The Sacrament, a female spirit from the beginning of time, has escaped the Citadel and the Sancti are dead with the exception of one. A strange disease, a blight, has taken hold, creating boils that cover the one remaining Sancti. Soon after, the disease spreads to the Citadel as well as to their beloved garden. Trees that have withstood the centuries now grow withered. Without the Sacrament the Citadel lies fallow, the people that serve it, confused. One member sees the future and assists in the restoration of the Sacrament another sees darkness and is determined to bring the ancient spirit back to the Citadel.
Like the other three books of this series, the Citadel is a gorgeously written account of Severian the Torturer's journey to the Autarch's throne in a far future. Gene Wolfe's story is outstanding, if only for the fabulous otherworldly reality he has fashioned with beautiful language and a singular voice. The Urth he has created is real, filled with layered depth and detail. The story reaches a satisfying endpoint in this volume -- I hesitate to call it a conclusion, because like a real history, it could continue forever. This series is one of the best of all time.
This is a beautiful story of a young doctor's struggle and his journey towards professional opportunity, social acceptance, and moral regression, culminating in dreadful loss and the promise of redemption.
Dramatised in four parts by Herbert Williams from A. J. Cronin's 1937 novel, "The Citadel".
Isolated in the biting cold of the Andes, after their plane has been hijacked and forced to crash-land, Tim O'Hara's passengers are fighting for their lives. While one group of survivors, lead by O'Hara, attempt to cross the peaks along a deadly, snow-covered pass, the other is working to stall the armed group of soldiers who plan to kill them all once they have managed to cross a torrential river. Ingenious ideas are put into action in a dramatic attempt to prolong their survival until help arrives.
![Cronin A. J. - The Citadel [BBC Radio 4: Classic Serial]](http://englishtips.org/uploads/posts/2009-08/1249648968_the-citadel.jpg "Cronin A. J. - The Citadel [BBC Radio 4: Classic Serial]")
