The Urth of the New Sun

The sequel to 'The Book of the New Sun'

By: Gene Wolfe

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

The long awaited audiobook sequel to Gene Wolfe's four-volume classic, The Book of the New Sun.

Listeners return to the world of Severian, now the Autarch of Urth, as he leaves the planet on one of the huge spaceships of the alien Hierodules to travel across time and space to face his greatest test, to become the legendary New Sun or die. The strange, rich, original spaceship scenes give way to travels in time, wherein Severian revisits times and places which fill in parts of the background of the four-volume work, that will thrill and intrigue particularly listeners who enjoyed the earlier books. But The Urth of the New Sun is an independent structure all of a piece, an integral masterpiece to shelve beside the classics, one itself.

Critic reviews

<p>“<i>The Urth of the New Sun</i> is a fine coda to what is arguable the finest piece of literature American science fiction has yet produced, the four-volume <i>Book of the New Sun</i>.” —<i>Chicago Sun-Times</i><br><br>“Gene Wolfe's new book soars, falls free, runs like the river that runs through it from universe to universe, between life and death and life again. The groundnote of it all is human pain, so that this fantasy has the weight of vision.” —<i>Ursula K. Le Guin</i><br><br>“Gene Wolfe's four-volume magnum opus, <i>The Book of the New Sun,</i> is one of the modern masterpieces of imaginative literature--an evocation of a world so far in the future that magic and technology, poetry and science, are indistinguishable,a world heavy with time but yet bereft of hope, a world brought to life by Mr. Wolfe's unique blend of slightly archaic diction and ever-surprising vocabulary. Readers familiar with these volumes will find much to enjoy in <i>The Urth of the new Sun.</i>” —<i>The New York Times</i></p>

Was difficult to understand

Lots of flowery language made the boos difficult to follow for me. Felt more like a poem then a book.

Beautiful coda to a master piece

The book of the new sun marked my introduction to the writing of Gene Wolfe whose work I have become obsessed with since. I'm openly admitting to my bias here. Though I felt this one differed from the books of the tetralogy in overall tone and pacing, there are some very interesting loose ends tied up in interesting ways I had not imagined. So much so that I will need to read this one a second time to truly appreciate. Davis' narration is beyond great as always. For hardcore Wolfe fans I'd say it's a must read. For fans of the book of the new sun left wanting more, I recommend this but not without saying to expect something a bit different.

Gene Wolfe Rules

This book is sick, confusing, very well written, very tight book that I enjoyed

A fine finish

A beautiful, labyrinthine tale of time and feeling. Wonderfully woven by Gene Wolfe and excellently narrated by Johnathan Davis. The Book of the New Sun is truly five books.

Jonathan Davis is a master storyteller

Davis’ performance is brilliant, shedding the light of a new sun on Wolfe’s ingenious work.