Shadow of the Torturer (review)

Shadow of the Torturer (1980), by Gene Wolfe, the first part in The Book of the New Sun series, is an amazing work; so much that the first thing I considered when writing this is how to make this review more than just glowing praise and a strong recommendation.

So I'll start with a caveat: this book is definitely not an easy read. The language is baroque and intricate to a point that often surpasses Vance and Gygax. The subject matter is not light either; this is dark fantasy written by someone who understands dark fantasy. I often stopped reading the book to re-read a paragraph because it was too difficult or too insightful (and, to be honest, I had abandoned the book in the first chapter a few years ago before giving it a second try).

By the way, I read it in physical format, but if you have a device that lets you access a dictionary with a single click, it will be especially useful here. The author frequently employs archaic terms (and occasionally some Latin) where simpler words might suffice, yet he does so consistently and elegantly; it feels enriching rather than a gimmick.

The plot is about Severian, a torturer's apprentice who falls in love with a prisoner and has to travel due to the consequences of his trespasses, while at the same time growing from childhood to maturity. The (superb) world-building takes us through ancient ruins, secrets, lost technology, weird religions, half-forgotten myths, and a few strange creatures (that are not really important in this first book).

The near-absence of magic and monsters makes me wonder if I should call this dark fantasy or dark sci-fi; probably a mix of both, in the true weird tradition. The little magic there is seems to be of Clarke’s third law type (or a variation: any sufficiently forgotten technology is indistinguishable from magic).

But fantasy and sci-fi are far from the only influences of this book. Despite having a "dying Earth" setting and other similarities to Vance, the echoes of Kafka and Borges are often clear. Like these authors, Wolfe manages to create a world that is strange not only in its inhabitants and landscapes, but often in its thoughts and morals. I have to add that I found the characters also full of nuance and depth, not merely strong warriors, evil overlords or damsels in distress.

The influence of Catholicism, on the other hand, is both strong and somewhat hidden, as religion also seems to be partly forgotten and twisted in this dying world. Apparently, the author was a devout Catholic, but with a somewhat somber view of the world, as you can see from this quote:

“It has been remarked thousands of times that Christ died under torture. Many of us have read so often that he was a “humble carpenter” that we feel a little surge of nausea on seeing the words yet again. But no one ever seems to notice that the instruments of torture were wood, nails, and a hammer; that the man who built the cross was undoubtedly a carpenter too; that the man who hammered in the nails was as much a carpenter as a soldier, as much a carpenter as a torturer. Very few seem even to have noticed that although Christ was a “humble carpenter,” the only object we are specifically told he made was not a table or a chair, but a whip.”

Well, as you can see, I was thoroughly impressed with this book. It is certainly one of the best books I've ever read, not only because it seems to take influence from some of my favorite authors but because the writing is superb by itself. 

Yes, if you want some sci-fi, fantasy, or D&D ideas, you'll find it here, but there is so much more; it seems to elevate the genre to a new level. I am always doubtful if I should review a book without reading the whole series (which, by the end of the book, feels necessary - there are apparent five books in this "New Sun" cycle), but this was a really good one. 

Highly recommended.

Happy new year and may you live to see the New Sun!