Shadow & Claw: The First Half of The Book of the New Sun

Name: Shadow & Claw: The First Half of The Book of the New Sun
Price: 2.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.2 (3324 reviews)
Author: Gene Wolfe

by Gene Wolfe

Literary Fiction Science Fiction Fantasy

4.2 (3,324)

4.2 stars from 3,324 reviews. Top 67% of Literary Fiction books we track.

$2.99KU77% off peak

Last checked: Jun 11, 2026

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Price history: $2.99 – $12.99

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Price range: $2.99 – $12.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

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Perfect for you if...

You love dense, layered prose that rewards rereading and want a fantasy that respects your intelligence without spelling everything out.
You're drawn to unreliable narrators and stories where the world-building is revealed through gaps and implications rather than exposition.
You appreciate literary ambition in speculative fiction and don't mind a slow burn that unfolds across hundreds of pages.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer fast-paced plots with clear stakes and resolutions that wrap up neatly by the end.
You want characters who explain what's happening and why, rather than leaving you to piece together the truth yourself.
You're looking for straightforward heroic fantasy or space opera with uncomplicated good versus evil.

About this book

Shadow & Claw combines the first two volumes of Gene Wolfe's tetralogy The Book of the New Sun. The Shadow of the Torturer follows Severian, a young apprentice in the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth. He is exiled after committing what is considered the ultimate transgression in his profession: showing mercy to a victim. The Claw of the Conciliator continues Severian's story as he is banished from his home and embarks on a quest to uncover the power of an ancient relic and learn the truth about his hidden destiny. This edition is sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$2.99 – $12.99

Currently on sale at $2.99 — 77% off peak. Price has dropped 5 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 237 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently #2,265 in the Kindle store — a top-10K bestseller. Climbing the charts — 57% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.2★ from 3,324 reviews

Gaining approximately 24 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.3 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $2.99. It typically returns to around $12.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.