City of Stairs

This book was a bit of a slow starter, but it is well worth getting through the first couple of chapters for the brilliant exploration of race, religion, culture, and SPOONS!

I feel like shouting “Spoons! You're spoons!” at people randomly on the street though.

I should start by talking about the story, I suppose. The premise of the world is one of my favorites, “What if God not only existed, but walked among us as undisputed fact?” Except in this case it's “Gods” and by the way their dead now and everything they ever built which this society depended on for day to day life disappeared along with them. This is a society not only built around the worship of its deities but on regular, dependable, deity-powered miracles, deity-constructed buildings, and deity-provided sustenance.

That, however, is half the story. Because this society also had deity-approved slavery, and that just never ends well. This novel tells the story of Shara Komayd, a member of the formerly enslaved Saypuri, now an independent nation occupying the Continent. Shara and her Viking manservant, Sigrud, are investigating the death of a professor of continental studies when everything around her goes to hell and she ends up investigating deeper into the dead, (or in some cases missing) divinities than she ever expected.

It's a good story, and well worth the read just for a the mystical intrigue Bennett creates.

Step back a bit, though, and let's appreciate the world for the unique diversity represented.
1. A culture occupied by former slaves, both of whom now exist as morally questionable entities.
2. A sincere, honest, and utterly platonic friendship between a woman and a man.
3. Women in just about every position of power, and this is accepted among pretty much everyone except one set of old school devouts.
4. A bisexual male character honest about his own inclinations and vocal about what growing up in oppressive cultures does to a person.
5. 6 different religions plus Saypur's lack thereof, each of which has distinct benefits and flaws for believers and non-believers alike. Religion is certainly not given the best rap in this story, but nor is it completely vilified. In the end, I found the central message to be one in near perfect complement to my own philosophy. I won't spoil that for anyone here, but I think it's an important perspective in our world today. Certainly someone with extremely devout religious beliefs might be offended by this book, especially if they feel their own system present in Kolkashtani (which I believe draws some of the less palatable elements from a variety of sources), but I hope most of them could also see how Bennett uses this to explore the idea of belief and religion rather than condemn either of these things.

City of Stairs is not a light read (except the bit about the spoons which I admit is still my favorite moment), but it is definitely a worthwhile one.

Sometimes it's good to take a break from fantasy set in a faux-medieval world and check out something a bit different. City of Stairs is set in a fantasy world that's technologically similar to, say, the 19th-century. It begins with spy/diplomat Shara Thivani sent to the subjugated city of Bulikov to investigate the murder of a historian. Shara is a petite, shrewd woman who brings along her “secretary” Sigrud for muscle. Sigrud is a great character too. He's a big, hulking northener who is scarily good at disarming adversaries (and would think nothing of doing that literally). Bulikov used to be a beautiful, successful city largely on account of its group of six gods (Divinities) who made it that way. But decades ago, a fabled general from Saypur known as the Kaj, killed these gods. But as Shara – who is also from Saypur – comes to learn, not all the gods may have died. Although the pacing may at times be on the slow side, this book kept me turning pages and at times was a lot of fun. Things get super interesting in the middle and the ending has some nice surprises too.

When it comes to fantasy and science fiction, I???ve gotten used to reading series???trilogy-length, at least, but I???m always willing to settle in for the long-haul of a much lengthier series, as long as the series proves itself worthy of long waits and occasional fevered rereads to get back up to speed on the plot. In fact, it???s gotten so that when I come across a one-shot in the course of my reading, I am partially skeptical, but also utterly delighted. There???s something wonderful about being able to read an entire story from beginning to end in the span of one book, without having to worry about waiting for the sequel, which, under the best circumstances, could be a year away.

So one-shot fantasy and sci-fi books are something of a treasured rarity, even more so if they???re well-written. Fortunately, this year has been very good for me (not least because Hope reads so much faster than I do and can generally throw things my way on a regular basis): this year saw me read Katherine Addison???s exquisite novel The Goblin Emperor, and Andy Weir???s The Martian, the former for fantasy, and the latter for sci-fi.

