![]() ![]() The book is written in first person, from the point of view of Old Man Recording His Past. Vodalus in particular - the young Severian meets him in the first few pages and swears loyalty for no apparent reason, then repeatedly harps on about it for the rest of the book despite its utter irrelevance to the story. Admittedly, this is only the first book in the series and there are hints of a bigger story in the background (the rebel Vodalus, the Claw of the Conciliator, some mention of time travel) but these are too short and inconsequential to count as proper foreshadowing. Severian is a torturer's apprentice, who goes on to become a journeyman, is kicked out of the guild, and fights a duel. Unfortunately, this takes up so much space that there isn't room for a plot. ![]() Gene Wolfe describes all of these things in magnificent and luscious detail. An Earth of the far future a post-technological society living on the ruins of the past ancient guilds with arcane rituals and origins lost in antiquity cold and casual depictions of torture. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |