Book Review
Oct. 19th, 2014 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariCity of Stairs
by Robert Jackson Bennett
This wonderfully crafted novel takes place in the city of Bulikov, center of the Continent, seat of a former empire that leveraged the power of living, present Divinities to rule over most of the rest of the world, especially Saypuri, the colony that eventually overthrew the Continent, killed its gods, and became the overlords. Saypuri operative Shara Thivani arrives in Bulikov to investigate the murder of Saypuri historian Efrem Pangyui, who had apparently made some dangerous discoveries about the past. Shara soon finds that there is much more going on in Bulikov, most of it both extremely perilous and extremely fascinating.
City of Stairs was an extremely enjoyable read. All of the characters were great - every one of the main characters was complex and interesting. I especially liked Shara - Bennett did a wonderful job of creating a character who is quite the badass in a purely intellectual way: all of her skills are in her smarts and her political acumen; she has just the bare minimum of combat and physical skills. But even the minor characters all have some depth to them so that the reader gets the sense of there being a whole story there, albeit one the reader will not get to hear. The plot was excellent, too. Bennett strikes a perfect balance between intrigue, mystery, action, big surprises, and slow reveals. There were things I figured out before they were revealed and things I didn't see coming. The world-building was amazing. I loved that Bennett chose to contrast a Russian-flavored culture (Bulikov) and a South Asian flavored one (Saypuri), and the rich sense of history between them. I also really liked the way he constructed and developed the Divinities, their miracles, their artifacts, and the effect of all these things on the world. While the story of City of Stairs wraps up in a satisfying manner that does not require a sequel, I really hope Bennett tells more stories set in this world, because I very much want to hear more about it.
by Robert Jackson Bennett
This wonderfully crafted novel takes place in the city of Bulikov, center of the Continent, seat of a former empire that leveraged the power of living, present Divinities to rule over most of the rest of the world, especially Saypuri, the colony that eventually overthrew the Continent, killed its gods, and became the overlords. Saypuri operative Shara Thivani arrives in Bulikov to investigate the murder of Saypuri historian Efrem Pangyui, who had apparently made some dangerous discoveries about the past. Shara soon finds that there is much more going on in Bulikov, most of it both extremely perilous and extremely fascinating.
City of Stairs was an extremely enjoyable read. All of the characters were great - every one of the main characters was complex and interesting. I especially liked Shara - Bennett did a wonderful job of creating a character who is quite the badass in a purely intellectual way: all of her skills are in her smarts and her political acumen; she has just the bare minimum of combat and physical skills. But even the minor characters all have some depth to them so that the reader gets the sense of there being a whole story there, albeit one the reader will not get to hear. The plot was excellent, too. Bennett strikes a perfect balance between intrigue, mystery, action, big surprises, and slow reveals. There were things I figured out before they were revealed and things I didn't see coming. The world-building was amazing. I loved that Bennett chose to contrast a Russian-flavored culture (Bulikov) and a South Asian flavored one (Saypuri), and the rich sense of history between them. I also really liked the way he constructed and developed the Divinities, their miracles, their artifacts, and the effect of all these things on the world. While the story of City of Stairs wraps up in a satisfying manner that does not require a sequel, I really hope Bennett tells more stories set in this world, because I very much want to hear more about it.