But just before the year went out, fate and friendship saw it fit to throw me another bone, and once again, thanks to Hope, I decided to give Robert Jackson Bennett???s City of Stairs a shot.

City of Stairs begins in, well, a city. Long ago, the city of Bulikov was the capital and sacred city of the Continent, a nation of conquerors supported by gods they called the Divinities. With their gods behind them, nothing could stop the Continentals from conquering and enslaving the rest of the world, including the people of Saypur. But since then, times have changed, and the roles have been reversed: the Saypuri are now in control of the Continent, and the city of Bulikov is half-destroyed, its population ravaged by disease and poverty???a reflection of the state of the rest of the country. Under Saypuri control, the Continentals no longer have access to their history and their religion???least of all to the gods they used to worship, for the Saypuri hero called the Kaj killed them long ago.

But all is not as well as the Saypuri might like???something that becomes obvious when Dr. Efrem Pangyui, a notable Saypuri scholar, is murdered in Bulikov. Sensing that the discontent in the city is about to reach a head, diplomat Shara Thivani arrives in the city with her secretary, Sigrud, to find out just why Pangyui was murdered. But things go much deeper than that, and the ancient city hides far more secrets than Shara knew???or might have wanted to know.

I like worlds that feel big enough and solid enough to live in for a while, but it can be hard to do that in the space of one book. Some writers, though, are good enough that they can give a world a feeling of depth and breadth within the space of one book: writers like Katherine Addison, who managed to create an entire world deep enough and broad enough to live in for The Goblin Emperor, while still managing to fit it all in one book.

Bennett manages to accomplish the same thing in City of Stairs, though in a different way than Addison. While Addison plays with language to create the sense of a wider world beyond the scope of what is presented in The Goblin Emperor, Bennett makes use of history in order to do the same thing. City of Stairs is preoccupied with history: the way it is made and who makes it; who has access to it, and how much of it is made available to the public; its censorship and what is considered ???true??? or ???false???; and finally, what happens when it must be rewritten. Getting the answers to these questions builds the world for the reader, as they, through the characters, get a better grasp of what happened to Bulikov???and find out what happened to Dr. Pangyui.

In many ways, those questions also form the thematic heart of the novel. Questions about history and heritage are always relevant, whether at the level of the individual or the nation as a whole, and the novel deals with these questions at all levels quite admirably. There are also questions about the gods, and the nature of divinity, and of theology as a whole. What is a god, anyway? Where do they come from? What gives them power over mortals? More importantly: do the gods make us, or do we make them? Interesting questions, certainly, and they are ones that Bennett tackles throughout the course of the novel???in fact, they are the foundation upon which the entire novel is built.

Of course, none of this would matter so much if the characters weren???t interesting, and fortunately, the characters are exceedingly fun and interesting to read about. Shara is a standout, in my opinion: I love it when writers create female characters who are amazingly competent at their job, but who are still capable of making mistakes???and, more importantly, capable of learning from those mistakes. Shara is precisely that: when she???s first introduced she cuts a rather intimidating figure, but it quickly becomes clear that that???s not all there is to her???particularly when the reader begins to gain an understanding of her past and her motives, as well as her relationship with the other characters: in particular, with Sigrud.Sigrud comes off, initially, as the typical strong, stoic bodyguard-type, especially in the first few chapters because Shara deliberately makes him maintain that role. However, the reader quickly begins to realise that, as with Shara, there is far more to Sigrud than the reader might have initially thought. For some odd reason, when I started to learn about his past the first thing that popped to mind was the Skye Boat Song???the original, mind, not the variation used as the opening theme for the show Outlander. But that was only an initial impression, and it quickly changed the more I learned about his history. Echoing the overarching themes of the novel, understanding Shara and Sigrud means understanding their pasts. Sigrud???s past is interesting, to be sure, but I found myself more intrigued by Shara???s???not least because it pretty much lies at the heart of some of the most stunning revelations in the entire novel. For Shara is not simply Shara Thivani, but Shara Komayd, descendant of the legendary Kaj who killed the Divinities of the Continent and cleared the way for the eventual Saypuri triumph over their former masters. This means that her presence in Bulikov investigating Pangyui???s murder is not as simple as it seems on the surface, especially when she begins to uncover things that she did not know before???both about the political situation in Saypur, about what is and is not considered history, and about herself. But what I loved most about these two characters is their relationship. I love reading about a good, solid, platonic relationship, and that???s precisely what Shara and Sigrud have. Theirs is a friendship forged in some very tough and difficult situations, and the level of trust they share with each other is incredible. And truth be told, it was more satisfying to read about their relationship that it was to read about Shara???s entanglements with Vohannes Votrov, interesting though that might have been. Romance is well and good, but friendships are, in my opinion, even better.

