Catch Hold Of Град на стълби (Божествените градове, #1) Engineered By Robert Jackson Bennett Distributed As Print
biphobia body horror
As a really big fan of Robert Jackson Bennett's newer series, I thought I'd like this more than I did.
It took a while for me to get into this, as it started with mostly political intrigue and a murder mystery.
But as the story goes on and world building was added, I started to enjoy it more, There is a former love interest of the main character who is bisexual, and I don't think that was handled well at all.
The narrative has a lot of biphobic language about him being "stuck between two worlds" and "fighting with himself" and I just found that so offputting.
The discussions of divinity, miracles, and the various creatures in here were really cool, but I'm not sure if that's enough to have me continue with this series.
If I do, I will likely listen to it on audio,
Full review to come on my channel, Actual :.Stars
sitelinkCity of Stairs is, at its heart, a murder mystery, with a hull of geopolitical strife amp fueled by a peculiar magic that isn't totally understood even by the story's main characters.
The perfect recipe for a story that had me up past my bed time many nights in a row.
Right off the bat it plunges the reader into the thick of the roiling tensions between two major nations with a complicated history.
Once dangerously powerful amp supported by miracles performed by their deities, Bulikov was responsible for the abuse amp demoralization of many.
Now, their gods destroyed amp their histories revoked, Bulikov has been reduced to a shadow of its former splendor.
Saypur, persecuted for years by Bulikov, and now its rulers, sends Shara Thivani as an ambassador to the capital with an undercover mission to solve the murder of a Saypuri doctor who served as her mentor.
Shara is undoubtedly a star in this book, Strong willed, vastly intelligent, with a noticeable disability, she captured my interest from the moment she was introduced.
Shara is surrounded by a in intriguing group of characters, prominently featuring a huge amp terrifying man from the North, Sigrud, and the equally terrifying retired General Mulagesh.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is that it's HighFantasy that is not inspired by Medieval Europe.
I've seen others designate that Bulikov is loosely based on Russia, and Saypur is loosely based on India.
It's so refreshing to find a Fantasy with a setting as vibrant amp complex as this.
I can see where some may have felt detached from the details here, but those details were crafted so skillfully that I never once found myself losing interest.
Author sitelinkRobert Jackson Bennett expertly balances the current mystery plot with a number of flashbacks that help to flesh out amp explain both the characters amp their inclinations.
Personally, I've got this thing for stories that heavily revolve around politics amp religion, especially when there are magical threads to consider.
I love taking the journey through all the complicated motivations that have led the involved parties to their current situation, and this book is rife with the exploration of motives.
When a writer can show me only a small sliver of their world, but simultaneously convey that there is an expansive existence beyond the immediate scope of the story, that quickly grabs my attention.
The division of loyalties, obligations to one's religion, and the discovery of selfconfidence are some of the major themes that weave together throughout this tale.
In combination with exceptional magical qualities amp a dynamic cast of characters, this book is by far one the most distinctive I've ever read.
I will say, the resolution of the plot within the larger plot was just slightly shaky for me with how it came about.
But because the situations Bennett has created are so complex with many different moving pieces to consider, I'm willing to wait amp allow my understanding fully develop before I let it bother me.
Would recommend to anyone looking for a fresh, bizarre, amp beautifully crafted story that's way outside of the box!
sitelinkThis review and other reviews of mine can be found on sitelinkBook Nest!
The city knows.
It remembers. The past is written in its bones, though now the past speaks in silences,
This book is genius! At some points the writing is so lovely I had to stop reading for a second to bask in its glory.
That's part of the reason why it took me so long to read the book I didn't want it to end.
City of Stairs is set in an imaginative epic fantasy, almost steampunk setting, The Continent was once protected by mighty gods, allowing them to colonize and enslave many surrounding nations, In a creative twist, the Kaj, member of the enslaved Saypuris, figures out a way to kill the gods and leads an army to bring the Continent to its knees.
The storyline takes place many decades later, in the continental city Bulikov which has been ripped apart by the death of its gods and the ensuing Saypuri rule.
The main character, Shara, is a descendant of the Kaj sent to investigate the death of her colleague and friend in this ruined city setting.
So there we have the exciting setup for City of Stairs, Once you get into the swing of the story, things get even more exciting, Here are a few aspects I particularly loved,
. The worldbuilding is unbelievably intricate, I can't imagine how many hours Bennett spent mindmapping and listing and ruminating over every detail of the world he's created here.
While reading the story, you get the idea that what is shown of the settings is only a small fraction of what Bennett has come up with.
. More so than the elaborate world, I love the techniques that the author uses to reveal his worldbuilding.
His characterization and descriptions of characters often reveal as much about the world as they do about the character themselves.
He also uses viewpoint to convey a better understanding of the world, For example, main characters are often introduced not in their first POV chapter but through the eyes of another person, so that readers can get an outside look at the character and what sort of insights their appearance and culture give to a bystander.
This is how the main character and her tall secretary are introduced, as seen by a lowlevel bureaucrat:
It is a small Saypuri woman, darkskinned and even smaller than Pitry.
She is dressed rather plainly, Pitry finds there is something off about her eyes, . . The giant's gaze was incredibly, lifelessly still, but this woman's eyes are the precise opposite: huge and soft and dark, like deep wells with many
fish swimming in them.
The woman smiles. The smile is neither pleasant nor unpleasant: it is a smile like fine silver plate, used for one occasion and polished and put away once finished.
. Which brings me to the characters, and particularly the diverse representation, We have several main characters in power who are women of color, one who is bi, and many other diverse people walk on and off the stage.
This made a lot of sense, given the world in which the oppressed became the powerful, and I'm glad the author didn't shy away from representation.
As you've already seen, the characterization is incredibly well done, with descriptions and inner dialogue that create a very clear image of each narrator.
. As for the beautiful writing, I couldn't post enough excerpts to illustrate Bennett's prowess, so I hope you go check out the book yourself for more.
The author has a talent for taking very dramatic emotions and putting them into the perfect phrase, without sounding overdone.
Here is my favorite instance of evocative language,
Time renders all people and all things silent, she thinks, But I will speak of you, of all of you, for all the time I have,
I will deny all accounts that I cried upon reading this, so don't even think of asking about it.
So overall I loved the book and would recommend it to all of you! It dabbles in a wide range of genres fantasy, steampunk, mystery, even a little romance so there's something for everyone.
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