The Citadel of the Autarch, the last of Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, end with a whimper, not a bang. After the travels of Severian in the first three books, I expected that the finale would wrap up his story and tie things together. But there were many loose ends not resolved and much that was left unexplained. Overall, I enjoyed the series, but it was a little frustrating. I tend to blame myself, as it’s not exactly the type of book I enjoy.

I apologize for not being able to do a full review, but I’m not sure I could do a good enough job explaining the book. My main problem with the book is that Severian is the hero and main character, but everything seems to happen to him without action on his part. A large part of the series involves Severian wandering around and something happens to him. When Severian gives Thecla the knife early in the first book, it is an action taken by Severian when he knows the consequences and makes a decision. It is also one of the last times in the series where he does this. Most everything else Severian does is either following what someone else is doing or following the Guild rules. It is a frustrating experience to watch the protagonist wander around and rarely initiate the action.