I may have poured everything i have into this video but that doesn't mean i know what i'm talking about. Any feedback, disagreements and theories are very welcome, this is just the start. Either comment on here where I'll try my best to respond to any non-wankers, or better still, join the conversation over on discord.
Some little reactions to this eccentric, extraordinary deep dive …. There is no way to know if the Severian whose story we read is the first one or the second or maybe Severian the 550 …. Because it is about a reset , go back to start situation … How many times has the whole thing been playing out before ? And does it follows the same narrative every time like a never ending loop or is every cycle different ? The ape Men dream scene is , starting from the viewpoint of never ending cycles actually a very disturbing, disappointing scene . We readers existing in an other cycle ( or is it the same cycle ) recognize these ape men . They are a familiar part of our collective memory of humanity… So, let’s hope that the translated books come from the future of our cycle … Because if they are from a different cycle and they contain such familiar scenes than then indicates that nothing is ever learned, nothing ever gained and everything becomes meaningless… I found that a very bleak rabbit hole to fall into. I would like to add Michael Moorcock’s ‘Dancers at the end of Time’ to the list of recommended book you mentioned.
It never occurred to to me that Nessus was on the west coast. I always assumed the city was Buenos Aires and the river was the Amazon on the east coast. Also, Typhon making offers to Severian mirrors Satan tempting Jesus in the bible
Thank you for posting this. Can’t wait to watch it. I read BotNS for the first time this year and really enjoyed it but can’t wait to read all four books again. I listened to hours and hours of Alzabo Soup podcast as I was reading but still…this shit is mad confusing but also brilliant. Thanks again Moid
As someone who was there at the time -- I don't mean "in the offices of Tor Books," I mean "alive, reading, and involved in the science fiction community" -- Urth of the New Sun happened thus: Dave Hartwell, one of the finest book editors SF has ever had, had published the first volume of tBotNS at Timescape Books. When he moved to Tor, he was permitted to take Wolfe's contract with him. (No, I don't know why, though Timescape books was quickly headed for collapse.) He edited and published the remaining volumes. In the meanwhile -- between the publication of "Sword" and that of "Citadel" -- Wolfe bowed to public demand and published "The Castle of the Otter," a collection of essays about tBotNS, with a small publisher. (Eventually this was included in one of Wolfe's larger collections, "Gene Wolfe's Castle of Days," which also contained an out of print collection of stories ["Gene Wolfe's Book of Days"] and some other stories. Anyway.) As you said, tBotNS was quite successful. Tor was happy to publish Wolfe's next book ("Free Live Free") which, while nearly as strange as tBotNS, was more "fun," something of a jeu d'esprit. Then Wolfe came up with _Soldier of the Mist_, the first of the "Latro" books. Latro is a kind of anti-Severian, a man whose memory, including the ability to retain new information for more than a few hours, has been lost, due either to a head wound or to a curse from a wronged goddess. It was quite as difficult as tBotNS, and less immediately attractive. Hartwell, who had published tBotNS on faith and without understanding some of it, made Wolfe a deal: if he would write a fifth book in _that_ series, to explain some of what had happened in tBotNS, Tor would take a chance on Latro. Wolfe took the deal, and wrote a book that explained some of the mysteries of the original tetralogy, often in oblique ways, while introducing new ones. And that was the end of Severian's tale -- at least until his brief appearance in the Book of the Short Sun, but that's another story...
OK, you got me to click and I stayed for the whole thing. What a marathon. I predict that in two years we'll see The Ultimate Guide Revisited. 😀 I read the five books in a row with nothing in between and loved them. Soon after that I read The Fifth Head of Cerberus, another top experience that got very trippy towards the end when I realised what Wolfe was doing to my head as the story started to double back on itself. When I'm talking about Wolfe's work I usually suggest that they start with Fifth Head as it will prepare them for the New Sun books. Early this year I read the Sun Eater series so far, which many people say references Dune (which I've not read) but seems to me to mirror New Sun. That was highlighted here a little when you quoted Severian's words, ' Here I pause. If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I do not blame you. It is no easy road.' Hadrian has a similar ending for each book in Sun Eater. 'If you would read no further, I understand. You have the luxury of foresight. You know where this ends. I shall go on alone.'
In addition to the excellent deep dive on this tangled timeline of sci-fantasy, the filming of this was also excellent! I really enjoyed being taken on holiday while you broke this story down. Very nice visual touch.
Your passion and authenticity is appreciated, you've turned me on to this series, I read Shadow and started Claw. I can tell I'll be studying this series for years! One of the nice things about this series is I can watch this whole video and I'll still be lost when I go back to read the book 😂 but thank you Moid, you make literature that much more enjoyable
HOLY SHIT MOID AND CHARLIE! This could be the best MDC video yet. I know y'all were going for that and it was accomplished! Awesome camera work Charlie! The changing perspectives and the audio/video syncing is great. Great set pieces! The sermon in the church is just perfect. True cult leader status. When Metz, Phil, and Michael showed up I yelled. The interviews looked amazing and were very fluid in their placement. Did y'all travel to them to get these segments? And the review......I know Moid was forced to put the review in there, by Roy. It made me tear up when the traditional MDC review popped up and when Moid forgot the books while saying the title, made me feel real good. Moid's reviews helped keep me sane during the pandemic, and I always maintain that Moid is the best book reviewer in the biz. That being said, if we never ever get a traditional book review ever again, this was the way to end it. Hopefully this video causes bookstores to sell out of Gene. Not many people let their copies out of their possession, so good luck everybody. Love you guys. Love MDC. Great work! Long live the cult!
