Reading order · Science fiction
The Book of the New Sun Reading Order
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe has 4 main books (1980–1983), plus 1 novella or companion. Start with The Shadow of the Torturer (1980) and read the numbered books in order.
By Gene Wolfe
The Book of the New Sun books in order
Your reading speed
- 5 h 18 min
- 5 h 18 min
- 5 h 17 min
- Track your The Book of the New Sun reading in Bookwisp — it shows the next book you’re missing.
- 5 h 33 min
- 6 h 31 min
Main books together: 1,225 pages, about 21 h 26 min at 238 words per minute.
Page counts: median across editions on Open Library. Times assume about 250 words per page. How we calculate.
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The Book of the New Sun: common questions
- How many books are in the The Book of the New Sun series?
- There are 4 main books in The Book of the New Sun, plus 1 novella or companion book. The most recent main book listed here is The Citadel of the Autarch (1983).
- What order should I read The Book of the New Sun in?
- Read The Book of the New Sun in its numbered order: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, The Citadel of the Autarch.
- What is the first The Book of the New Sun book?
- The first book is The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe, published in 1980.
- How long does it take to read the whole The Book of the New Sun series?
- The 4 main books add up to about 1,225 pages (median edition lengths). At 238 words per minute that is about 21½ hours of reading, or about 43 days at 30 minutes a day.
- Do I need to read the The Book of the New Sun novellas?
- The 1 novella or companion book (The Urth of the New Sun) sit outside the main numbering. You can follow the main story without them; their numbers (like 0.5 or 2.5) show where they fit between the main books.