Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #447618 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 440 pages

Customer Reviews

Invaluable Information, Explanation & Insight
The "Lexicon Urthus" is a beautifully produced book. Corrected and greatly expanded since its first publication, the new edition is a treasure house of information, explanation and insight into the names, words and worlds of Gene Wolfe's Urth Cycle.

Set in the infinitely distant future, the Urth Cycle, consisting of the four volumes of "The Book of the New Sun" plus "The Urth of the New Sun" and sundry short stories, is crammed full of highly unusual words, names and concepts. Unlike so many science fiction and fantasy authors, Wolfe made none of these up himself. Instead, he drew on a wide variety of modern and ancient sources and it has been Andre-Driussi's labour of love to track down these sources and uncover not only the meanings and origins of the words and names, but the underlying patterns which connect them.

There are tables, illustrations and helpful longer articles on subjects such as Gnosticism and Military Organization. The new edition of the "Lexicon Urthus" also retains from the first edition the splendid Foreword by none other than Gene Wolfe himself.

All in all, the results of Andre-Driussi's efforts make for a fascinating read and offer invaluable support for anyone wrestling with the text of Wolfe's masterpiece.