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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
5 stars (book). 5 stars (series - completed)
“What a tremendous sin impatience is, he thinks. It blinds us to the moment before us, and it is only when that moment has passed that we look back and see it was full of treasures.”
Wow. I don't know how to adequately describe my affection, admiration, joy and amazement at both this book and this series (now concluded). Sigrud was never my favorite character from the prior two books (that honor goes to Mulagesh), so I was a bit hesitant when I saw that he was going to be the focus and primary POV. Add to that my trepidation after reading the publisher's blurb regarding Shara's death (that's not a spoiler - it's in the book's description and is the opening scene of the book - the event that sets everything in motion). It isn't that I had "low expectations" (quite the contrary), but I wasn't excited about a novel about Sigrud - I was never much into his "solutions" to problems (usually involving violence). And yet in his novel...you come to understand why he is the way he is (explaining it would be spoilers, sorta) and he is much more than what he has appeared to be in the past books.
Bennett has written a profound series of novels that, while ostensibly "fantasy books" (they deal in gods, miracles, etc.), are (like Sigrud) much more than the sum of their parts. They are meditations on faith. On change. On rage. On colonialism/imperialism. On the sins of parents. On the endless cycles of violence. On how difficult it is to change the world. Couched in some of the best prose in contemporary fantasy literature. These are not books for the hack and slash crowd, though there's plenty of action (City of Miracles has an amazing set piece at the middle of the book that is straight out of a James Bond movie - stunningly tense and well written). They are for people who think. People who are fascinated by history. And world building. And just want an amazing story.
I'm sad that it ended. But Bennett has made a fan out of me. More than that - he has turned me into an evangelist. Buy. These. Books. Read them. Imprint them on your being.
“What a tremendous sin impatience is, he thinks. It blinds us to the moment before us, and it is only when that moment has passed that we look back and see it was full of treasures.”
Wow. I don't know how to adequately describe my affection, admiration, joy and amazement at both this book and this series (now concluded). Sigrud was never my favorite character from the prior two books (that honor goes to Mulagesh), so I was a bit hesitant when I saw that he was going to be the focus and primary POV. Add to that my trepidation after reading the publisher's blurb regarding Shara's death (that's not a spoiler - it's in the book's description and is the opening scene of the book - the event that sets everything in motion). It isn't that I had "low expectations" (quite the contrary), but I wasn't excited about a novel about Sigrud - I was never much into his "solutions" to problems (usually involving violence). And yet in his novel...you come to understand why he is the way he is (explaining it would be spoilers, sorta) and he is much more than what he has appeared to be in the past books.
Bennett has written a profound series of novels that, while ostensibly "fantasy books" (they deal in gods, miracles, etc.), are (like Sigrud) much more than the sum of their parts. They are meditations on faith. On change. On rage. On colonialism/imperialism. On the sins of parents. On the endless cycles of violence. On how difficult it is to change the world. Couched in some of the best prose in contemporary fantasy literature. These are not books for the hack and slash crowd, though there's plenty of action (City of Miracles has an amazing set piece at the middle of the book that is straight out of a James Bond movie - stunningly tense and well written). They are for people who think. People who are fascinated by history. And world building. And just want an amazing story.
I'm sad that it ended. But Bennett has made a fan out of me. More than that - he has turned me into an evangelist. Buy. These. Books. Read them. Imprint them on your being.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Simply excellent. Very sad to see this series end, but this book closed the circle perfectly. City of Miracles cements RJB as one of my favorite authors and one of the top (if under-recognized) writers in the genre. Highly recommended.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the best trilogies EVER written!!! Brilliant, intense characters I was totally invested in, great world-building, and action which didn't stop.
My hear was beating so fast in the last third I had to read the ending, which was beautiful and sad and apt.
I'm going to go and buy the hardbacks.
My hear was beating so fast in the last third I had to read the ending, which was beautiful and sad and apt.
I'm going to go and buy the hardbacks.
4.5* this entire trilogy was incredible and deserves so much more hype GOD the end of this book had me sobbing, i am so soft for sigrud and the amount of development he went through during this trilogy makes my heart ACHE i love him. the core three in general are just such strong characters and i loved this final book with the final pov out of the three!!!!
I won't dissemble: I like City of Stairs best in this series.
As with City of Blades, this book has much more high-action violence than I like in a book. It's almost like a fantasy action or thriller book. The world Bennett created in City of Stairs is so interesting and engaging (What if the gods were real, and then they died?), steeped in mythology and politics and human nature, and it's a shame that in the sequels this was grossly overshadowed by action. This book had the tragically common raison d'être for sequels: an increasing power arc.There's a new, evil Divinity in town, and we need an even more powerful Divinity to defeat him. I really wanted to understand more of the world of the Continent and Saypur and the Divinities, not just another Ultimate Villain with new Divine characters.
There is some connection with the first book, and some of the big questions (Where are the Divinities from?) in a mostly satisfying way. But it felt to me that the new addition to Divine lore in this book was somewhat haphazard; several times I read a pair of lines whose purpose seemed solely to provide an ad hoc reason that the big battle couldn't be resolved in a simpler way, like plugging a hole.
That said, I like the writing, and I laughed out loud a few times at the dialogue. The last few pages are written beautifully, and they provide a satisfying close to the series.
As with City of Blades, this book has much more high-action violence than I like in a book. It's almost like a fantasy action or thriller book. The world Bennett created in City of Stairs is so interesting and engaging (What if the gods were real, and then they died?), steeped in mythology and politics and human nature, and it's a shame that in the sequels this was grossly overshadowed by action. This book had the tragically common raison d'être for sequels: an increasing power arc.
There is some connection with the first book, and some of the big questions (Where are the Divinities from?) in a mostly satisfying way. But it felt to me that the new addition to Divine lore in this book was somewhat haphazard; several times I read a pair of lines whose purpose seemed solely to provide an ad hoc reason that the big battle couldn't be resolved in a simpler way, like plugging a hole.
That said, I like the writing, and I laughed out loud a few times at the dialogue. The last few pages are written beautifully, and they provide a satisfying close to the series.
Ridiculous! How can one enjoy a book so much?!
Full of darkness, despair, fear and death yet hope, love and goodness gracious fabulous people triumph...
I enjoyed it... I'm outta words.
Full of darkness, despair, fear and death yet hope, love and goodness gracious fabulous people triumph...
I enjoyed it... I'm outta words.
Best book of 2017 so far. Great story, great characters, fun read. Highly recommended.