As for the plot, it???s a remarkably fun one that is well-nestled in the setting and has some surprising twists and turns along the way. Even better, it feels as if it???s the characters steering the plot along, instead of the other way around, which is fun because it allows the characters room to not only be heroic, but to also make mistakes???sometimes even unto the point of disaster.

What I am rather puzzled about, though, are the comparisons made between this novel and Kameron Hurley???s The Mirror Empire. They feel like two distinct beasts, similar only in that they are both incredible novels that occupy the same genre; their world building is equally solid and organic; and they share some similar themes about history and religion. But The Mirror Empire reads as a much bloodier, much angrier book, while City of Stairs reads as something a bit quieter. Perhaps others are simply seeing something I???m not.

Overall, City of Stairs is a very satisfying kind of book: a well-built world with well-written characters, and a plot that springs organically from its setting and characters, while still allowing for some rather unexpected revelations towards the end. Even better, it is on par with some of the finest epic fantasy novels currently available, while still being contained in a single volume. It takes a mighty talented storyteller to pack that much value in one package, and Bennett, through this novel, proves that he is most certainly that.

I was given this book by BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review. 

So first let me say gorgeous cover. As I'm sure you know by now, I'm a huge fan of awesome covers, they always lead me towards reading a book. This one is awesome with the city below the Divinity.

As for the book, we start off right away in the middle of a trial in a court room. I love how it started like this and introduced many of the characters through the court rather than other traditional ways. And then right away the purpose of the book is shown, a murder and the Divinities.

This is one of those books that I would never be able to talk about it out loud for fear of mispronouncing everything. The story itself takes place in Bulikov with characters like Mulaghesh and Jindash, Pangyui, etc. But regardless, the characters are still charming and intriguing. The story is a twist on the typical murder mystery genre since it also takes place in a fantasy world. The book is more than just a murder mystery, it involves many secret histories, a dystopian like aspect, plus magic (or miracles as they are called in the book).

There is a lot of world explaining and building that has to happen in this book since it is a fantasy setting, but Bennett does a good job of slowing explaining the setting and how everything came to be the way it is in Bulikov, especially the snippets at the beginning of every chapter. The world building in and of itself is a massive undertaking. There is the overarching government of Saypur and then the government within the cities like Bulikov. There is also the presence and then disappearance and killing of the Divinities. Plus the War that lead to the world being the way it is. There was a lot to build in this book, but it is done in a fantastic way that is not boring.
The ending of this book definitely leaves it open for future books, but at the same time closes this chapter in Bulikov's history.

And while I have said this book is a fantasy, it is so much more than that. This book encompasses many different genres and is a great read. The imagery within the book is amazing, just the way everything is described is perfect. I would definitely recommend it to people looking for a unique take on a fantasy novel or people who enjoy mysteries since this has aspects of that as well.

