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The Book of the New Sun Series

The Book of the New Sun is a series by American novelist Gene Wolfe (1931-2019). It was recommended as one of the best sci-fi series in our interview with novelist Ada Palmer.

We’ve listed The Book of the New Sun series in order below, starting with The Shadow of the Torturer, published in 1980, and ending with The Urth of the New Sun, published as a standalone coda in 1987.

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The Shadow of the Torturer

by Gene Wolfe

The Shadow of the Torturer is Book 1 of The Book of the New Sun series

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“Book of the New Sun initiated what we now call ‘deep future SF’. It takes place so far in earth’s future that every mountain has been carved into a portrait of a king by now…Everywhere you dig a hole, there’s a city underneath. And space travel and contact with aliens was so long ago that it’s lost in the depths, not of history, but of mythology – before even the currently remembered eras of humanity. We’re so far in the future, in fact, that the sun is growing dim and the earth is getting cold…If you like big ideas books and puzzle box books where you’re trying to figure out what’s going on, and deep world building and reflections on time and space, then it’s a wonderful series.” Read more...

The Best Sci-Fi Book Series

Ada Palmer, Novelist

November 18, 2024

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The Best Fiction Books » Science Fiction

The Book of the New Sun Series

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