Nebula Award. Locus Award. World Fantasy Award. British Science Fiction Association Award. Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun is one of the most famous science fiction series of all time. This is a long magical novel in four parts. "Shadow and Claw" contains the first two: "Shadow of the Executioner" and "Claw of the Peacemaker", which were awarded the World Fantasy Award and the Nebula Award. Severian, the humble executioner's apprentice, blessed and cursed with the gift of photographic memory, tells the story of the path that leads him through sex, betrayal, exile, murder, conspiracies and secrets - to adulthood and the pinnacle of power over the ancient world of Urd, illuminated by a dying sun. "Shadow and Claw" are the first two books of the famous magical tetralogy "Books of the New Sun". "Shadow of the Executioner" Severian - a student in the Guild of Executioners and a graduate of the Order of Seekers of Truth and Repentance in the strange, decadent world of Urd. He is expelled for the worst sin in his profession - compassion for the victim. “Claw of the Peacemaker” Severian continues to search for his destiny. Is it connected to an ancient relic that supposedly has mythical powers? Should Severian play a role in the political intrigues of the sovereign of Urd? Or will a different fate await the executioner's apprentice? "A magical thing... A work of art... The best science fiction I've read in years." – Ursula Le Guin “The Book of the New Sun is almost heartbreakingly good, rich and full of nuances that emerge with each reread. This is Gene Wolfe's masterpiece." – David Langford, ten-time Hugo Award-winning critic “One of the most ambitious works of twentieth-century fiction.” – Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine “A masterpiece of science fiction, comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewis.” – Publishers Weekly “The book contains elements of Spenser's allegory, Swift's satire, Dickens' social consciousness, and Wagner's mythology. Woolf creates a truly alien society, which the reader begins to feel from the inside... Once in it, it is no longer possible to stop.” – The New York Book Reviews