Executive Summary: Looks like I'll be adding to all the hype. This is definitely one of the better books I've read this year. Only a few minor issues. 4.5 stars.Full ReviewThe two most hyped books this fall (at least among my circle of friends) was this book and [b:The Mirror Empire 20646731 The Mirror Empire (Worldbreaker Saga, #1) Kameron Hurley https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1399920947s/20646731.jpg 39939919]. After being a bit let down by Mirror Empire, I was wary of this one. I almost didn't read it. I'm glad that I did.Rob gets on the bandwagonI don't know where to start. This book is well written. Part mystery, part fantasy, with some pretty good humor. More “urban” fantasy than traditional fantasy, or maybe this could be considered “flintlock”. The subgenre doesn't really matter too much though. It's more important to get across that this book feels very fresh and pretty light on fantasy tropes.Mr. Bennett paints a rich and deep world, especially for a stand alone book of only 450 pages. The little bits of text from various fictional books really helped to flush things out in a short amount of text. And unlike Malazan these were cryptic entries that really only make sense to a rereader, but were at worst something to file away for later in the book, but usually for later in that chapter.And if world building doesn't do much for you, then there are the characters. The main character, Shara, is a 30 something intelligent women who uses his brains rather than a weapon to do most of her fighting. However when violence is called for her “secretary”, Sigrud is there to handle it. In many ways Sigrud almost steals the show, but that's really just because he like a few of the other supporting characters are so strong.And if characters and cool world building aren't enough, there is a pretty interesting “magic” system, that's tied in well with the aforementioned world building.The last thing I want these days is another series to read. This book is definitely stand alone, but I would totally read another book set in this world, and it sounds like I may get that. I had never heard of Mr. Bennett before this book, but I'll definitely be looking into some of his work. Highly recommended.

Oh, dear... I feel like the Grinch in Christmas...

I like to have variety in my readings so I picked up this book thinking that it'll make me put in a fantasy-mood... But unfortunately I felt really lost and I couldn't connect with the story.

So, reading everybody else's reviews makes me think that maybe I'm not the best to read high fantasy.

If I recommend this book? Of course I do! It's quite great but only if you are madly in love with the genre.

I received an ARC through BloggingForBooks but this fact did not influence the review.

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads. This book started off slow for me, but I am so glad I stuck with it! It was a great book. Shara Thivani is sent to Bulikov to investigate the death of her friend and colleague. She finds so much more than the reason behind his death. The world-building is amazing. After I got used to the different names and started to get into the story, I couldn't put it down. Shara and Mulaghesh are great characters, but I have to say that Sigrud is my favorite! I would recommend this book to everyone. I hope their is more to come.

Pros: intricate world-building, fascinating plot, diverse characters, thought provoking

Cons:

Three hundred years ago the people of Saypur rebelled against the Continent, killing its Gods and enslaving the populace as they had been enslaved. Continental history has been suppressed and any mention of the Gods and Their Miracles is considered a criminal act. With tensions high in the ancient capital of Bulikov, it's not surprising when a Saypuri professor is killed while studying the history of the Continent. Shara Thivani, an intelligence officer with an unhealthy interest in said history, goes there to investigate, and finds more than a simple murder.

The idea that the Continent's people were chosen of the Gods is central to the book. What does it mean when you're backed by divine right? And conversely, what does it mean to those you enslave, that they are not? Turning the tables on their oppressors, the Saypuri have become what they once hated. It's clear that despite the time that has passed both sides are still heavily influenced by their past, even if the people no longer have a proper understanding of their history. Old tensions and hatreds cloud modern judgement and ensure that the people of Saypuri keep those on the Continent in poverty, rather than letting them rebuild and start over.

Though the core cast of the book is fairly small, there's a large enough supporting cast to give the book a grand, epic, feel. The cast is nicely diverse, with several people having visible disabilities (a limp, a missing eye, a facial scar), there's a prominent homosexual who must hide what he is in the still ultra-conservative Bulikov, and the people of Saypur, we are told, are a dark skinned people. The Saypuri are an equal opportunity country with women in numerous positions of power, though the protagonist is still referred to as ‘my girl' by an older gentleman of her nation, showing that not everyone there is progressive.

The book did a remarkable job of showing world building through subtleties rather than overt references or gratuitous scenes.

This is a brilliant novel, the kind of book aspiring authors should read over and over again to see how Bennett made his characters and places come alive. If you like intense world-building of the style used in Frank Herbert's Dune or Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead, pick this up. If you've been looking for diverse characters, pick this up. Seriously, pick this book up. You won't regret it.