Well, after re-reading Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (and a change of mind about the notion that those two authors are the "only" viable Christian fantasy writers) I'm ready for another work of fantasy fiction. Particularly Gene Wolfe has been recommended on the 'net as an outstanding, genre-transcending author of SF/Fantasy who is known for his literary ablities and his mastery of the English language. Another factor is him being a practicing Catholic; It's been said that his worldview has an apparent influence on his works (Catholic symbolisms, motifs of redemption/search for salvation etc.)

What are your thoughts, and what would be a good starting point for his oevre? I've heard that his critically acclaimed "The Book of the New Sun" is very good, but not easy to comprehend, especially on the first read. I fear that it might be too difficult for me as a non-native speaker (full disclosure: My father was Irish, but I did not grow up bilingually).

Some further concerns about "The Book of the New Sun" (spoiler alert):

1. "Unreliable Narrator": The story is told from a first-person viewpoint. Severian, the protagonist, tells the story of what he's done in his younger years, but unreliably, and sometimes he is flat-out lying. Did you have any problems with this kind of storytelling? It's obviously integral to the plot and theme of the books, but I'm not used to it.
2. There's one scene in the books where Severian, the protagonist, eats the brain of a wise man in order to obtain the memory of the deceased. That's putting me off a bit.