and transcends tacky labels, it is multilayered, ingenious, thoughtful, and seductive. It is a book that can be read again and again such is its richness. It is not a contained work and those reading it should be looking to read the three books that follow it. It traces the tale of Severian, an orphan, apprenticed torturer, an intriguing and yet poignant beginning. He is sent from the only home he remembers out into the world, ironically naive, given his macarbe apprenticeship, to serve as an executioner elsewhere and is quickly caught up in the machinations of those with more cunning minds.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • MikeW
    4.0 out of 5 stars Shadowed by the torturer book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Full of richly textured unique language. This book is not a fast read, but rather a long, slow smoldering burn in your head. A great variation on the sci-fi/fantasy theme. I look forward to reading the other books in the series!
    One person found this helpful
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  • virtual alibi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Torturer on kindle
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This is, what used to be termed "science fantasy" and one of the great examples of it. However my review is primarily on one of the advantages of using a kindle to read it. I have read this book many times, often with a dictionary beside me, but laziness and an assumption that many terms I did not recognise were made up, led me to not look them up. Now armed with my kindle it is so easy to search words either by the built in dictionary or redirect to Wikipedia, that suddenly after many rereads I realise many of the terms used are archaic either being medieval or of Greek origin. I love my magic reading box!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Bowdoo
    2.0 out of 5 stars Boring and Quite Difficult to Concentrate On
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I actually liked the main character in this book, but to be honest I found this a difficult read. It's not that the words used were too difficult for me to understand, it's just that I had a hard time caring enough to put the time in to understand what the author was trying to tell me. Case in point, after reading this book I wasn't too sure where the story was taking place and there were a number of events that happened where I found myself wondering why or how that just happened. Then, when I was done reading and I read a few reviews of this book I questioned whether or not we had read the same book. I even double checked the title. The reviews rave that this was one of the best fantasy books of our generation, but in my opinion it doesn't hold a candle to Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice. Hell, I even enjoyed The Wheel of Time more than this. I find it very difficult not to finish a series after reading the first book, but I can guarantee that I won't be finishing this one. It's entirely possible that things would be cleared up in the following books, but I'd rather not take that gamble and feel like I've wasted my time like I felt after reading the first one.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Map Reduce
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read it even if you don't believe me
    Reviewed in France on April 4, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I have never before noted a book, but with this one I can't help myself. First off, Gene Wolfe should mandatory reading for authors of all genres. Secondly, sci-fi fans should read it early on, it will help filter out the crap like David Eddings... (I read it late, too late to filter it out) People should talk more about Wolfe, that's for sure.

    That being said, I'm going to try (and fail) to explain why I loved this series (because those who stopped after the first book should not comment on this one). Gene Wolfe is simply put an excellent old-style storyteller. He is capable of bundling up a dense and action filled story, personal views of human behavior, theology/philosophy and a description of a fantastic world, while never making you want to skip a page. But "description" is not the right word, because what Wolfe does best is letting the reader fill in gaps with his/her own imagination. Description by omission I would call it.

    Plus, writing from Severian's perspective, who lies, omits (even though he says he has a perfect memory) and doubts his mental sanity and intelligence makes it easier to justify this style. And even though Severian is such a cool character, you don't get to love him, cheer him on, worry about his injuries or his feelings. He's the self deprecating hero of a story that each reader will picture differently.

    I'm not saying everybody will like it. Some will find it difficult, some will give up after the first hundred pages thinking it's slow (all books are slow at first), some will hate it for its pretentious vocabulary. Some will hate what I loved: the lack of a true hero center piece, of lovable characters, of sad and long deaths of some of those characters... It's a story about the journey of a torturer in a brutal world.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intensely dark light in the dark
    Reviewed in Germany on September 19, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Shadow of the Torturer – intensely dark light in the dark

    From the very first, the book attracted me. By far the best fantasy read so far this year. Never read any Gene Wolfe before, but I shall most certainly pursue my reading and exploration of the series.

    The atmosphere is unique, and picturesque - "Baroque", as a friend explained. I could not even begin to put words to it... but that's why people should read it – it puts into words something raw of the imagination. The personal tone, the series of characters one encounters, the weirdness that hits you just as you begin to feel at home...

    The writing itself is also quite exceptional – I have never come across such a variety of obscure words; it's where you wished you had done Latin or Greek at school; the Kindle dictionary doesn't seem to have them all. But I am assured that these words are all registered words in the English language. From that point of view, also a delight.

    But don't let the exotic words put you off. I was just fully engaged with the events and the characters, caught off my guard and driven by the story and the style.

    Give it a go. It's strange, surprising, and quite outstanding. Glad to have started this author.
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  • 城太郎
    5.0 out of 5 stars やっと復刊！
    Reviewed in Japan on September 15, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    最初の数行から引き込まれ、迷路の中をくぐるようなジーン・ウルフ。
    その「新しい太陽の書」シリーズの復刊希望の声は以前から高かった。
    やっと復刊された。
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  • Sam Hart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the dull witted
    Reviewed in Australia on April 8, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is a book you will find very rewarding indeed if you're reasonably intelligent and moderately well read on the one hand; or if you genuinely love strange and imaginative stories on the other hand. If you don't belong in either of these categories, and don't want to or even just aren't ready to yet, then wait a while.
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  • R J Adam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible world building with a beautiful writing style.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This isn't an easy book to read, the writing style is deliberately non-modern, although not anywhere near as befuddling as shakespearean prose, it can take a while to 'click'. The book is one of those types where world building is the primary concern with plot a distant second.

    That's not to say that the plot isn't there, but there's a very low action-per-page quota which I understand can be frustrating for some; with the extensive deployment of little-used words it's in danger of being confused with a China Meiville's novel, not that this is a bad thing at all.

    The writing is beautiful and several times I had to turn back a page to really enjoy what was written, it truly takes you to another place in time and leaves you wanting more. Although this was written in the 80s the setting of far-future coupled with overriding historical technology has given the book a rare sense of timelessness.

    If I had to come up with a negative it's that the chap who shows up right at the end (basically gollum) is very rambling and unlikable even in the short time he's been with the group, so there's a risk he'll derail the whole thing, but it won't stop me cracking on with the next book this very evening.
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