The Book of the New Sun

• Quality product. Well made .

  Review by MR THOMAS J GRECO on 16th January 2024

• Beautiful books made to a very high quality standard. A real treat for Christmas.

  Review by Tanya on 25th December 2023

• Can’t wait to get into this book

  Review by Mr Russell Beverley on 1st December 2023

• A beautiful collected edition of one of the best book series of all time.

  Review by Jackson on 14th November 2023

• Thoughtful book design, quality paper, good illustrations. The design of the book and the tone of the artwork matches the tone of the book.

  Review by COREY on 23rd September 2023

• It’s beautiful . Worth every penny. A classic sci-fi .

  Review by Robert Archer on 15th August 2023

• Fantastic edition of these books. I only wish we could get the four volume version still. I realize that one was more expensive, but I generally dislike large heavy tomes, and these are a bit on the larger size for my tastes. Still, an excellent edition.

  Review by FV on 1st August 2023

• First things first: when it comes to the so to say "physical" properties of these two wonderful volumes, I have nothing negative whatsoever to say - the binding is tight, the covers are vivid and quite striking. The paper on which the illustrations are printed is absolutely lovely, both to the touch and to look at. But here lies the problem with this lavish and stunning edition, which, to my great surprise, since this is a Folio product, disappointed me. Bear with me please and let me explain. For me, reading these books by Gene Wolfe is to be immersed in a truly alien world, which however still is the same earth where my everyday life also happens to take place. It is a wonderous and quite peculiar world and the reader's journey through these books is both eerie and marvelous. However, it is also a journey in a quite concrete sense: the main character Severian journeys through a sometimes quite incomprehensible world, meeting strange creatures, walking the streets of ancient deserted cities and treading forgotten corridors of cyclopean bastions. It is, to be more exact, a journey to places, cities, jungles, ruins, lakes, castles, gardens and mountains -- and to me the landscapes and places are often more alive and interesting than most of the characters encountered during Severian's long journey. And exactly this is my main point and gripe: it has to do with the illustrations. Almost all of the illustrations depict persons, often close-ups, and I was quite disappointed to find very few where the artist had let the surroundings, landscape, animals, architecture, clothing, technology, citiscapes, battle fields come to life -- in short, almost none of those details and places in the books which I myself found most fascinating. Wonderfully and expertly crafted though they are, they do not reflect this the most striking aspect of the book -- the living world itself. Instead the reader will find pictures of persons, which, due to the way they are drawn, could be used to good effect in just about any other book as well. Yes, there is a drawing of Thecla, but not of her cell nor the ancient Matachin tower; yes, the alzabo is pictured, but strangely not in a landscape, but in front of a white and empty background, like some sort of studio; Dorcas is pictured, but not the room in Thrax where she's lying ill; one picture is nothing more than a close up portrait of a man's face, expertly crafted to be sure, but why not also try to bring the surrounding situation to life, which prompted this facial expression? There is, I'm sad to say, very little in a lot of these pictures (with a few notable exceptions to be sure) that makes you think, yes this is how this world of Urth looks and feels. It is as if the artist couldn't quite bring the arcane world and its obscure places and inhabitants to life, and instead choose to use his considerable skill to render the feelings expressed in the faces of more or less perfectly normal looking persons instead. To me, that is a great disappointment. In this stunning achievement of imagination, which is The Book of the New Sun, Gene Wolfe created a world, first and foremost full of wonderful places and only to some extent equally wonderful characters. However, Sam Weber's choice of subjects does not do justice to this fact and that is quite frankly a shame.

  Review by Kund on 20th July 2023

• The quality of this special printing of Book of the New Sun is a fitting accompaniment to the text of Gene Wolfe. The cover art as well as the art within the pages, the typesetting, etc., is exemplary and draws out the uncanny feelings inherent within the text itself. I highly recommend this special edition of Gene's masterpiece.

  Review by GABRIEL MOSHER on 23rd June 2023

• The binding materials and construction are excellent. Vivid artwork. The text and drop caps are lovely. The cloth spine absorbs light like a fuligin cloak, which is perfect.

  Review by MR RYAN JOHNSON on 17th May 2023

• Unbelievably perfect art for a work I didn't think could be adequately illustrated (Wolfe is such an abstract and conceptual writer). Everything about this book is perfectly laid out. The cover art of the books themselves is just perfect; I love the addition of yellow to the second volume. I've already read the first book in a frenzy, and am looking forward to the next ones.

