Saturday, 9 April 2022 05:43 pm
Book Review: City of Stairs
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deckardcanineNo, it has no connection with The City of Brass. This Robert Jackson Bennett fantasy takes place in a world with a very different geography and history, tho the character and place names evoke Eastern Europe, South Asia, and a little Scandinavia. This edition does not include a map. The date is sometime in the 18th century, but there's a smattering of technology from later eras of reality, including a possible future.
To make sense of the story, a lot of background is in order. A land referred to only as "the Continent" used to be home to six Divinities. Nobody doubted their existence, because they sometimes appeared in the flesh and people could perform miracles in their names all over the place. Continentals -- especially those of divine descent, called the Blessed -- mostly prospered under them.
Alas, the nearby island of Saypur had no gods. To this day, nobody knows why, but the Continentals took it as a sign of inferiority or even sin. They tyrannized the island for centuries, until a Saypuri man known only as "the Kaj" found a way to kill Divinities.
When all Divinities had either died or made themselves scarce, there came "the Blink" (whose name reminds me of Marvel's "Blip"), in which miracle after miracle failed. Buildings and even whole neighborhoods disappeared or at least got out of whack. The central Continental city of Bulikov bears the titular nickname because a lot of leftover staircases now lead nowhere.
After war and other tragedies, the Saypuri, who had more practice at getting things done without miracles, gained control of the Continent. For the last circa 70 years, they have banned Continentals from owning anything that still is or used to be miraculous or even acknowledging that the Divinities ever existed. This leaves precious little room for history lessons, but quite a few remember who used to subjugate whom.
It is within this scenario that the story opens. A famous Saypuri scholar who did extensive research into the Divinities has been murdered. The protagonist, covert operative Shara, had known the man and shared his scandalous interest. Now she comes to Bulikov to solve the mystery, in the guise of a minor diplomat, with her loyal goon Sigrud present as a questionable secretary. She really hopes not to have her true identity revealed, especially as the Kaj's granddaughter.
Of course, that's not the worst that could happen. In pursuing leads, Shara and Sigrud discover evidence that miracles remain more common than they thought, and a violent conspiracy is bent on restoring the "glory days" of Bulikov. Could they even bring back one or more of its Divinities?
One thing unusual about this book is that it's mostly narrated in the present tense. I assume that's to help signal a flashback with a switch to the past. Usually, this means Shara thinking back to her school days, when she had an emotionally complicated relationship with a Continental aristocrat, who reappears in the course of investigation; or Sigrud dwelling on his lost Dreyling kingdom and unjust imprisonment.
The one other recurring focal character is Mulaghesh, a middle-aged judge who's sick and tired of reining in Bulikov. She snarks and swears more than anyone else, generally in ways we might, except for pluralizing "hell." I think she adds a bit of levity to a moderately dark tale. So does Sigrud, in a way. Sure, he's understandably depressed, but it's fun to see him sticking out like a sore thumb. Or doling out worse injuries than sore thumbs, for that matter. No wonder Brent Weeks loves him.
If I have a complaint, it's that we don't learn much about the Divinities. I've forgotten half their names and descriptions, and only so many miracles come into play. I'd like to know more about the horrors previously inflicted on the Saypuri. But I guess a detailed history would be somewhat beside the point, given how little the Continentals receive. Besides, I wouldn't want to start seeing the present tyranny as vindicated. They need to take a third option.
I don't take the book as having an anti-religious message or preaching much in the way of tolerance. At most, it makes me glad we don't have any gods quite like these. People may commit atrocities that they think have divine blessings, but I'm pretty sure they don't exercise miracles in the process. Nor is there any evidence that real gods would be subject to change with their followers' beliefs.
If you're looking for a mystery or a police procedural, I'm afraid CoS is about on par with a Vimes-centric Discworld novel on that score. If you want a fantasy that doesn't resemble others to my knowledge, check it out. I might opt to go on to City of Blades, hoping for extra answers.
I also read Unicornucopia: The Little Book of Unicorns, but that's too little for more than a paragraph's review. Most pages have just a few sentences telling facts about cultural perceptions of unicorns across time and space, accompanied by cutesy drawings. There's a huge uptick in text when it gets to rainbow food recipes and dubious "spells" to brighten your day, but at that point, I just looked at the illustrations, which had gotten repetitive. Unless you're already a huge fan of the topic, I don't recommend buying that book. (I found it on a giveaway shelf, and now I've put it on one.)
