The Sword of the Lictor is the penultimate book in that striking science fantasy [tetralogy, "The Book of the New Sun"], and continues the adventures and revelations of its protagonist, Severian of the Order of Torturers. Sentenced to demean himself as a jailmaster and executioner in a backwater town for the crime of showing mercy to a "client" whom he had loved, Severian is our focus for discovering the mystery and richness of the "Urth" of a million years hence. Beyond this, he himself plays a pivotal role in a world swiftly approaching a little understood Eschaton. For Severian is the wielder of the archetypal jewel, the Claw of the Conciliator, the full significance of which is yet to be revealed….

I found this novel a bit of a letdown from the previous entries in the series. Less controlled than the others, it didn't seem to possess quite...