So I've just finished BOTNS, on /lit/'s recommendation. I don't think I have ever had such mixed feelings on a book.
I guess the closest book it reminds me of is Don Quixote, in the sense of a series of weird and wonderfully interesting events keep occuring. I loved specific parts (the chinese whispers version of the tale of theseus really standing out), but towards the end I was really struggling to understand what the hell was going on.
What does the rest of /lit/ think?
>>7619145
Serves you right for not reading the Bible before starting.
The book was an absolute jarbled mess.
>>7619145
OP if you want to read something with a similar feel, but which requires a bit less deductive work or patience, you should try the works of Wolfe's biggest influence, Jorge Borges.
>>7619183
I guess the thing I'm most confused about is the claw, and the conciliator. I got the feeling that the conciliator may have been Severian, either in another life or via travelling time. Hence the circularity of him finding the claw on a bush later in the book. I'd be interested on your thoughts about the above. Also why the claw seemed to be so inconsistent when used.
>>7619188
>I guess the thing I'm most confused about is the claw, and the conciliator.
Severian is the Conciliator and claw is a thorn with his blood after he passed the trial the last Autarch failed. It goes more in detail in Urth.
>I got the feeling that the conciliator may have been Severian, either in another life or via travelling time.
Yes
>Hence the circularity of him finding the claw on a bush later in the book. I'd be interested on your thoughts about the above. Also why the claw seemed to be so inconsistent when used.
On the power of the claw I have no idea how it works in terms of consistency.
>>7619145
Urth of the New Sun was written for you, basically