MediaDeathCult mentioned Mervyn Peake's evocative Gormenghast trilogy. Great prose - weird characters, & it pulls off the seemingly impossible -: making the crumbling castle the star of the show.
He's something of a writer's writer, like Wolfe. Brian Aldiss' remarked that Peake's prose is so *dense* you wouldn't want to read much of it at a sitting.
@alanpennie8013 It's dense at times, but the story of Gormenghast was still enjoyable. The second volume was my favourite, with that long scene underneath the castle. It felt as if I was there.
Nobody paints a picture with their words like Peake. I tried starting the Wheel of Time and as a result, thought I hated anything but the briefest of "straightforward exposition" for worldbuilding. But then I read Gormenghast and found myself glued to multi-page descriptions of a rotting old sideroom in a castle, smiling, chuckling, and wanting it to keep going.
Dang it! I've only read the first two, so I can't watch this entire video! What I did watch looks incredible. I'll come back when I've finished the series and watch the rest.
I had to stop the video at 26 minutes because I haven’t finished the last 2 books but WOW. This truly is a love letter. I’m definitely going to be finishing this series asap and watching this video in its entirety. A+ stuff
I would definitely add 'A Voyage to Arcturus' by David Lindsay into the mix of books to read post New Sun. One of the main reasons I love Book of the New Sun is because it reminds me of A Voyage to Arcturus. Similar vibes, deep rereadable writing, one person traveling through strange environments while growing and learning and suffering. I'm pretty sure Gene Wolfe claimed this as inspiration in his writings.
Given the transhuman elements, it makes so much sense that torcher -as oposed to just death sentenses - is the prefered mode of punishment... It hadnt occured to me before now. Talos in greek myth which GW loves is a bronze automamton. nuff said.
Absolutely essential listening and thoughts on Wolfe's masterpiece. I only recently finished my first read-through and this is just a fantastic resource to have. Thank you. I'm sure it was a monumental effort to put together.
That's your best film ever man. And I've seen them all. I personally doubt that churchgoing, religious, everyday praying catholic Wolfe wrote something that rejects traditional religion, but I take it as a excuse for my 4th reread.
I've finally finished watching this and I have to say this video was almost as much of a masterpiece as the book series itself. You really should feel proud of yourself for creating this, It's even inspired me to go back and read the book series again.
I love all of Gene Wolfes’ work. But, The New Sun is my very favorite SF series. I got turned on to it by a woman I knew in the late ‘70s. Never was able to thank her properly. This is the best description and discussion of these challenging books I’ve ever seen. Bravo and many thanks!
Looking forward to watching all of this. Probably my favorite book series. Love the “we did meet Jolenta earlier at the cafe, but don’t worry about it”
i have meant to read these for years. the first few minutes of your video have convinced me to acquire the links to the audiobooks here on yt. the Sword of the Lictor is missing, but i intend to go ahead. thanks for the impetus, and when i have finished them i shall return to your video.
The Urth of The New Sun (which I haven't read) seems like an enormously extended version of Van Vogt's Seesaw (1941) which impressed me a good deal when I read it as a child. Severian's quest to return The Claw to The Pelerines is admirable. A point worth making since he's an equivocal character in some ways. Regarding Severian and The Moon Landing, I think it's a combination of Severian's rather partial education and the fact that The Moon was terraformed a long time ago. It's admittedly a bit weird that none of Autarch Severian's other personalities knew about The Moon Landing, but perhaps his private memories were sectioned off.
Thanks for the comment. At the time Severian saw the moon landing painting, he hadn't "consumed" anyone else and he was writing the memoir as if he was in the moment.
I don't know why people call Severian an unreliable narrator. Though it's admittedly not easy to describe dying and being resurrected (at least twice in that first book).
I can only imagine the many drafts of the script and the hours you spent rewriting. Then of course, how to film it, fab stuff Moid it’s all paid off. I loved it. Will watch it again when I’m reading the books, great idea in the time stamps, just wonderful stuff. I hope your pleased with it as well.
Even though I haven't read Urth yet, I would like to thank you Moid for presenting, and selling, this amazing book series to me. It quickly rose, along with Dune, to my top favorite book series ever. Also, I'm currently reading Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Which, by the way, I hope Mycroft Canner's story also gets the same treatment as Severian. Terra Ignota is a masterclass in world-building. More people need to know how amazing these books are!
I haven't finished yet. What a fantastic presentation so far! You hit on something that's been in the back of my brain all this time! The fountain on the tombstone! Thank you so much Moid! I'm very financially strapped. l'll join the cult when l can! When was the last time being in a cult was cool and could be bragged about!
