Severian is told to leave the lazaret after the doctor confirms he is healthy because his garb and sword are upsetting the other patients. A magistrate from the Hall of Justice finds Severian and tells his services as carnifex will be needed tomorrow to execute a man who has killed nine people. After securing overnight quarters for himself and Dorcas, Severian visits the prisoner per his guild’s customs. He sees a naked woman (who he is surprised to see is Agia) sobbing beside a chained naked man who she names as Agilus. Their faces are mirrors of each other and does not understand how this can be, until Agilus explains, “It was Agia in the shop. In the Septentrion costume. She came in through the rear entrance while I was speaking to you, and I made a sign to her when you wouldn’t even talk of selling the sword.” Agia then explains that the sword was made by Jovinian and was worth ten times their shop. The Complete Book of the New Sun: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch, The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe – eBook Details Severian continues his travels toward Thrax, and Dorcas accompanies him. While searching his belongings, Severian finds the Claw of the Conciliator. Apparently Agia stole the Claw from the altar they destroyed and placed it in Severian's belongings knowing that she would be searched. Eventually Severian and Dorcas encounter Dr. Talos, Baldanders and Jolenta, who are almost ready to perform the play they had invited Severian to the morning before. Severian assists in the play, and the next day the group sets out toward the great gate leading out of Nessus, where they meet a man named Jonas. As they are passing through the gate, there is suddenly a commotion and the narration abruptly ends.

Full Book Name: The Complete Book of the New Sun: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch, The Urth of the New Sun They enter the Garden of Endless Sleep which consists of a dark lake in an endless fen. Agia explains that the lake water can preserve corpses so they are weighted down with lead to reside there and their locations noted so they can found later. An old man paddling a skiff approaches and disputes this – although he has a marked diagram, he cannot locate the body of his wife. He further explains that the deadly averns were planted here by Father Inire to kill the manatees which came through the conduit. Agia is not interested and proceeds forward but Severian slowly walks along the shore in time with the old man’s paddling while the two converse. They leave the café without paying and separate – Dr. Talos to “devote my time to the enhancement of this sylph” and Baldanders to return to the inn to get their theatrical props – and Dr. Talos asks Severian to meet them to perform at Ctesiphon’s Cross. Severian agrees to do so but has no intention of rejoining them.That being said there is an actual plot which can be understood in the reality this takes place in, although it's certainly fair to say that you will not have a clear picture of how this world works or that Severian will actively tell you conflicting information in which you need to decide for yourself what is this novel's reality and which is distorted from his perspective on events. In effect, this means that the world will feel "fuzzy" or cloudy and you won't have a full picture of the rules of the world or what's even possible in this world by the end of the book. In the clear sunshine, Severian sees the imperfections in Agia’s face but he finds them appealing and “rejoices in the flaws that made her more real to me.” Conversely, Agia says that Severian looks like “an armiger and probably the bastard of an exultant”. She then presses herself against him and kisses him, saying she may give him more after supper. He comes to an inn, where he first meets Baldanders and Dr. Talos. The are travelling mountebanks, who invite Severian to join them in a play to be performed the same day. During breakfast, Dr. Talos manages to recruit the waitress for his play and they set out into the streets.

Little Eata fidgeted with nervousness, and the leader saw us and lifted his lantern over his head. "We're waiting to get in, goodman," Drotte called. He was the taller, but he made his dark face humble and respectful. As they look for an inn, Dorcas asks if he misses Agia and Severian says he hardly knew her and he would be dead if she had had her way. Dorcas wonderingly says, “But the leaf did not kill you” and Severian is forced to confront the thought that he has been avoiding – that he should be dead. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe; Centipede Press". J. Davis. March 14, 2011. The Whole Book Experience]. As they cross the Lake of Birds, Hildegrin says that some call it that because many birds are found dead in the water. However he thinks it’s just because there are so many birds found at the Garden of Everlasting Sleep. He comments, “But she’s a good friend to birds, Death is. Wherever there’s dead men and quiet, you’ll find a good many birds, that’s been my experience.” Severian agrees, recalling the thrushes in the necropolis.The rest of the book lived up to, and further complicated, the complex texture of that first paragraph, following the apprentice torturer’s misadventures as he makes the decision to betray the principles of his guild, narrowly escapes execution, and is sentenced to exile as a carnifex (an executioner) in the distant town of Thrax. On the way he shares a room with a giant man named Baldanders and meets and joins fates with Dr. Talos, the manager of a band of itinerant players to which Baldanders belongs. There was also combat to the death by flower (kind of), a wandering through a strange Botanical Garden that seemed to weave in and out of time, a character who seems to arise without explanation from a lake in which the dead are laid to rest, and much more. It’s dizzying and exciting, and also full of moments that show their full significance only later, when we have more pieces of the puzzle. Concerning the tone of the story, the audience is reminded from time to time that these are essentially memoirs of the main character, which does take away from the narrative tension. In effect, you are reading a story knowing the ending beforehand, which I think is an admirable decision on the part of the author. By placing the ending of the story in the beginning, Wolfe has essentially challenged his audience to come along for the ride just to see how the lead character gets to where he is. Severian claims to possess not just an eidetic memory but a perfect memory and as such any contradictions on his part as the narrator are deliberate obfuscations.