#169 in Science fiction
The Claw of the Conciliator
- 303
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
- Nebula Award for Best Novel
- Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction
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Our view
“The Claw of the Conciliator” widens the world of “The Book of the New Sun”: under its medieval surface, traces of a star-faring past show. Severian’s journey north toward Thrax passes through myth, prophecy and people haunted by what they have lost, and Wolfe works on several levels at once. Some readers describe prose that is intricate, full of uncommon words and not quickly understood; others find this volume richer than the first.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Claw of the Conciliator is a science fantasy novel by American writer Gene Wolfe, first released in 1981. It is the second volume in the four-volume series The Book of the New Sun and continues the story of Severian, a journeyman in the Seekers for Truth and Penitence, describing his travels north to the city of Thrax.
Reading order · The Book of the New Sun
Full order & progress →- The Shadow of the TorturerStart here
7.77.7 / 10 - The Claw of the ConciliatorThis book
8.18.1 / 10 - The Sword of the Lictor
8.18.1 / 10 - The Citadel of the Autarch
8.08.0 / 10 - The Urth of the New Sun
7.87.8 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.0 across 176 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 54% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 8.1 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 8 | 5% |
| Hardcover | 8.0 | 168 | 96% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Claw of the Conciliator?
It has 303 pages — shorter than 94% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Science fiction — and a score of 8.1, the closest to this book.