I love the video and format. I read these books when I was young and didn’t appreciate them, I tried a couple of years ago when you put reviewed them, and mostly didn’t only saw the things the book was saying based on your videos. Might not be as smart as I like to think. Would love to see a similar format on PKD, or Ender’s universe, or Dune.
I read the first two books and loathed them. I listened to this ENTIRE video and I can say that I enjoyed you enjoying these books much more than I ever could or would enjoy them. Maybe I'll go back. Probably not. But this was great.
Not only am I sad this is over, I'm also tempted to just watch it all over again! Unbelievable job as always Moid! We love your content and your incredible quality.
The Hierogrammates tell Severian " Your race and ours are, perhaps, no more than each other's reproductive mechanisms." The Hierogrammates in Yesod seem to consider humanity somehow important. When Severian spends some time in Yesod after he comes back to Urth he's about 1000 years earlier than where he originally started. So it's possible that time moves backwards relative to our time (but at a different pace, a few days there thousand years heres). This would also explain why the hierodules constantly move in time opposite to Severian, they just go back to Yesode for a few minutes/days and go back to Urth being at the exact time they need to. So I'm wondering is it possibly that humanity (or some race of the future, green urth) eventually either evolves into or creates the Hierogrammates? Either their creators or the hiegrammates themselves learn how to travel to Yesod or possibly create it themselves. That's how they're able to escape the divine year, by escaping into this higher plane of existence. Of course that leaves them with one concern they have to look over the universe their origins are tied to and make sure that the timeline goes correctly and they end up being born.
This video is exactly what was needed, I think, there's not enough video presentations on Wolfe on RUclips. It's been five years after his passing and I know he's popular but seeing this honestly made me so happy. I hope it brings new eyes to his amazing work (though spoilers abound!). Really, really great work guys! For anyone interested, there are also great podcasts out there, I highly recommend Re-Reading Wolfe and Alzabo Soup.
Had to pause an hour in to comment- it strikes me that the time travels of severian/ conciliator relate to Christ as being present in history about 2000 years ago and also being omnipresent as the Logos with god in the beginning and all things made through him, darkness not understanding him bit…… Also hints in wolfe’s callbacks and obscure foreshadowing of Old Testament passages being reworked as prophecy in the New. Of course there are many many layers here besides….. Again- loving this episode already mood and I’m sure I’ll watch it time and time again! Thank you sooooo much for all the work and thought that went into to it!
Wow, great video! I thought the part where you carried a table into the woods was really well done (plus the explanation of the fifth book time travel was helpful). And of course, the sequence ending with you speaking from the pulpit was hilarious. I started a re-read of the series before even finishing the video.
I enjoyed this video very much. Many thanks to everyone involved. I've read the book of the new Sun three times so far, the first time was around 1988 I think. I have enjoyed each subsequent reading more than the last, (so Wolfe succeeded I think). I intend to re read the book, and I have plans to read the long and short sun series too. I have read the fifth head of Cerberus twice, I found it to be incredible. A bit like my experience reading the Heart of Darkness; I didn't get it the first time, the second reading blew me away!!
One of my favorite tech timeline asides in the books is how the towers of the torturers and witches are implied to be derelict space rockets. Also, isn't it implied that the library that the photo of the moon landing is stored in is itself somewhere outside of time? I might bring the books on my upcoming vaykay to read again...
Could it be that since the green man receives his energy through photosynthesis directly from the new sun that he can actually carry energy hence power from the new sun to any place in the timeline or all timelines? Like carrying a little ember from the giant fire of the new sun?
I like this a lot and i'd never really considered that the green man is from the time of the new sun in that way. However, i think it's only Severian that can harness it's power, probably because he actually ejaculated it in Yessod so he is the father of the new sun, sort of, otherwise more people, maybe all people would be able to walk the corridors of time. Then again, the green man must get his power from somewhere, so maybe he has figured out a way to use the new sun, or those that manipulate the timeline gave him the power so he could be in the right place at the right time to save Severian. Could Severian himself have granted the green man that power in the future, from Ushas, thus saving himself?
The synopsis made perfect sense and I had no further questions at all :D But thank you very much for elaborating! One of my favourite fictional worlds ever...there simply isn't anything like it.
This is excellent Moid. I read The Book of the New Sun back in the early 90s, but never really engaged with it beyond the surface level. Definitely going to re-read it.
Death in the ship. I always thought he was replaced by the mimic creature. That is, the creature becomes him, including his memories (?). The creature has taken his memories too, so is sufficient to bring the new sun when examined by the aliens. Mimicry/emulation is a long running theme throughout Gene Wolf's work. At what point does something become what it's emulating?
I recently bought “Urth of the New Sun” but haven’t got to it yet because I want to start over from the beginning. This is getting me in the mood. Great synopsis. I stopped the video after book 4 though. Don’t want any spoilers.
I read this series 20 years ago. Like Dune, I picked it off a shelf with no conscious memories that anyone or anything had recommended it. Someting about the title or cover indicated it was dense and important and a necessary read. It took months to finish because I didn't want to rush and would only read a few pages a day. I knew the story was confusing, yet I never felt confused. Wolfe never got the popular recognition he deserved. But readers and critcs who know his work do not have a casual opinion about it.
