Nightside the Long Sun (1993) Signed First Edition Reference

Nightside the Long Sun opens Gene Wolfe’s second major series — the Book of the Long Sun. Published in 1993, the novel is set inside the Whorl, a vast cylindrical generation ship, where Patera Silk, a priest of the Outsider, receives an enlightenment that sets him on a quest through the politically corrupt city of Viron. Like the Book of the New Sun, the novel operates on multiple levels — the “Long Sun” that illuminates the Whorl is an artificial sun running the length of the cylinder.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Tor Books, New York Publication date: 1993 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition, fine/fine: $100–$300
• Unsigned first edition: $15–$40

The Long Sun opener. Patera Silk is one of Wolfe’s most appealing protagonists — more openly virtuous than Severian, though no less complex. The series has a devoted following within the broader Wolfe readership.