Writer Gene Wolfe is an unsung giant of American literature. His work — which includes more than 30 novels, dozens of short stories, and several collections of essays — represents a treasure trove of highly imaginative science fiction, fantasy, and realism. Readers willing to dig through his dense, allusive prose and puzzle-like narratives may discover that they’ve found a new favorite author. Wolfe, who has been hailed as the Herman Melville of science fiction by author Ursula K. Leguin, is best known for his sci-fi/fantasy saga The Book of the New Sun, which comprises four novels (via The New Yorker). These works led to the creation of a larger “Solar Cycle” that includes a fifth “coda” novel and two spin-off series set in the same universe.
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For fans of sci-fi and speculative fiction, The Book of the New Sun is one of the highest achievements of the genre and a true literary masterpiece. It may be surprising, then, that no one has yet adapted (or attempted to adapt) it for the screen. Wolfe fans have long speculated about how his imaginative worlds could be brought to life, and there is some debate about whether film or television better suits the source material. Though we cannot settle these questions, it’s worth discussing precisely why the saga deserves a full-fledged adaptation. What would make it successful as visual media, and how would it distinguish itself from other sci-fi film franchises? Let’s explore The Book of the New Sun’s cinematic potential.
An Underappreciated Sci-fi Epic
Arrow Books/Bruce Pennington
Though highly regarded by sci-fi literati, The Book of the New Sun has not reached the global popularity of Frank Herbert’s Dune series, Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, or Isaac Asimov’s Foundation — each of which received a major studio adaptation in recent years. Gene Wolfe’s masterpiece, on the other hand, has been left to steadily build its fanbase among avid readers of speculative fiction. In the absence of an adaptation, Wolfe enthusiasts have created fanart, recorded podcasts, published scholarship, and written their own books about the saga. This level of enthusiasm has not carried over to the public, but this is only because Wolfe’s work lacks exposure. If more people were made aware of The Book of the New Sun, it would not be long until studios took note and greenlit an adaptation.
At the same time, however, The Book of the New Sun seems to have a polarizing effect on those who brave its world: either you love it and become a devoted fan, or hate it and quit reading somewhere along the way. Still, those who commit to finishing its four main novels are rewarded with a rich and complex story that bends the rules of space and time in ways never before seen in literature. In order to be made more accessible, a film or TV adaptation dealing only with the first book, The Shadow of the Torturer, is needed to introduce audiences to its strange blend of sci-fi and fantasy. Following the model of the Game of Thrones television series, bringing the saga’s first entry to the screen will draw the interest of millions of new fans who can turn to the books as they await sequel adaptations.
A Fresh Take on the Dying Earth Genre
There are hundreds of post-apocalyptic stories and settings in books, television, and film. The Book of the New Sun does something different by allowing readers to see the slow, drawn-out process of the sun’s final dimming. The Earth (called Urth in the text) has cooled dramatically, and we imagine that there will be no “post” to this glacial-paced apocalypse. The Dying Earth subgenre of sci-fi and speculative fiction has long taproots going back to the early 19th century, but it was tackled most directly by author Jack Vance in 1950. Wolfe raised Vance’s model to new heights by setting a massive, genre-defying epic on a dying earth that seems impossible to save.
Part of The Book of the New Sun’s innovative power lies in the way it plays with Urth’s connection to our own (real-world) Earth. In truth, Urth is Earth, only millions of years in the future. Sometimes it is unrecognizably different, and other times it seems that very little has changed. Cutting-edge technologies from our time have become discarded relics whose uses have been forgotten — an inhabited tower that was once a space shuttle, for example. This kind of world-building makes for a setting that is at once wonderfully alien and strangely recognizable. It’s refreshing, to say the least, and one reason why The New Republic writes of Wolfe’s series as being “almost indescribable.”
An Extraordinary Cast of Characters
Éditions Denoël/Guillaume Sorel
The Book of the New Sun centers on Severian, a member of a guild of torturers who is banished for breaking the guild’s code. Severian, who serves as both narrator and protagonist, is often unreliable (either because he intentionally withholds information or because he is not yet in possession of the truth). This makes for one of the saga’s great puzzles: how much faith do we put in his words?
Severian meets up with several other characters who disappear and reappear throughout the narrative, sometimes emerging again only after many hundreds of pages have passed. Some of the most important supporting characters include: Dorcas, a young woman found at the bottom of a lake who has mysteriously come back to life; Thecla, an aristocratic woman held prisoner in the torturer guild’s dungeon; Dr. Talos, the mysterious leader of an acting troupe; and Baldanders, his giant assistant. Fans can speculate about who might be cast in each of these roles, but the real treat would be seeing them brought to life in all their darkly alluring glory. The same can be said for The Book of the New Sun in its entirety. Here’s hoping an adaptation is on the way.