Incredible, thanks for this, I think it will have to be split into a number of sessions to be fully appreciated! I read these books during lockdown and I still ponder it regularly, so much mystery to unpack!!
If you love Gene Wolfe check out the Sun Eater Saga by Christopher Ruocchio. He was massively influenced by Gene Wolfe and Frank Herbert. Sun Eater is what got me into Book of the new sun since Christopher Ruocchio referenced it all the time. Great video btw ❤
I read the first four books with the cult read-along, but I never read Urth... I think I may need to do that first and then come back to this video... And then read them all again.
...and having said that I agree with pretty much everything you say, except that I hold to the million-year-or-more time scale: in "Sword of the Autarch," we see that Severian is living long enough in the future for ancient (meaning our time) cities to have been buried and then uplifted in new mountains. That is a _long_ damn time, much more than paltry score of millenia...
@@MediaDeathCult I suspect Wolfe set his story both in the incredibly deep future (because it would be cool) and in the much nearer future (because it would be realistic). When you're writing fiction you don't need to be specific.
This is a great video. I have already seen it twice. I read the first 4 books recently thanks in big part to your recommendation. Now I am getting Urth and will read the whole series again. Excellent job Cult Leader!
The Book of the New Sun is one of my favorite series ever, but I never read Urth of the New Sun. I really thought it was just a cash grab. You've convinced me otherwise. I paused the video just before you started talking about it. I'll come back to watch the rest when I'm done. Great video so far
Your most ambitious video to date. I have always admired your dedication to what you do, the time and effort you put into such documents is simply amazing and I will always be grateful for your work. Thanks to you, I have discovered this series and many other great books over the last few years. Thank you!
Nice job. Didn't have another channel some years ago? It's over? Your content is perfect for newcomers to sci fi genre. I wish this books series was traslated to my language, I think I can't grasp the complexity of it reading in English.
We need to start sharing Moid’s work in various Sci-fi subreddits. This channel is a true gem.
But you gotta send MOID a dollah for every share.
Please don't invite redditors here
I may have poured everything i have into this video but that doesn't mean i know what i'm talking about.
Any feedback, disagreements and theories are very welcome, this is just the start.
Either comment on here where I'll try my best to respond to any non-wankers, or better still, join the conversation over on discord.
Heck ya, been waiting for a new video from you!
Some little reactions to this eccentric, extraordinary deep dive ….
There is no way to know if the Severian whose story we read is the first one or the second or maybe Severian the 550 …. Because it is about a reset , go back to start situation … How many times has the whole thing been playing out before ? And does it follows the same narrative every time like a never ending loop or is every cycle different ?
The ape Men dream scene is , starting from the viewpoint of never ending cycles actually a very disturbing, disappointing scene . We readers existing in an other cycle ( or is it the same cycle ) recognize these ape men . They are a familiar part of our collective memory of humanity… So, let’s hope that the translated books come from the future of our cycle … Because if they are from a different cycle and they contain such familiar scenes than then indicates that nothing is ever learned, nothing ever gained and everything becomes meaningless… I found that a very bleak rabbit hole to fall into.
I would like to add Michael Moorcock’s ‘Dancers at the end of Time’ to the list of recommended book you mentioned.
It never occurred to to me that Nessus was on the west coast. I always assumed the city was Buenos Aires and the river was the Amazon on the east coast. Also, Typhon making offers to Severian mirrors Satan tempting Jesus in the bible
Thank you for posting this. Can’t wait to watch it. I read BotNS for the first time this year and really enjoyed it but can’t wait to read all four books again. I listened to hours and hours of Alzabo Soup podcast as I was reading but still…this shit is mad confusing but also brilliant. Thanks again Moid
@@djfoskey1My pleasure, don’t forget the fifth book
As someone who was there at the time -- I don't mean "in the offices of Tor Books," I mean "alive, reading, and involved in the science fiction community" -- Urth of the New Sun happened thus:
Dave Hartwell, one of the finest book editors SF has ever had, had published the first volume of tBotNS at Timescape Books. When he moved to Tor, he was permitted to take Wolfe's contract with him. (No, I don't know why, though Timescape books was quickly headed for collapse.) He edited and published the remaining volumes. In the meanwhile -- between the publication of "Sword" and that of "Citadel" -- Wolfe bowed to public demand and published "The Castle of the Otter," a collection of essays about tBotNS, with a small publisher. (Eventually this was included in one of Wolfe's larger collections, "Gene Wolfe's Castle of Days," which also contained an out of print collection of stories ["Gene Wolfe's Book of Days"] and some other stories. Anyway.)
As you said, tBotNS was quite successful. Tor was happy to publish Wolfe's next book ("Free Live Free") which, while nearly as strange as tBotNS, was more "fun," something of a jeu d'esprit.
Then Wolfe came up with _Soldier of the Mist_, the first of the "Latro" books. Latro is a kind of anti-Severian, a man whose memory, including the ability to retain new information for more than a few hours, has been lost, due either to a head wound or to a curse from a wronged goddess. It was quite as difficult as tBotNS, and less immediately attractive. Hartwell, who had published tBotNS on faith and without understanding some of it, made Wolfe a deal: if he would write a fifth book in _that_ series, to explain some of what had happened in tBotNS, Tor would take a chance on Latro.