  Review by Thomas Vaughan-Johnston on 17th May 2023

• The art is amazing and the quality of print is great. I almost don’t want to actually read them!

  Review by ANTHONY BIONDI on 13th May 2023

• Made my son-in-law very happy!

  Review by MS LISA MARSHALL on 5th May 2023

• Only painting the top of the pages is a copout. Also, an additional touch, such as a bookmark ribbon, would help justify the premium price. Still, it's a very nice edition with incredible artwork, generous page margins and text size, and a lovely 2-tone color scheme (red accents with black text) that made the experience of reading this beloved series quite enjoyable.

  Review by Chad S on 5th May 2023

• I have loved the book so far story wise but unfortunately the book did come with some cosmetic and maybe structural defects. The first book came with an indentation on the spine that came be seen but felt and while reading the first book i did hear it sound like it cracked a few times just from reading the book id say in a very delicate manner but it seems like the structure is still okay. The second book had unfortunately a much worse defect which can only be described as a bunch of scratched baked into the cover itself. This is an issue it seems like people have been having with this book and with the high price tag it is something that is a bit frustrating.

  Review by Adam Crawford on 11th April 2023

• I was compelled to purchase this. I didn't know if I was going to be ok if it was removed from the website and I wasn't the proud owner of a copy. The book itself is incredible and everything about this as a reading experience is astounding.

  Review by MR JACOB WILSON on 27th January 2023

• Excellent service and product.

  Review by MR JAN BæK on 20th January 2023

• I couldn’t be happier with this. One of the greatest works of science-fantasy in the presentation it deserves.

  Review by Gerry on 6th January 2023

• Great series, beautiful edition

  Review by MR JARRETT GODENIR on 25th December 2022

• Having heard about Gene Wolfe for a while I finally introduced myself to his work via Book of the New Sun and was blown away, a transformative piece on par with the very best of Science Fiction and Fantasy, incredible.

  Review by Leo on 21st December 2022

• Really beautiful books!

  Review by Impala on 30th November 2022

• Incredible books and great customer service. Can’t recommend it enough.

  Review by cliente on 19th October 2022

• Very nice edition

  Review by Mr Bogdan V Balan on 18th October 2022

• The art is spot on.

  Review by Michael Ehrlichman on 2nd October 2022

• Beautiful illustrations. Great undervalued author.

  Review by Rt Hon Anil G on 28th September 2022

• Maybe I just haven't found it explained, but I kind of wish the black page edges went all the way around (rather than just the top of the book). I understand there may be some metaphorical significance of the choice, given the nature of the book, but it does look a bit odd, so perhaps other colors or designs on the side and bottom would have made it feel more intentional? I love the covers, but I think some embossing would go a long way, and the blue has some difficulty standing out from the black in print, compared to digital images. The art inside is fantastic. The one nit-pick I have is that I wish the "full color prints" were a bit more colorful, rather than sepia toned, essentially. The box and binding is beautiful. I would definitely appreciate a page-marker ribbon, though. Over All, $50/book is a really fair price for this, I think... not an amazing deal, but very worth while.

  Review by AARON SCHMID on 7th September 2022

• Have not had a chance to read these volumes yet but the quality of the books is well worth the money paid.

  Review by MR ANDREW KALDA on 6th September 2022

• The Folio Society produces beautiful books. And they have excellent, responsive customer service. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend buying their books unless you live in the United Kingdom. After receiving three different copies of The Book of the New Sun, I finally gave up. The books arrived in horrible condition. They were all extremely poorly packaged and shipped. I will be donating all of the books I received to Goodwill. I really wish that The Folio Society put as much attention into their shipping department, that they put into producing lovely books.

  Review by MR PATRICK KLINE on 26th August 2022

• Book was packaged perfectly and arrived in great shape. Illustrations are fantastic. Overall, very good edition.

  Review by ARCHIT MALYALA on 17th August 2022

• Amazing Edition

  Review by PG on 13th August 2022

• Wonderful edition , great art, fantastic quality overall

  Review by DR MOUNIR BELCADI on 28th July 2022

• An incredible edition fitting for an incredible story.

  Review by Olivia Taylor on 6th July 2022

• When I first received this two volume set, one of the two books was damaged - the page edges were stained. I've written a separate (4 star) review about that describing how customer services got me a replacement copy very quickly, and thankfully, that was in perfect condition. For the books themselves I'm giving a 5 star review simply because, well, Gene Wolfe - do I need to say anything else? Well, I will. Even though I rate these four books in two volumes as 5 stars, where's The Urth Of The New Sun? It feels like a missed opportunity to have left it out.

