Shadow & Claw
by Gene Wolfe · first published 1983
3mentions
2recommended by
2HN commenters
2015–2026first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Shadow and Claw is an omnibus of the first two books of Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. It chronicles the life and adventures of journeyman torturer Severian.
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Not much fantasy here yet, so Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy, republished as two books: Shadow & Claw and Sword & Citadel.
on “What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?” ↗Ah, East of Eden. I'm halfway through it right now, and it is fantastic so far. I've found many good recommendations over the years from HN threads. For example, I've read 7/10 of the Culture novels by Iain M Banks now, and a couple of them were exceptionally good (Use of Weapons, Surface Detail). Most discussion here ranks the books roughly the opposite of how I would, but chances are good you w
on “Ask HN: Great Books from your 2021 Reading List?” ↗If you enjoyed that experience, read The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe (5 books, 1-2 and 3-4 commonly printed as combined volumes: Shadow & Claw, Sword & Citadel, The Urth of the New Sun). I re-read them this spring, and they remain among the top ~3 series I've ever (re-)read.
on “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else” ↗