Wolfe took the deal, and wrote a book that explained some of the mysteries of the original tetralogy, often in oblique ways, while introducing new ones. And that was the end of Severian's tale -- at least until his brief appearance in the Book of the Short Sun, but that's another story...
Great stuff, thank you so much
Best synopsis I've seen. Already shared the link with friends and had my wife watch it because she doesn't get why I love it.
Been trying to get my partner to read these for years. My absolute favorite series ever.
Thank You
This is art. Bravo!
Thank You Jared
Bless the Cult Leader, whose sweat is the nourishment of his flock! Thank you Moid.
You're very welcome
(Cartman-style face-licking
I love the pringles can just subtly chilling next to you. Gene Wolfe is THE master of Fantasy and Sci-fi.
This is a masterpiece just like the book. Well done mate.
Thank you so much
OK, you got me to click and I stayed for the whole thing. What a marathon. I predict that in two years we'll see The Ultimate Guide Revisited. 😀
I read the five books in a row with nothing in between and loved them. Soon after that I read The Fifth Head of Cerberus, another top experience that got very trippy towards the end when I realised what Wolfe was doing to my head as the story started to double back on itself. When I'm talking about Wolfe's work I usually suggest that they start with Fifth Head as it will prepare them for the New Sun books.
Early this year I read the Sun Eater series so far, which many people say references Dune (which I've not read) but seems to me to mirror New Sun. That was highlighted here a little when you quoted Severian's words, ' Here I pause. If you wish to walk no farther with me, reader, I do not blame you. It is no easy road.' Hadrian has a similar ending for each book in Sun Eater. 'If you would read no further, I understand. You have the luxury of foresight. You know where this ends. I shall go on alone.'
I have talked to Ruocchio, he is a huge BOTNS fanboy.
This is probably the best video I’ve seen on Book of the New Sun, yet somehow the best moment from it is at 1:57:35!!!!
I had to check that, and i agree
1:57:45 to be exact 🤗
@@ilselauwers6009 indeed, but context is necessary.
My goodness I can't take anymore. I have got to read these book!
Indeed you do, all five of them
This is very good. I set Wolfe aside after The Claw as I was having difficulty. This inspires me to pick him up again. Thank you.
Godspeed
In my opinion it got more difficult for book 3, but like Moid said, Citadel of the Autarch is a satisfying reward 😂😂😂 most of the time 😅
Thank you for this Moid. I can not imagine how many hours , blood , sweat and tears have gone into this .
My pleasure, it took about a month, on and off
Certainly Blood... Certainly Sweat... Not sure if there were any Tears though. Those edit session sessions must have been pretty grueling
Here we go
At 2+ Hours, even at only the 1:46 mark, I know it is already a masterpiece.
Thank you, MDC.
You're welcome
In addition to the excellent deep dive on this tangled timeline of sci-fantasy, the filming of this was also excellent! I really enjoyed being taken on holiday while you broke this story down. Very nice visual touch.
Thank you
Your passion and authenticity is appreciated, you've turned me on to this series, I read Shadow and started Claw. I can tell I'll be studying this series for years! One of the nice things about this series is I can watch this whole video and I'll still be lost when I go back to read the book 😂 but thank you Moid, you make literature that much more enjoyable
Lovely comment, thank you
I second this post.
HOLY SHIT MOID AND CHARLIE!
This could be the best MDC video yet.
I know y'all were going for that and it was accomplished!
Awesome camera work Charlie! The changing perspectives and the audio/video syncing is great.
Great set pieces! The sermon in the church is just perfect. True cult leader status.
When Metz, Phil, and Michael showed up I yelled. The interviews looked amazing and were very fluid in their placement. Did y'all travel to them to get these segments?
And the review......I know Moid was forced to put the review in there, by Roy. It made me tear up when the traditional MDC review popped up and when Moid forgot the books while saying the title, made me feel real good. Moid's reviews helped keep me sane during the pandemic, and I always maintain that Moid is the best book reviewer in the biz. That being said, if we never ever get a traditional book review ever again, this was the way to end it.
Hopefully this video causes bookstores to sell out of Gene. Not many people let their copies out of their possession, so good luck everybody.
Love you guys.
Love MDC.
Great work!
Long live the cult!
Thank you, I'm pleased you enjoyed it!
There are not enough videos about The Book of the New Sun, love to see more
Superb storytelling Moid. People will be watching this for years or decades to come.
Thanks mate
Omg yessss. Just finished another reread of Botns and Urth. Stoked for a deep dive 🌞
MediaDeathCult mentioned Mervyn Peake's evocative Gormenghast trilogy. Great prose - weird characters, & it pulls off the seemingly impossible -: making the crumbling castle the star of the show.
He's something of a writer's writer, like Wolfe.
Brian Aldiss' remarked that Peake's prose is so *dense* you wouldn't want to read much of it at a sitting.
@alanpennie8013 It's dense at times, but the story of Gormenghast was still enjoyable. The second volume was my favourite, with that long scene underneath the castle. It felt as if I was there.