  Review by Steven Docker on 30th June 2022

• A really stunning two volume set. Beautiful typography and layout. Excellent quality binding and cover. Evocatively illustrated.

  Review by Jeremy Baker on 9th June 2022

• Best edition of this book you could buy.

  Review by MR ALEXANDER REILLY on 27th May 2022

• It is larger then I expected but that is not a bad thing. I hope my husband likes it as it, as it is his favourite book.

  Review by Mrs Jane Bennett on 23rd May 2022

• Packed extremely safely and well. The quality of this book set is outstanding, amazing illustration, very strong clean binding, the best book set I own now. An absolute treat to flick through as well as dive into, not to mention my favourite series of all time. Wolfe's writing is akin to poetry. Archaic and esoteric language filled with nuance and metaphor with hard hitting messages throughout. Cannot recommend more, even if you are struggling with the language fight through it, it will be worth it at the end

  Review by MR THOMAS O'BRIEN on 22nd May 2022

• Gorgeous for a gift!

  Review by AP on 20th May 2022

• An Amazing production for Gene Wolfe's equally worthy tale of allusions and wanderings.

  Review by Much Thanks to Folio Society on 6th May 2022

• Great novels and beautiful books.

  Review by MR ALEX ROBINSON on 4th May 2022

• The two books came in a sturdy and quality slipcase. The binding is solid, the boards are also solid and nicely wrapped. I love the paper used - very good quality and I believe the font to be just right. Finally, the books/paper simply have a nice clean smell to them. I am one of those people who will hold a book up close to my nose and smell it. I read a LOT and am very particular about the hardcover books I buy. These books are THE best I have every bought or owned.

  Review by MR ANTHONY A VALDEZ on 26th April 2022

• A very good novel I quite enjoy

  Review by JOSEPH NIZOLEK on 23rd April 2022

• Beautiful book, very heavy and sturdy. Highest quality

  Review by MICHAEL C. on 23rd March 2022

• Any fan of the Book of the New Sun will love this addition! Every aspect is stunning :)

  Review by DR CHRISTOPHER J COWEN on 23rd March 2022

• This boxed set is amongst the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Top notch quality!

  Review by MR KENNETH LEE JACOBS on 10th March 2022

• This two-volume set is absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't be happier with the design, layout, size, paper, illustrations ... in short, this is a masterpiece of bookmaking. My only tiny quibble (and the reason I gave this review 4 stars instead of 5) is that there is minor scuffing on the facing surfaces of the two volumes from contacting one another while sliding in and out of the slipcase. In a perfect world, there'd have been a divider built into the slipcase so that the covers of the two volumes were never obliged to meet. The damage is minor, and not worth the expense (or carbon footprint) of returning the item (especially as the replacement would likely suffer from the same problem, and I do want the book). Overall, still very happy.

  Review by M. Evans on 2nd March 2022

• It's an absolute classic in a gorgeous edition.

  Review by JOHANNES OLSSON on 23rd February 2022

• Pricey, but you get what you pay for. I reread BotNS every two or three years, and previously had Easton press editions of Shadow and Claw and SFBC editions of Sword and Citadel. Feels more beautiful and balanced to have all four in a consistent format. If you love books, these are a worthwhile investment!

  Review by KENNETH A WOFFORD on 16th February 2022

• Stunning. Remarkable

  Review by MIndfunkk on 5th February 2022

• A wonderful saga complemented and complimented by excellent illustrations

  Review by Prof B Moxham on 5th February 2022

• Excellent quality! Made for a special gift for my husband. Thank you!!

  Review by Caroline Laski on 2nd February 2022

• Superb book, art work is first class, highly recommended

  Review by Ron Watson on 1st February 2022

• If you want to own a work of art and love books, then look no further.

  Review by PROF GEORGE SARKISSIAN on 23rd January 2022

• The books themselves are nice quality. This is my first purchase from Folio Society and I was worried the pages would be overly glossy. However, it's clear these books were created to be read and appreciated as aesthetic objects. Master Ultan would be proud. However, the box that holds them seems rather cheap and was damaged in shipping. I'd appreciate a new one if possible. Very minor cosmetic damage to one of the books as well (not worth replacing.) FedEx is no good! It's gotta be USPS or UPS.

  Review by MR CODY H BIESANZ on 20th January 2022

• Fantastic. Although they come at somewhat of a cost the books are worth their price. The artwork is excellent and the binding is magnificent.