My next novel: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. This also has a religious theme, but it doesn't look very similar.
To make sense of the story, a lot of background is in order. A land referred to only as "the Continent" used to be home to six Divinities. Nobody doubted their existence, because they sometimes appeared in the flesh and people could perform miracles in their names all over the place. Continentals -- especially those of divine descent, called the Blessed -- mostly prospered under them.
Alas, the nearby island of Saypur had no gods. To this day, nobody knows why, but the Continentals took it as a sign of inferiority or even sin. They tyrannized the island for centuries, until a Saypuri man known only as "the Kaj" found a way to kill Divinities.
When all Divinities had either died or made themselves scarce, there came "the Blink" (whose name reminds me of Marvel's "Blip"), in which miracle after miracle failed. Buildings and even whole neighborhoods disappeared or at least got out of whack. The central Continental city of Bulikov bears the titular nickname because a lot of leftover staircases now lead nowhere.
After war and other tragedies, the Saypuri, who had more practice at getting things done without miracles, gained control of the Continent. For the last circa 70 years, they have banned Continentals from owning anything that still is or used to be miraculous or even acknowledging that the Divinities ever existed. This leaves precious little room for history lessons, but quite a few remember who used to subjugate whom.
It is within this scenario that the story opens. A famous Saypuri scholar who did extensive research into the Divinities has been murdered. The protagonist, covert operative Shara, had known the man and shared his scandalous interest. Now she comes to Bulikov to solve the mystery, in the guise of a minor diplomat, with her loyal goon Sigrud present as a questionable secretary. She really hopes not to have her true identity revealed, especially as the Kaj's granddaughter.
Of course, that's not the worst that could happen. In pursuing leads, Shara and Sigrud discover evidence that miracles remain more common than they thought, and a violent conspiracy is bent on restoring the "glory days" of Bulikov. Could they even bring back one or more of its Divinities?
One thing unusual about this book is that it's mostly narrated in the present tense. I assume that's to help signal a flashback with a switch to the past. Usually, this means Shara thinking back to her school days, when she had an emotionally complicated relationship with a Continental aristocrat, who reappears in the course of investigation; or Sigrud dwelling on his lost Dreyling kingdom and unjust imprisonment.
The one other recurring focal character is Mulaghesh, a middle-aged judge who's sick and tired of reining in Bulikov. She snarks and swears more than anyone else, generally in ways we might, except for pluralizing "hell." I think she adds a bit of levity to a moderately dark tale. So does Sigrud, in a way. Sure, he's understandably depressed, but it's fun to see him sticking out like a sore thumb. Or doling out worse injuries than sore thumbs, for that matter. No wonder Brent Weeks loves him.
If I have a complaint, it's that we don't learn much about the Divinities. I've forgotten half their names and descriptions, and only so many miracles come into play. I'd like to know more about the horrors previously inflicted on the Saypuri. But I guess a detailed history would be somewhat beside the point, given how little the Continentals receive. Besides, I wouldn't want to start seeing the present tyranny as vindicated. They need to take a third option.
I don't take the book as having an anti-religious message or preaching much in the way of tolerance. At most, it makes me glad we don't have any gods quite like these. People may commit atrocities that they think have divine blessings, but I'm pretty sure they don't exercise miracles in the process. Nor is there any evidence that real gods would be subject to change with their followers' beliefs.
If you're looking for a mystery or a police procedural, I'm afraid CoS is about on par with a Vimes-centric Discworld novel on that score. If you want a fantasy that doesn't resemble others to my knowledge, check it out. I might opt to go on to City of Blades, hoping for extra answers.
I also read Unicornucopia: The Little Book of Unicorns, but that's too little for more than a paragraph's review. Most pages have just a few sentences telling facts about cultural perceptions of unicorns across time and space, accompanied by cutesy drawings. There's a huge uptick in text when it gets to rainbow food recipes and dubious "spells" to brighten your day, but at that point, I just looked at the illustrations, which had gotten repetitive. Unless you're already a huge fan of the topic, I don't recommend buying that book. (I found it on a giveaway shelf, and now I've put it on one.)
My next novel: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. This also has a religious theme, but it doesn't look very similar.