Nobody paints a picture with their words like Peake. I tried starting the Wheel of Time and as a result, thought I hated anything but the briefest of "straightforward exposition" for worldbuilding. But then I read Gormenghast and found myself glued to multi-page descriptions of a rotting old sideroom in a castle, smiling, chuckling, and wanting it to keep going.
@@hardtailgang Yeah. From the first page, I knew that the Gormenghast trilogy was going to be something special.
I have shared this everywhere!
Thank You
Dang it! I've only read the first two, so I can't watch this entire video! What I did watch looks incredible. I'll come back when I've finished the series and watch the rest.
We'll be waiting for you, and remember it's 5 books
I'm half way through the video but had to stop and say that your delivery is absolutely brilliant.
Thank you
I had to stop the video at 26 minutes because I haven’t finished the last 2 books but WOW. This truly is a love letter. I’m definitely going to be finishing this series asap and watching this video in its entirety. A+ stuff
Thank you, see you soon
You will like them!
I would definitely add 'A Voyage to Arcturus' by David Lindsay into the mix of books to read post New Sun. One of the main reasons I love Book of the New Sun is because it reminds me of A Voyage to Arcturus. Similar vibes, deep rereadable writing, one person traveling through strange environments while growing and learning and suffering. I'm pretty sure Gene Wolfe claimed this as inspiration in his writings.
Thanks, we actually made an Arcturus video a few months ago
I know what I’m doing tonight. Thanks!!
Given the transhuman elements, it makes so much sense that torcher -as oposed to just death sentenses - is the prefered mode of punishment... It hadnt occured to me before now.
Talos in greek myth which GW loves is a bronze automamton. nuff said.
Let's not forget that Theseus and The Minotaur show up in the second book.
I've no idea why.
I was worried about spoilers, but I’m NEVER gonna remember this plot
Absolutely essential listening and thoughts on Wolfe's masterpiece. I only recently finished my first read-through and this is just a fantastic resource to have. Thank you. I'm sure it was a monumental effort to put together.
Thank you
I absolutely love The Book of The New Sun. Must read it again, and again and ...
Amazing work… I am just on my second re read after a long time and this is a great summary…. It gets less confusing after every re read
Until it gets confusing again, just you wait
@@MediaDeathCult 😄
That's your best film ever man. And I've seen them all. I personally doubt that churchgoing, religious, everyday praying catholic Wolfe wrote something that rejects traditional religion, but I take it as a excuse for my 4th reread.
Me neither, but we see what we want right? And thank you
I've finally finished watching this and I have to say this video was almost as much of a masterpiece as the book series itself. You really should feel proud of yourself for creating this, It's even inspired me to go back and read the book series again.
Thank you
Thanks for the ❤! I made a comment early on about poor Jolenta. And now you're talking about her!!!
I love all of Gene Wolfes’ work. But, The New Sun is my very favorite SF series. I got turned on to it by a woman I knew in the late ‘70s. Never was able to thank her properly.
This is the best description and discussion of these challenging books I’ve ever seen. Bravo and many thanks!
You're welcome, thank you
This is the type of video I love to see on telling and explaining of books with passion, and i do hope to see this done for other stories
Thank You
Been waiting for this video Moid! bless you
Looking forward to watching all of this. Probably my favorite book series. Love the “we did meet Jolenta earlier at the cafe, but don’t worry about it”
Charlie actually corrected me while we were filming
powerhouse of a video 😎
Cheers
i have meant to read these for years.
the first few minutes of your video have convinced me to acquire the links to the audiobooks here on yt. the Sword of the Lictor is missing, but i intend to go ahead.
thanks for the impetus, and when i have finished them i shall return to your video.
The Urth of The New Sun (which I haven't read) seems like an enormously extended version of Van Vogt's Seesaw (1941) which impressed me a good deal when I read it as a child.
Severian's quest to return The Claw to The Pelerines is admirable.
A point worth making since he's an equivocal character in some ways.
Regarding Severian and The Moon Landing, I think it's a combination of Severian's rather partial education and the fact that The Moon was terraformed a long time ago.
It's admittedly a bit weird that none of Autarch Severian's other personalities knew about The Moon Landing, but perhaps his private memories were sectioned off.
Thanks for the comment.
At the time Severian saw the moon landing painting, he hadn't "consumed" anyone else and he was writing the memoir as if he was in the moment.
I’m going to read Urth and come back to this
Very wise
You've just made my next read a return to these books. I love Gene Wolfe and I know I should re read them more
Cool
The timing on this drop is crazy, i finished UotNS literally yesterday. Damn good timing.
Hope you enjoy it
Good man!
finally!
Bravo!
Have been looking forward to this video for weeks now, hype that its finally out
Thanks. This was vastly more enjoyable than slogging through the unreliable narration of the first book. Which soured me on the whole series.
I don't know why people call Severian an unreliable narrator.
Though it's admittedly not easy to describe dying and being resurrected (at least twice in that first book).
The hype is real! Cannot wait to settle in and watch this later!
I can only imagine the many drafts of the script and the hours you spent rewriting. Then of course, how to film it, fab stuff Moid it’s all paid off. I loved it. Will watch it again when I’m reading the books, great idea in the time stamps, just wonderful stuff. I hope your pleased with it as well.