  Review by Sven Devestele on 18th January 2022

• Wonderful gift for my son. Beautiful copy of his favorite book.

  Review by Amie Aburustum on 12th January 2022

• Great books, pity they are made in china.

  Review by MR JAMES RATHWELL on 9th January 2022

• Worth every penny, although I'd pay more to have the books printed in Great Britain. Being printed in China does not heighten the value of the product.

  Review by MR NAT BAUGH on 6th January 2022

• Absolutely gorgeous

  Review by MS ALEXANDRA GRACIK on 3rd January 2022

• My copy arrived with several defects. Not so bad that I'd bother returning it, but annoying considering the price. There are ink stains on several pages of both volumes (thankfully just in the margins). Twice I found pages glued together with a small glob of adhesive. The box and book covers are missing small bits of paint so there are small but noticable pinhole sized gaps in the illustrations. I've never seen this sloppy of a print job even in books a tenth of the cost. It is a great looking set but quality control seems non-existent.

  Review by Some Guy Reviewing Things on 28th December 2021

• Great set, glad it was Re-released in this beautiful set.

  Review by Shawn Donnelly on 23rd December 2021

• I love these books. Everything from the slipcase, to the book covers and illustrations. The font Folio Society uses are always a pleasure to read. Large and well spaced. One of my most prized possessions.

  Review by Bee Geok Yeo on 21st December 2021

• I love the smooth covers and the bright colors of the art. Beautiful box and beautiful books. Missed out on the 4 book edition a few years back so very grateful it was brought back as a two book set. Can’t wait to read them!

  Review by MR JOSEPH MCCOWN on 18th December 2021

• Books are of fine collector quality. A wonderful addition to the home library.

  Review by MS LUCINDA HUDSON on 16th December 2021

• Arrived damaged, waited 2 weeks for replacement, and the replacement arrived even more damaged than the original.

  Review by Joe on 14th December 2021

• Pictures can't make justice to how massive and beautiful the edition is, the slipcase, the mesmerizing covers, the illustrations...just wow.

  Review by S. Spanu on 12th December 2021

• Wolfe is my favorite author and these editions are excellent. Weber's illustration work is magnificent. I'm glad to see this often overlooked classic get a proper treatment.

  Review by CHASE MATTHEWS on 8th December 2021

• 1234567890

  Review by LORD JOHNATHAN L BULLIS on 14th November 2021

• Wonderful product. Stunning artwork and beautiful story.

  Review by MR CHRISTOPHER THOMAS on 3rd November 2021

• Quality of paper and binding is the gold standard of the publishing.

  Review by COL LYLE G RADEBAUGH on 22nd October 2021

• I read a paperback version of The Book of the New Sun many years ago, but remember little. Re-reading it in this sumptuous Folio edition is a totally different experience. The binding, the font, the illustrations & the sheer physicality of the books make this an unforgettable experience. It is fine dining as opposed to fast food. I linger over the words & the story enjoying an overall experience that will not be forgotten. Merely looking at the books on the shelf, will bring back memories just as a old photograph will of a long ago holiday.

  Review by COLIN SHEPPARD on 19th October 2021

• Expensive but gorgeous and well-made.

  Review by Ryan Browning on 18th October 2021

• I haven’t yet read this one, so very intrigued to make my way through these two beautiful volumes. The choice of Sam Weber to illustrate is always a brilliant one for these epic sci-fi works.

  Review by MR BENJAMIN WALKER on 11th October 2021

• This set of books looks very nice on my bookshelf. Holding and reading the books is a good experience.

  Review by Joseph Isaia on 5th October 2021

• A Folio Society edition of any title is more than a book; it’s an experience. The Book of the New Sun is definitely no exception.

  Review by BROCK on 5th October 2021

• Amazing delivery and amazing book!!!!

  Review by Nav on 5th October 2021

• Outside of my own enjoyment of the book of the new sun, I will say that this edition is a work of art in and of itself, and I am proud to have it in my home. The hard covers, both front and back, offer a striking image, and the presentation inside of the book is nothing to scoff at either.

  Review by Ethan Straub on 4th October 2021

• In terms of quality of materials and construction, this feels like a step down. The spine feels flimsy and the cloth binding on the spine is rough and almost bobbly like worn polyester. I was surprised to find it is printed and bound in China whereas all my past purchases have been printed in Italy, Germany or the UK. It just feels a bit more cheaply made than usual for Folio Society, though still decent overall.

