Okay, let me escape from the subreddit's biases and just ask if this Urth is absolutely unnecessary and will ruin the mystery around New Sun? I adored the original, but I don't know how much I really want to start knowing about what the aliens are, what Severian becomes, whether Urth survives or not. It just seems like a plot/lore-slop. I'm excited to tackle Long and Short sun next.
>>25278051Didn't really care for it, especially for the first part of the book, it does resolve some New Sun stuff but still a lot of mysteries remain. If you are planning of completing the whole of the Solar Cycle, may as well power through it
>>25278051You can take Wolfe's own word for it: he didn't want to write the book, but his publishers insisted that he "complete" The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe regarded it as complete already.
>>25278051>jacket with the sleeves rolled upAsk me how I know that edition was published in the 1980s.
>>25278051I wouldn't say it "ruins" New Sun but it feels unnecessary.Half of it is just a bonus Severian misadventure and the rest only makes the cosmology more confusing. I blame it for giving fodder to the autistic "lore" people that are all over the subreddit.It's also the first Wolfe novel where the "main character talks like a scary autist" thing is apparent, so it should probably have been axed for that alone.
>>25278051Why would you even want to read this series further when the last book ended with Severian going into space so aliens could decide if he gets his dick cut off.
>>25278051Didn't know so many people disliked it here, I thought it was fun and had some great Wolfe moments. It won't ruin anything, it's not necessary, but if you enjoyed BotNS then read it.
>>25278051Genre fiction >>>/trash/
>listened to the Audible version of TBotNS>was completely enamored with it and basically spent every waking moment for weeks listening to it>tried starting up Urth of the New Sun>even more confused than usual; drop it for later when I have more tolerance for wrapping my head around what the fuck is even going onIs the beginning supposed to be confusing as hell?
>>25278300No evidence that Wolfe didn't want to write the book. We just know it wasn't part of his vision for New Sun. All he said is that Severian's journey to bring the New Sun would require its own story separate from the core 4 books.
>>25278051It adds at least as many mysteries as it reveals imo>>25278300He talks about this in the interview I posted here >>25278793 (part 3 iirc) and that isn't true. There was drama about contracts but he seemed pretty excited about it. The publisher did prod him into doing it but it's not like he was forced.
>>25278693Are you the faggot that starts replying to people without two arrows when xhe gets mad enough
Nearing the end of Lake of the Long Sun, and I gotta say... I love it. Calde is considered the low point, so maybe I will soon sour on Long Sun... but for now I think the haters for Long Sun are very wrong.
It's goodBut it's not necessary if you intent to continue on to Long Sun and then Short Sun, which are BETTER books by the wayThat's really gay cover art
>>25278845Short Sun is even betterGod I want to fuck a mosquito
>>25278051There are ups and downs, but the ending is absolutely perfect. The very last sentence of this book still haunts me.
>let me escape from the subreddit's biases and just-GO BACK.
>>25279331I've been on 4chan for 10 years, nigger. I earn knowledge from every source.
