The Sword of the Lictor

by Gene Wolfe

Book Overview

Severian, the disgraced apprentice torturer, has reached his place of exile - Thrax, the city of Windowless Rooms, where he must take up his post as Lictor, executioner and torturer. However, he flees... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671435957
• ISBN13: 9780671435950
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Timescape Books
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.

Customer Reviews

volume three

'The Sword of the Lictor' is volume three of Gene Wolfe's 'Book of the New Sun', so you probably don't want to read this one first. We follow the further adventures of Severian as he reaches the city of Thrax to take up his duties as Lictor. However again he shows mercy to a client and if forced to flee the city into the mountainous wilds of the north. Like the previous two books this is a multi-layered story with many allusions not all (or even most) of which I grasped. Still it was an enjoyable read and an entertaining story with some memorable scenes and a compelling setting. I am looking forward to the concluding volume.

More than just SCI FI

The novel continues the story of Severian and leads him through new adventures which confront him with new perspectives and thoughts. This book is more than just a Sci fi novel, since it offers a critical view of the forces in the portrayed society and so different and similar at the same time from maybe ours. Among the themes dealt with by Severian are life, humanity etc. It is definately worth reading if you don't only look for a sequence of action events and a little more food for thought.