Thank You, i'm pretty happy with it
Even though I haven't read Urth yet, I would like to thank you Moid for presenting, and selling, this amazing book series to me. It quickly rose, along with Dune, to my top favorite book series ever.
Also, I'm currently reading Seven Surrenders by Ada Palmer and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Which, by the way, I hope Mycroft Canner's story also gets the same treatment as Severian. Terra Ignota is a masterclass in world-building.
More people need to know how amazing these books are!
Thank you, great comment
I haven't finished yet. What a fantastic presentation so far! You hit on something that's been in the back of my brain all this time! The fountain on the tombstone! Thank you so much Moid! I'm very financially strapped. l'll join the cult when l can! When was the last time being in a cult was cool and could be bragged about!
Ive been waiting for a good video essay on wolfe. Thanks dude.
You're very welcome
I love the video and format. I read these books when I was young and didn’t appreciate them, I tried a couple of years ago when you put reviewed them, and mostly didn’t only saw the things the book was saying based on your videos. Might not be as smart as I like to think. Would love to see a similar format on PKD, or Ender’s universe, or Dune.
Thank You
Finally 🎉 thank you 🙏 just finished my reread of the 5 books two weeks ago. What a timing ⏱️
Love it, great. The best book ever written
You're welcome
I read the first two books and loathed them. I listened to this ENTIRE video and I can say that I enjoyed you enjoying these books much more than I ever could or would enjoy them. Maybe I'll go back. Probably not. But this was great.
Thanks
Brilliant summarization and filming!
Thank you
Moid, please don't ever delete this. I will eventually get around to reading BotNS and I want to watch this right after
It's not going anywhere
Thank you for this
My pleasure
God love ya Moid!!! So excited for this!
Not only am I sad this is over, I'm also tempted to just watch it all over again!
Unbelievable job as always Moid! We love your content and your incredible quality.
Thank You
The Hierogrammates tell Severian " Your race and ours are, perhaps, no more than each other's reproductive mechanisms." The Hierogrammates in Yesod seem to consider humanity somehow important. When Severian spends some time in Yesod after he comes back to Urth he's about 1000 years earlier than where he originally started. So it's possible that time moves backwards relative to our time (but at a different pace, a few days there thousand years heres). This would also explain why the hierodules constantly move in time opposite to Severian, they just go back to Yesode for a few minutes/days and go back to Urth being at the exact time they need to. So I'm wondering is it possibly that humanity (or some race of the future, green urth) eventually either evolves into or creates the Hierogrammates? Either their creators or the hiegrammates themselves learn how to travel to Yesod or possibly create it themselves. That's how they're able to escape the divine year, by escaping into this higher plane of existence. Of course that leaves them with one concern they have to look over the universe their origins are tied to and make sure that the timeline goes correctly and they end up being born.
I like that idea.
Their cosmic meddling is necessary for self preservation.
This video is exactly what was needed, I think, there's not enough video presentations on Wolfe on RUclips. It's been five years after his passing and I know he's popular but seeing this honestly made me so happy. I hope it brings new eyes to his amazing work (though spoilers abound!). Really, really great work guys!
For anyone interested, there are also great podcasts out there, I highly recommend Re-Reading Wolfe and Alzabo Soup.
Thanks
This is fantastic. Top tier video production and some great analysis.
Thanks
Fantastic!!
Thanks
Many congratulations on this great achievement
Thank you
Had to pause an hour in to comment- it strikes me that the time travels of severian/ conciliator relate to Christ as being present in history about 2000 years ago and also being omnipresent as the Logos with god in the beginning and all things made through him, darkness not understanding him bit……
Also hints in wolfe’s callbacks and obscure foreshadowing of Old Testament passages being reworked as prophecy in the New.
Of course there are many many layers here besides…..
Again- loving this episode already mood and I’m sure I’ll watch it time and time again! Thank you sooooo much for all the work and thought that went into to it!
My pleasure
Wow, great video! I thought the part where you carried a table into the woods was really well done (plus the explanation of the fifth book time travel was helpful). And of course, the sequence ending with you speaking from the pulpit was hilarious. I started a re-read of the series before even finishing the video.
That's great, thanks
Well, you did say you were working on the ultimate video...!!
I enjoyed this video very much. Many thanks to everyone involved. I've read the book of the new Sun three times so far, the first time was around 1988 I think. I have enjoyed each subsequent reading more than the last, (so Wolfe succeeded I think).
I intend to re read the book, and I have plans to read the long and short sun series too. I have read the fifth head of Cerberus twice, I found it to be incredible. A bit like my experience reading the Heart of Darkness; I didn't get it the first time, the second reading blew me away!!
Thank you
One of my favorite tech timeline asides in the books is how the towers of the torturers and witches are implied to be derelict space rockets. Also, isn't it implied that the library that the photo of the moon landing is stored in is itself somewhere outside of time? I might bring the books on my upcoming vaykay to read again...
I think you may be right.
The Library is at least partially in Yesod.
Could it be that since the green man receives his energy through photosynthesis directly from the new sun that he can actually carry energy hence power from the new sun to any place in the timeline or all timelines? Like carrying a little ember from the giant fire of the new sun?
