Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle, which is an encyclopedia of people, places, and terms used in BotNS, has a summary of all the Severians. It also has a lot of commentary and analysis that might not be obvious upon one's first read, so it's a book I recommend all Wolfe fans get, alongside others like Solar Labyrinth.
u/Seriously86, u/SiriusFiction quite literally wrote the book on Gene Wolfe not making up any words for BotNS...
Thank you. Yes, I didn't think Lexicon Urthus was supposed to be official. I thought it was more a fan work but I don't have a copy. Heck, it looks like from the amazon preview I can read most of the good stuff. These maps, different maps & pictures, a foreward by Wolfe & some Severian Synopsis at the end. Just cuts out the boring dictionary in the middle. I was fine with interpreting the jargon I didn't understand exactly as a constructed language anyways & just getting the gist of it. https://www.amazon.com/Lexicon-Urthus-Dictionary-Urth-Cycle/dp/0964279517
I wonder if one map came first & gave inspiration to the other or if the Lexicon map was able to get so close just from the text it managed to match the more official version that well.
I think this is a good recommendation because the Book of the New Sun is so dense, like you said. But you're cruel for not suggesting he bring the <strong>Lexicon Urthus</strong> along with.
There's not really one consolidated spot for all of that. Some things will become clear as you continue reading. Wolfe's puzzles often have many pieces though, and it's not even clear how many mysteries are in this book.
As far as figuring out major mysteries that aren't revealed by reading the book through once, there's a "sequel" called Urth of the New Sun. Apparently Gene thought he was sufficiently clear, but his editor disagreed and pushed him to write out events that he only implied in the main four books. I continue to reread BotNS, but I only read UotNS once to get those extra threads tied up.
Another helpful resource is Lexicon Urthus, a dictionary/encyclopedia for the books which gives you the context for major mysteries, theories, and events.
And then finally, just come back and read all the cool conversations people have on here. Once you've read all the material, there's a lot of awesome theories you can wrestle with. I've had some of my biggest epiphanies years after finishing the books. People point out a subtle allusion or reference, propose an elegant theory, and it completely changes some part of my understanding of the books.
See, this is why I love this shit. It's so rewarding.
Sorry, you're right, fifth volume.
There's nothing in the New Sun that is just "just". There's so much symbolism and so many obscure clues scattered around that you can, and people have, filled books about them (I recommend Lexicon Urthus in particular).
I find Wolfe highly readable, but I do remember having a hard time starting it. Think I tried the first chapter three times before it clicked.
It used to be ridiculously expensive, I agree (for decent reasons, though). A year or so ago, however, Andre-Driussi was able to re-publish pretty reasonably. You can buy it on Amazon for a very reasonable $13.47. There's a bit less to it than one might hope, but it's still a fabulous resource. HTH.
I also recommend getting Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle, which is an encyclopedia of people, places, and terms used in BotNS. It includes a lot of commentary and analysis that might not be obvious upon one's first read. The same author also wrote an excellent chapter guide that provides a lot of insight, such as allusions to other works that may have escaped the reader. Turns out Wolfe makes a lot of them.
Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle and Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun: A Chapter Guide by Michael Andre-Druissi are both excellent and highly recommended. The first one is an encyclopedia (not just a dictionary) of terms, characters, and places. The second is a chapter-by-chapter guide that makes a lot more explicit.
For example, Wolfe references a lot of groups of people (cacogens, hierodules, etc.) who are in fact aliens, but aside from one or two throwaways akin to "they traveled to Urth from the stars", Wolfe never explains what they are.
He also connects a lot of dots, like who Hethor and Jonas really are.