Order of Solar Cycle Books
The Solar Cycle is a series of science fiction/fantasy novels by American author Gene Wolfe. The series is broken up into multi-volume novels: The Book of the New Sun, The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun. The Book of the New Sun is set in far in the future, where a torturer named Severian is exiled for showing compassion. The Book of the Long Sun follows a priest of small parish who gets involved in politics and a revolution. The Book of the Short Sun is about those who are colonizing two new planets.
Gene Wolfe began his Solar Cycle series in 1980 with the first volume of The Book of the New Sun, entitled The Shadow of the Torturer. The book consists of four volumes, plus a coda entitled The Urth of the New Sun. The second book The Book of the Long Sun began with the 1993 volume Nightside the Long Sun and lasted four volumes. Finally, The Book of the Short Sun began with On Blue’s Waters in 1999 and lasted three volumes until Return to the Whorl – the last volume of the series. Below is a list of Gene Wolfe’s Solar Cycle books in order of when they were originally published (which is also their chronological order):
Publication Order of Urth: Book of the New Sun Books
| The Shadow of the Torturer | (1980) |    |
| The Claw of the Conciliator | (1981) | |
| The Sword of the Lictor | (1982) | |
| The Citadel of the Autarch | (1983) | |
| The Urth of the New Sun | (1987) | |
Publication Order of Urth: Book of the Long Sun Books
| Nightside the Long Sun | (1993) | |
| Litany of the Long Sun | (1994) | |
| Caldé of the Long Sun | (1994) | |
| Lake of the Long Sun | (1994) | |
| Epiphany of the Long Sun | (1996) | |
| Exodus from the Long Sun | (1996) | |
Publication Order of Urth: Book of the Short Sun Books
| On Blue's Waters | (1999) | |
| In Green's Jungles | (2000) | |
| The Book of the Short Sun | (2001) | |
| Return to the Whorl | (2001) | |
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Solar Cycle/Urth Synopsis: Nightside of the Long Sun is volume 1 of The Book of the Long Sun by Gene Wolfe. Trying to please the gods aboard The Whorl, a giant spaceship dispatched from Urth to colonize a distant planet comes upon a new god and nearly sets off a revolt.
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