# The Claw of the Conciliator

![Book cover of The Claw of the Conciliator](/books/covers/the_claw_of_the_conciliator.jpg)

by [Gene Wolfe](/books/authors/gene_wolfe/)
Book 2 of [The Book of the New Sun](/books/series/the_book_of_the_new_sun/)
Awards: [Locus](/books/by-award/#locus-award), [Nebula](/books/by-award/#nebula-award)
★★★☆☆

## Review

_The Claw of the Conciliator_ is the second book in Gene Wolfe's _The Book of the New Sun_ tetralogy. It picks up right where [_The Shadow of the Torturer_](/books/the_shadow_of_the_torturer/) leaves off, following Severian as he makes his way towards
Thrax.

The book is very similar to [_The Shadow of the Torturer_](/books/the_shadow_of_the_torturer/): Florid writing, slow pace,
lots of themes and allegories, and mysteries that are exposed only to be
replaced by new ones.

There are many scenes that I loved:

- The fair, greenman, and executions in Saltus.

- The ape-men and the leviathan underground.

- The macabre feast of Thecla.

- The attack by the shadow creatures.

- The antechamber prison and the ancestral prisoners.

- The reveal of the Autarch's identity and that he works in some way with the
  man who would overthrow him---Vodalus.

But the book begins to drag in the second half and the story seems to wander.
Knowing there are three more installments ahead of me in the [_The Book of the New Sun_](/books/series/the_book_of_the_new_sun/)
series, I'm worried it will grind to a halt. I hope that [_The Sword of the Lictor_](/books/the_sword_of_the_lictor/)
will pick up the pace.

## Reviews that mention _The Claw of the Conciliator_
- [_A Canticle for Leibowitz_](/books/a_canticle_for_leibowitz/)†
- [_Disco Elysium_](/books/disco_elysium/)†
- [_A Drop of Corruption_](/books/a_drop_of_corruption/)
- [_Endymion_](/books/endymion/)†
- [_Excession_](/books/excession/)†
- [_The Fall of Hyperion_](/books/the_fall_of_hyperion/)†
- [_A Fire Upon The Deep_](/books/a_fire_upon_the_deep/)†
- [_House of Suns_](/books/house_of_suns/)†
- [_Inversions_](/books/inversions/)†
- [_A Memory Called Empire_](/books/a_memory_called_empire/)†
- [_Metropolitan_](/books/metropolitan/)†
- [_A Mote in Shadow_](/books/a_mote_in_shadow/)†
- [_The Nameless City_](/books/the_nameless_city/)†
- [_Red Rising_](/books/red_rising/)†
- [_The Rise of Endymion_](/books/the_rise_of_endymion/)†
- [_Stand on Zanzibar_](/books/stand_on_zanzibar/)
- [_The Sword of the Lictor_](/books/the_sword_of_the_lictor/)
- [_The Tainted Cup_](/books/the_tainted_cup/)†
- [_This Is How You Lose the Time War_](/books/this_is_how_you_lose_the_time_war/)†

† _Mentioned via a link to the series._

## Related Books
- [_The Shadow of the Torturer_](/books/the_shadow_of_the_torturer/) by [Gene Wolfe](/books/authors/gene_wolfe/) --- ★★★★☆: The Shadow of the Torturer is the first installment in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows the life of Severian, a torturer and executioner on a dying Earth. The pacing is slow, but Wolfe’s worldbuilding is fantastic, crafting a setting that pulls the reader in.
- [_The Sword of the Lictor_](/books/the_sword_of_the_lictor/) by [Gene Wolfe](/books/authors/gene_wolfe/) --- ★★★★☆: The Sword of the Lictor is the third book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian after he reaches Thrax and is exiled for a second time.
- [_The Citadel of the Autarch_](/books/the_citadel_of_the_autarch/) by [Gene Wolfe](/books/authors/gene_wolfe/) --- ★★★★☆: The Citadel of the Autarch is the fourth book in Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun tetralogy. It follows Severian as he reaches the front in the war against the Ascians and assumes the role of Autarch.