The Sword of the Lictor Audiobook By Gene Wolfe cover art

The Sword of the Lictor

The Book of the New Sun, Book 3

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The Sword of the Lictor

By: Gene Wolfe
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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About this listen

The Sword of the Lictor is the third volume in Wolfe's remarkable epic, chronicling the odyssey of the wandering pilgrim called Severian, driven by a powerful and unfathomable destiny, as he carries out a dark mission far from his home.

Listen to more in the Book of the New Sun series.©1982 Gene Wolfe (P)2009 Audible, Inc.
Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Science Fiction Mind-Bending Scary
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What listeners say about The Sword of the Lictor

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  • Overall
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thick and powerful

Would you consider the audio edition of The Sword of the Lictor to be better than the print version?

absolutely better than print...gene wolffe is a master of imagery and depth...listening ensure nothing is missed and everything makes sense.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sword of the Lictor?

the sheer convoluted poetry and descriptive abundance

What about Jonathan Davis’s performance did you like?

a beautiful and long range voice

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

if only i had the time

Any additional comments?

get it now

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2 people found this helpful

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Continuing the tale of the New Sun

Where does The Sword of the Lictor rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book maintains the pace and feeling of awe established in the first two of the series

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

As with the other New Sun books, Davis continues his superb performance bringing personality to all of the characters and highlighting the subtle nuances that Wolfe weaves into his story

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1 person found this helpful

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well read performance and dream like narrative.

details just enough for one to fall into the fantastical dreamlike world allowing the listener (or reader) to vividly create the creatures, places and people behind the eyes or ears in the back of your brain scape.

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This has the best section of all literature

You are on part three here of the book of the new sun if you are here. So you know whether this is for you or not. But I venture to say chapters 14 through 17 are among the best literature you will find; period. This stands above the greatest works.

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Absolutely insane ride!

This book is much better than the previous two. So many amazing revelations, world building, and terrifying encounters. The characters are all super interesting as well.

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Great creepy sci fantasy book

Fills in all the hole's from the first 2 in the series . starts out slow but ends up great.

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Severian's bizarre adventure

if you listen to the first one you'll listen to this one.
it's nuts though

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Glad it exists

I'm re-reading this for maybe the eighth time, but first time by audiobook. Every few years I cycle back through the Book of the New Sun and the Book of the Long Sun--just brilliant, nothing like them. The writing is phenomenal. The narration here is pretty tone deaf; often it's clear that Mr. Davis didn't understand the meaning of a sentence he's reading and put the emphasis in the wrong place. Or he didn't know a word, like "theodicy," and mispronounces it, so you might think it's a Wolfeism or archaic term you didn't know, if you didn't have the text to refer to. Even so, the narration here is about one thousand times better than the audiobook for The Knight and The Wizard. Glad I'm able to listen to this during my commute, since I don't have as much time to read now.

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The boy can't help himself and so on the run again

Gene Wolfe's The Sword and the Lictor is the third installment in the Book of the New Sun. Severian has finally made it to Thrax and settles in only to encounter another woman that he takes pity upon and shirks his duty. This action forces him on the run where he encounters several interesting characters including Agia who keeps turning up like the bad penny she is. He also transiently adopts a young boy and reminisces about his youth. He meets a strange two headed individual and experiences a bit of the alien technology that Earth has lost. Finally, he reconnects with with Dr Talos and meets some aliens just as other events seem to be overtaking him.

Wolfe provides a few more clues about the alien relationship with a suggestion that Earth leadership is strictly under control. Severian remains an aimless wanderer without any clear direction or purpose as he interacts with a wide variety of people that reflect a disjointed human population that is largely uncontrolled where quite a bit have gone feral. Technology is firmly in the realm of magic with the aliens without clear objectives or purpose.

Davis continues his easy going rendition with excellent character distinction.

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Amazing!

Not a book that is easy to get a grip on. It is instead a book that will grip you in its immense layers and depths.

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