  Review by GB on 27th September 2021

• Beautiful slipcased set of two books, very well bound with fantastic illustrations. Cover art is good as is that on the slipcase. A very good set of books (or 4 books in 2 volumes) that is worthy of the work.

  Review by Steve on 27th September 2021

• Gorgeous! My husband is sooooo happy with his birthday present. He's a huge Gene Wolfe fan and the illustrations are just amazing!

  Review by Amber on 1st September 2021

• Fantastic!

  Review by Diana Pantoja on 13th August 2021

• Good quality and beautiful pictures inside. The book is well built and looks beautiful in my bookcase!

  Review by BERTHA E. on 7th August 2021

• This set of 2 volumes is a stunning work of art. The illustrations are wonderful and of very high quality. The slipcase is beautifully designed as well.

  Review by Donna Worth on 5th August 2021

• The quality of this version is exceptional. It just oozes class and is a joy to hold. The pictures are very accurate. Highly recommended.

  Review by Aiden Halloran on 5th August 2021

• Good quality, but had scratch and pages stuck together

  Review by Aaron Stoner on 5th August 2021

• Really awesome book. Gets better with every read and it’s definitely a multiple read book.

  Review by MR BRODY CAMPBELL on 29th July 2021

• Beautifully crafted

  Review by Julius Ristevski on 29th July 2021

• Rly goooooooood! Cant wait to reread these in the folio. I looked at them tho and they are great.

  Review by MR BRIAN VASS on 28th July 2021

• Fabulous !!

  Review by Makram Jandar on 28th July 2021

• Had some issues with the book itself. Folio were amazing and replaced it twice, on the 3rd time I got a book in an acceptable condition. I will try to avoid books from this printing and binding facility in future.

  Review by Mrs Claire on 23rd July 2021

• Incredible artwork and production elevates a classic to even greater heights. The definitive edition.

  Review by Jared Ingersoll on 21st July 2021

• I have been looking for a long time for an affordable hardback edition of these books (see my caveat at the end of this review). Unfortunately I was too late with ordering the four volumes edition which the Folio Society published a few years ago. This new, two volumes edition is nonetheless a beautiful 'budget' edition that delivers sufficient value for money. I am assuming that the biggest difference to the former edition is the paper quality, which as far as I am concerned is more than fine (and obviously I can't comment on the original paper quality). I have to admit though that I am not too fond of the art featured in this edition, which I regard as rather boring and uninspired. This is a matter of personal taste though. One final request to the Folio Society: Please stop having your books printed in China, a nation whose government shows not only a disturbing disregard for human rights and international laws but whose aggressive political conduct is causing a lot of problems in the Asian region. Had I learnt before ordering where the books were produced I would not have bought them.

  Review by DR DIERK GüNTHER on 20th June 2021

• The slip case was in perfect condition but the covers of the books inside were damaged on arrival.

  Review by EDWARD WALL on 17th June 2021

• Beautifull book

  Review by MR GEORGIOS VOURAKIS on 10th June 2021

• The design of this book made me want to start reading it again even though I had just finished a few weeks before it arrived. Gorgeous.

  Review by J Frank on 9th June 2021

• magnificent edition, wonderful opera

  Review by ALESSANDRO on 8th June 2021

• Honestly, as much as I love the illustrations, the fact that these books are all rather shoddily made is rather aggravating. Even the replaced copy was imperfect in a way that FS books rarely are. I have kept it since I didn't want FS to keep sending me imperfect copies, but it is disappointing. Also not a fan of the choice of (shiny) paper covered boards which show scratches and bumps very easily. (Printed in China sadly)

  Review by ADYA SINGH on 29th May 2021

• The books came with the already documented scratches/scuffs on the tops of the pages and smudges on the images on the covers. Not serious enough for me anyway to request new copies but from what I've seen it wouldn't have made a difference has most of the copies from China have these imperfections. Mostly just a bit disappointing, definitely put me off buying any books printed in China, which is a bit sad as I was going to purchase a couple of the Tom Holland books but not anymore.

  Review by MR JIM HARDING on 24th May 2021

• Excellent and beautiful books

  Review by MICHAEL SHANAHAN on 19th May 2021

• [The Book of the New Sun - Folio Society] It is very expensive and arguably too much so, but the quality of what you get is undeniably great. This is a book made to last with beautiful craftsmanship. Looks amazing on the shelf and feels amazing in your hands.

  Review by Mr Thomas Bligh on 15th May 2021

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