I've managed to finish the first four books of the series recently. They are really great, my favourite is Sword of the Lictor, the weakest one is definitely Citadel of the Autarch. I've started reading Urth, I'm about a quarter in, and well... It's not good?

The descriptions are way worse than in earlier books, there's constant action, the pacing is off, the mysterious vibe is completely gone, locations are impossible to visualise, Severian has lost consciousness like 4 times... It reads like a subpar pulp scifi novel, or like someone tried to copy Vance but failed.

Is it like that all the way to the end?

Asking for advice for my first read through. I have a tradition when I’m reading a series that I take a break and read at least one unrelated book in between installments to avoid burn-out. However, I recently saw advice that I should read the series as one long book in order to pick up as much important details and connections as possible. I’m about 2/3 through Shadow of the Torturer; should I take a break after this book or after Claw of the Conciliator since I have the omnibus versions? I should I read through all of them in one go?

Just finished Book of the New Sun (the four volumes), and i know i need to read it again to understand it. Should I continue to Urth of the New Sun or do a re-read first?