The Sword of the Lictor

By Gene Wolfe

Book 3 of The Book of the New Sun

Review

★★★★☆

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 Shadow of the Torturer was overwhelming as I immersed myself in the rich setting and complex writing style. The Claw of the Conciliator felt slower paced as Severian traveled from place to place. In contrast, The Sword of the Lictor moved briskly and introduced fascinating new characters and situations.

Some of my favorite scenes were:

• The haunting confrontation with the Alzabo and Agia at the mountain cottage.

• The mountain carved into a giant statue of Typhon.

• The village of the sorcerers and the “magic” duel.

• Lake Diurna and its lake-dwellers who live on floating islands.

• The castle of Baldanders, his disturbing human experiments, and his fight with Severian.

Although the structure of the story resembles The Claw of the Conciliator, with Severian traveling from adventure to adventure, I felt each part was more engaging.

With this book wrapped up, I am eager to dive into the forth book, The Citadel of the Autarch.