Welcome to Litsy!

Not as engaging as the first half of this saga, it's not like these two books are bad, but Citadel of the Autarch just didn't engage me the way the other books did. Severian, you are forever a little freak to me.

"I can tell the women I've fucked apart, I promise."
Severian, you absolute freak, the book is nearly over and also, since you feel you have to state it, I'm not sure I believe you

This series casually dropping things like vivimancers, the opposite of necromancers (dead people who can summon the living who are, in turn, capable of summoning the dead back to life), is why it's cool.

I read it, it was good, & I enjoyed it as I did the first half but just like the first book, this one warrants a reread in order to appreciate the nuance & really “get it.” I suppose that may sound off putting but I actually don‘t mind, I appreciate a book that is richer & even more rewarding with subsequent rereads. The writing is fantastic, the main character unreliable & all the more awesome for it, & the world complex & intriguing.

Starting March with more Gene Wolfe and the second half of The Book of the New Sun…

Okay so hard to tell from the photo but @TobeyTheScavengerMonk I‘ve got the first and second halves lined up and ready for my next #thriftbooks 😅 You are terrible for my self imposed book buying bans.

If you want a predictable book, do not read this book. If you want a story to get lost in and yet strive forward while basking in glorious lyrical uncertainty until the connections are revealed, then read this book.