City of Stairs: The Divine Cities Book 1

Description

You've got to be careful when you're chasing a murderer through Bulikov, for the world is not as it should be in that city. When the gods were destroyed and all worship of them banned by the Polis, reality folded; now stairs lead to nowhere, alleyways have become portals to the past, and criminals disappear into thin air. The murder of Dr Efrem Pangyui, the Polis diplomat researching the Continent's past, has begun something and now whispers of an uprising flutter out from invisible corners. Only one woman may be willing to pursue the truth - but it is likely to cost her everything. This edition contains bonus material!

Robert Jackson Bennett was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but grew up in the half-developed suburbs of Katy, Texas. He spent most of his time playing on construction sites and in drainage ditches, which would explain a lot. His interest in writing came from hearing about the books his older brother was reading and then attempting to mimic them. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and, like a lot of its alumni, was unable to leave the charms of the city and resides there currently.

A smooth novel of near perfection and the best Epic Fantasy novel I've read this year. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough - SFF World With nods to Neil Gaiman's slumbering deities, Ursula K. LeGuin's two-faced political schemers and China Mieville's labyrinthine worlds, City Of Stairs is a compulsively readable and thought-provoking tale that confirms the author as one of the genre's most exciting talents - SciFiNow [Bennett has] said that he hopes that his readers learn something definite about the world from his books; he's succeeded in his aim. A murder mystery, spy thriller, fantasy adventure and philosophical treatise rolled into one. Highly recommended - Sci-Fi Bulletin his (Robert Jackson Bennett's) clever selection of detail, the honesty and depth with which he describes his characters, and his ability to use so many disparate elements to transcend genre set him apart from the crowd. 9/10 - Fantasy Faction City of Stairs is a remarkable book . . . Fantasy has painted itself into a corner with its retread of the same tired tropes on one hand and its retreat into nihilistic "grimdark" on the other. City of Stairs is the antidote to that conundrum: It is fantasy's way forward. City of Stairs is highly recommended and not to be missed - Books Brains and Beer