Writer - Robert Jackson Bennett
Series - The Divine Cities #2
Published By - Jo Fletcher / Broadway Books
I have waited a long time before writing about this one. It's not that I didn't like the book, I absolutely loved it. But 'City of Blades' just has been a difficult book to review. Once again, Bennett takes his unique and charismatic world and throws his amazingly crafted characters into real world problems. In the second novel of 'The Divine Cities' series, the author takes us head first into the reality of war, how it affects a nation and its people.
To be honest, this was a hard book to read at times for me. But I know that was what Bennett was aiming for. The tale about a city which is literally dead after a devastating war, the tale of a war veteran who had to make tough choices that keeps her waking at night and the tale of a frustrating attempt to rebuild a port and a future for a people who doesn't seem to want it should not be a fun or humorous read. The author masterfully builds the atmosphere of despair, frustration and the struggle against all odds to achieve a modicum of peace for our cast.
'City of Blades' is focused on General Turyin Mulaghesh, as she is forced out of retirement for a mission in the city of Voortyashtan, which is a city with a history of a brutal and catastrophic war. And Mulaghesh was a prominent part of that war. Turyin is to investigate the disappearance of a Saypuri agent Choudhry, which introduces her to a mysterious metal and hints that the believed continental dead goddess of war might not be so dead after all. Enter the enigmatic fan favorite Sigurd and his equally enigmatic (all though in a different way) daughter Signe, and we get to see a new side of him here as well. And it all boils down to yet another epic battle and emotional roller coaster.
The first half of the book took a bit of time to build up the conflict, and the emotionally taxing tone was hard to gruel through, but Bennett delivered a fascinating second half which just about floored me with its impact. War is a thing which is not good for anyone, not the defeated, not the victor and especially not for those who survive after living through the experience. To convey this universal truth in a refreshingly original setting is a task that Bennett achieved with finesse.
Mulaghesh is a very strong female protagonist, portraying an army general at the end of her tenure of bloodshed suddenly thrust into the politics of war again. Sigurd gets much more depth and character in this book as well. And the new characters specially Signe and Biswal were handled quite brilliantly as well. Bennett has the unique talent of getting to the core of his characters and taking the readers along for the journey. We get to experience the pain, anguish, despair, frustration and trauma of war and its consequences with the cast, and also the hope to strive on despite it all.
Due to the similarity of the blurb of investigating a disappearance and due to the fact of how the first book seemed like a stand alone, I was a bit doubtful whether the author can do 'City of Stairs' justice with this sequel. But man, this one had been yet another delightful journey to be savored. Hopefully the final book of this trilogy will be even better.
I give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment