The Book of the Long Sun (1993–1996) is a series of four science fantasy novels or one four-volume novel by the American author Gene Wolfe. It is set in the same universe as The Book of the New Sun series that Wolfe inaugurated in 1980, and the Internet Science Fiction Database catalogs them both as sub-series of the "Solar Cycle", along with other writings. Locus magazine and the SFWA considered the volumes separately for "Best Novel" awards.

Synopsis

Patera Silk, a young priest, tries to save his manteion (neighborhood church and school) from destruction by a ruthless crime lord. As he learns more about his world, he begins to question his beliefs and to revere the supposedly minor god known as The Outsider who has enlightened him.

Titles

The working title for the series was Starcrosser's Landfall, and dust jacket mockups of the first volume were printed with that title. At the end of the final volume in a penultimate section called “My Defense”, the fictional author refers to it alternately as The Book of the Long Sun, Starcrosser's Landfall, and The Book of Silk.

In the event, The Book of the Long Sun was published in four volumes, almost simultaneously in the U.S. (Tor Books imprint, Tom Doherty Associates) and U.K. (New English Library imprint, Hodder & Stoughton). The Tor hardcover editions (see table) were almost 1500 pages long in sum.

<!-- nearly simultaneous UK publication; indeed ISFDB shows one vol published one month earlier by NEL in UK

-->{| class=wikitable id="noveltable" border="1"

|+ First editions (United States)

! Title, Imprint, Date || ISBN || Notes

|-

| Nightside the Long Sun<br/>

: Tor Books, 1993

|

| Nebula Award for Best Novel, one of six finalists

|-

| Lake of the Long Sun<br/>

: Tor Books, 1994

|

|

|-

| Caldé of the Long Sun<br/>

: Tor Books, 1994

|

| Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, rank&nbsp;9 &nbsp;

|-

| Exodus from the Long Sun &nbsp;<br/>

: Tor Books, 1996

| &nbsp;

| Locus Fantasy Novel, rank&nbsp;10