The Shadow of the Torturer

This is a 5500 word essay on a reread of the full TBotNS, focusing on the narrative trap Wolfe has set, and my theory that his literary sleight of hand serves a religious/mystical goal, much more than it is the supposed puzzle for the reader to unravel. There's also a short section on free will, and it ends with my overall appraisal of the book's enduring appeal.

(...)

Even though Wright might be right in spirit, Aramini's law still holds: "One of the most fascinating aspects of the critical discourse surrounding Wolfe involves how infrequently any two people will agree with each other." That is because Wolfe has indeed set a trap - but his trap isn't there to catch readers unwilling to question their assumptions in a post-structuralist way... The trap is there to catch post-structuralists and puzzle-solvers altogether. To understand that, I'll have to turn to the Spiritual.

(...)

Full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It...