Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kymirakythe 's review for:
City of Last Chances
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
City of Last Chances was heavy on the worldbuilding and had a huge cast of characters. Neither of these things typically bother me, but this book was a slog for me. I didn't like any of the characters, though I think that was deliberate writing on Tchaikovsky's part, as Langrice in particular was quite comfortable in her unlikable skin. And every character is well-drawn, from the little introductory paragraphs that open each chapter to how they interact with other characters they must deal with. Their feuds with one another feel authentic; you can tell they've got history with one another, even when it's not all laid out.
And yet, I think that gets at part of why I didn't like the book. There are a zillion different factions in the city of Ilmar, and they're all suspicious of one another. And almost all of them have a viewpoint character, even if it's just for a chapter. (And there were a couple of points where the head-hopping was not clearly signposted for the reader; not good, in a book as crammed with characters as this one.)
Perhaps my greater problem with the book is that I kept waiting for the revolution (even predicting that it would fail, since I recently finished Alien Clay). Pretty much every faction in the city of Ilmar is thinking about revolution on one level or another, for one reason or another. 75% of the way through the book, I was still waiting for the revolution, and by that time I just wanted the story to be over.
And finally, the subplot about the ward to the Anchorwood - for all that it kicks off the book's plot, such that it is - was super strung out. I wanted to know more about the Anchorwood and the Indwellers. They're suitably otherworldly and inscrutiable, but they don't get enough page-time. (Having come to Tchaikovsky's fantasy from his sci fi, I was disappointed at the lack of alien biology, the creatures of the Anchorwood being the only inclusion.)
And yet, I think that gets at part of why I didn't like the book. There are a zillion different factions in the city of Ilmar, and they're all suspicious of one another. And almost all of them have a viewpoint character, even if it's just for a chapter. (And there were a couple of points where the head-hopping was not clearly signposted for the reader; not good, in a book as crammed with characters as this one.)
Perhaps my greater problem with the book is that I kept waiting for the revolution (even predicting that it would fail, since I recently finished Alien Clay). Pretty much every faction in the city of Ilmar is thinking about revolution on one level or another, for one reason or another. 75% of the way through the book, I was still waiting for the revolution, and by that time I just wanted the story to be over.
And finally, the subplot about the ward to the Anchorwood - for all that it kicks off the book's plot, such that it is - was super strung out. I wanted to know more about the Anchorwood and the Indwellers. They're suitably otherworldly and inscrutiable, but they don't get enough page-time. (Having come to Tchaikovsky's fantasy from his sci fi, I was disappointed at the lack of alien biology, the creatures of the Anchorwood being the only inclusion.)