Shadow & Claw : : the First Half of the Book of the new sun

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The shadow of the torturer -- The claw of the conciliator.
"The Book of the New Sun is unanimously acclaimed as Gene Wolfe's most remarkable work, hailed as "a masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis" by Publishers Weekly. Shadow & Claw brings together the first two books of the tetralogy in one volume: The Shadow of the Torturer is the tale of young Severian, an apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession -- showing mercy toward his victim. Ursula K. Le Guin said, "Magic stuff ... a masterpiece ... the best science fiction I've read in years!" The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic, and learn the truth about his hidden destiny. "One of the most ambitious works of speculative fiction in the twentieth century." -- The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents: Shadow of the torturer. -- Claw of the conciliator.

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A Mystifying Masterpiece submitted by moseshll on June 19, 2019, 2:40pm I first encountered The Shadow of the Torturer in high school (1987 or 1988) and was an instant fan of the series. The features that stand out to me, in no particular order: 1) the "exotic locale" reminiscent of Jack Vance and Clark Ashton Smith, 2) the use of language -- a copy of OED, Lexicon Urthus, or The Book of Knowledge (wikipedia) can be most useful, 3) the unreliable narrator with eidetic memory, 4) the series' unique blend of science fiction and fantasy.

Ever since Shadow, I have judged books by the metric of the first sentences. This one is a doozy: "It is possible I already had some presentiment of my future. The locked and rusted gate that stood before us, with wisps of river fog threading its spikes like the mountain paths, remains in my mind now as the symbol of my exile. That is why I have begun this account of it with the aftermath of our swim, in which I, the torturer’s apprentice Severian, had so nearly drowned."

Pure poetry.