mein Gott

[jazzfish]

Omigod. Omigod.

. . . okay. Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun is set in a future so far off it might as well be the past, when the sun become so dim that the stars are still faintly visible at noon. In The Shadow of the Torturer (book one) Severian is wandering around the Citadel trying to deliver a message when he comes upon a janitor:

The picture he was cleaning showed an armored figure standing in a desolate landscape. It had no weapon, but held a staff bearing a strange, stiff banner. The visor of this figure’s helmet was entirely of gold, without eye slits or ventilation; in its polished surface the deathly desert could be seen in reflection, and nothing more.

Come on, you've all seen this picture.

It's that moment, right there, that delighted "Oh!" of sudden recognition, that makes Wolfe worth all the headaches.

Update: because I keep having to go search for it, a permanent link to Fafnir's Gene Wolfe is a punk comment.

Comments

[rbandrews]

Heh. Took me a second.

[tirani.livejournal.com]

Wow. It took me a minute, but I got it.

[mycroftca.livejournal.com]

It's been twenty+ years since I read the book, but I remember recognizing that scene...

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

*blink*

When I first read that ten years ago it totally passed me by.

If it _is_ what I think it is. The visor being described as gold still throws me off a bit...

[jazzfish]

The armor's most likely white, if that helps any.

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

I thought it was that, yes. But my mental image still has the visor as black, not gold :-).

[pictsy.livejournal.com]

Argh. I'm all out of thunk. What is it?

[jazzfish]

Does the "armor" being white help any?

(If not, here's an artistic rendering; I couldn't find any photos that got the reflection right.)

[pictsy.livejournal.com]

Ah. It's not a familiar picture; I don't think I could have guessed.

[jazzfish]

Better:
Hasn't got the reflection, though.

[absolutliz.livejournal.com]

Wow...that was cool. I feel bad that I didn't get it w/o cheating, tho.

[jedibfa.livejournal.com]

OK, this is officially on my reading list... Wow!!!!!

[uilos.livejournal.com]

Before I read any of the other comments: Holy Shit! That's my idea of how Enlightenment is supposed to hit. Total light bulb moment.