I like this a lot and i'd never really considered that the green man is from the time of the new sun in that way.
However, i think it's only Severian that can harness it's power, probably because he actually ejaculated it in Yessod so he is the father of the new sun, sort of, otherwise more people, maybe all people would be able to walk the corridors of time.
Then again, the green man must get his power from somewhere, so maybe he has figured out a way to use the new sun, or those that manipulate the timeline gave him the power so he could be in the right place at the right time to save Severian. Could Severian himself have granted the green man that power in the future, from Ushas, thus saving himself?
Helpful, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.
My pleasure
The synopsis made perfect sense and I had no further questions at all :D But thank you very much for elaborating! One of my favourite fictional worlds ever...there simply isn't anything like it.
This is excellent Moid. I read The Book of the New Sun back in the early 90s, but never really engaged with it beyond the surface level. Definitely going to re-read it.
Thanks
Death in the ship. I always thought he was replaced by the mimic creature. That is, the creature becomes him, including his memories (?). The creature has taken his memories too, so is sufficient to bring the new sun when examined by the aliens. Mimicry/emulation is a long running theme throughout Gene Wolf's work. At what point does something become what it's emulating?
That's one part of the book that is very hazy to me, i'm not really sure
I recently bought “Urth of the New Sun” but haven’t got to it yet because I want to start over from the beginning. This is getting me in the mood. Great synopsis. I stopped the video after book 4 though. Don’t want any spoilers.
Very wise
I read this series 20 years ago. Like Dune, I picked it off a shelf with no conscious memories that anyone or anything had recommended it. Someting about the title or cover indicated it was dense and important and a necessary read.
It took months to finish because I didn't want to rush and would only read a few pages a day. I knew the story was confusing, yet I never felt confused.
Wolfe never got the popular recognition he deserved. But readers and critcs who know his work do not have a casual opinion about it.
Incredible, thanks for this, I think it will have to be split into a number of sessions to be fully appreciated!
I read these books during lockdown and I still ponder it regularly, so much mystery to unpack!!
If you love Gene Wolfe check out the Sun Eater Saga by Christopher Ruocchio. He was massively influenced by Gene Wolfe and Frank Herbert. Sun Eater is what got me into Book of the new sun since Christopher Ruocchio referenced it all the time. Great video btw ❤
I will read it when it's finished
Started reading this in 7th Grade, and my dad made me stop because it was about a torturer. Definitely need to go back to it.
I read the first four books with the cult read-along, but I never read Urth... I think I may need to do that first and then come back to this video... And then read them all again.
That would be wise, the video will be waiting for you
I've just realised I've got books 1 through 4 on my shelves. Think I'll give them a read.
Don't forget book 5
...and having said that I agree with pretty much everything you say, except that I hold to the million-year-or-more time scale: in "Sword of the Autarch," we see that Severian is living long enough in the future for ancient (meaning our time) cities to have been buried and then uplifted in new mountains. That is a _long_ damn time, much more than paltry score of millenia...
Unless the lifting of the mountains is artificial, just like the aging of the sun,
@@MediaDeathCult While that is certainly possible, Occam's Razor seems to weigh against it.
@@MediaDeathCult
I suspect Wolfe set his story both in the incredibly deep future (because it would be cool) and in the much nearer future (because it would be realistic).
When you're writing fiction you don't need to be specific.
This is a great video. I have already seen it twice. I read the first 4 books recently thanks in big part to your recommendation. Now I am getting Urth and will read the whole series again. Excellent job Cult Leader!
Thank you so much
The Book of the New Sun is one of my favorite series ever, but I never read Urth of the New Sun. I really thought it was just a cash grab. You've convinced me otherwise. I paused the video just before you started talking about it. I'll come back to watch the rest when I'm done.
Great video so far
Thank you
WoW! That was mind-blowing.
Thanks
Your most ambitious video to date. I have always admired your dedication to what you do, the time and effort you put into such documents is simply amazing and I will always be grateful for your work. Thanks to you, I have discovered this series and many other great books over the last few years. Thank you!
My pleasure, thanks
This looks amazing. Since I haven’t read it yet though, I guess it’s best to avoid the video until after I have read it?
Aka Spoilers?
Indeed
Look forward to watching this, but I need to read the books first 😃
Next you’re going to have to cover The Book of the Long Sun. Might need a read along for that because I can’t wrap my head around it
Epic! Thanks Moid.
My pleasure
As someone who hasn't yet read any Gene Wolfe (I know, I'm sorry!), would this series be a good place to start?
Yes
Maybe give Fifth Head of Cerberus a try first to see if Gene Wolfe's style is your cup of tea.
I approve this message.
Ah yes...The Urth Of The New Sun. That was a tough one for sure! The meeting with Dr. Talos has always stuck in my mind the most.
Nice job. Didn't have another channel some years ago? It's over? Your content is perfect for newcomers to sci fi genre. I wish this books series was traslated to my language, I think I can't grasp the complexity of it reading in English.
Giving you a thumbs up, without watching this through, as I'll have to read the titles I've missed.
THEN I'll come back and watch this