4.0
City of Stairs
ByPublisher Description
An atmospheric and intrigue-filled novel of dead gods, buried histories, and a mysterious, protean city--from one of America's most acclaimed young fantasy writers.
The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions—until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself—first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it—stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy.
Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, she is one of her country's most accomplished spies, dispatched to catch a murderer. But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem—and that Bulikov's cruel reign may not yet be over.
The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions—until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself—first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it—stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy.
Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, she is one of her country's most accomplished spies, dispatched to catch a murderer. But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem—and that Bulikov's cruel reign may not yet be over.
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4.0
Heather
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Azraa
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“City of Stairs is the first in The Divine Cities trilogy and it paints a very vivid and intense picture of this world. The story opens with the murder of a Saypuri historian who’s visiting Bulikov to learn more about the history of the Continent and its dead gods, and this ires the Continentals, who are denied access to information about their gods. Ages ago, the Continent, also known as the Holy Lands was ruled by the Divinities- six gods ruling over six different lands, each with their own set of people, customs and beliefs, with Bulikov being the centre of the Continent, where all gods presented a united front. The only exception was a small colony of people known as the Saypuris who were godless, and thus enslaved, looked down upon, and forever mistreated by the Continentals, who deemed themselves to be superior for they had their gods and blessed powers. But it all changed seventy years ago, during the Great War, when the Kaj, a Saypuri defeated the Gods, and established a Saypuri Parliament which regulated and controlled the Continentals, and most importantly, forbade them of even thinking about their fallen gods. In the present, Shara is sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the murder of the historian, and she arrives with her “secretary” Sigrud, who’s a giant of a man, a Dreyling, hailing from the land of pirates. Shara presents herself as a Cultural Ambassador although in reality, she is an intelligence officer, with a secret identity, the revelation of which would threaten her existence within Bulikov. Shara soon realises that the murder is only the tip of the iceberg, and along with Sigrud and Governor Mulaghesh, she sets about uncovering shocking secrets that wreak havoc upon the entire Continent.
Holy freaking damn! I don’t even know where to start from. This is probably my first time reading Urban Fantasy since I’m really not a fan of mixing magic with the mundanity of doctors and engineers but I am so glad I gave this a chance.
First and foremost, when I started this I wasn’t aware this was an adult fantasy, but I am so happy to have stumbled upon one filled with mature characters, with our protagonist Shara being a 35-year-old woman, who is well-experienced and has a brilliant mind. I love the way she thinks, and I truly appreciate her inner historian, who emerges at every given opportunity and never misses the chance to spout facts. Next up, is Sigrud, the tall, brooding giant, and I had my guesses about his “destiny”, which turned out to be right, and I loved the silent friendship and blind trust he and Shara shared. In the beginning, I didn’t even think I would end up liking Mulaghesh, but I enjoyed the moments of humour her presence brought during the most deathly serious moments, and the blossoming camaraderie between her and Shara was truly a treat. I just hated everything about Vinya, so there is not much to comment on that woman. And lastly, we have Vohannes, or as Shara likes to call him Vo, and man, I was so conflicted about whether or not I liked him because of how he had hurt Shara, but in the end, I did feel really bad for him, because he was just a broken boy drowning in self-hatred, and it felt so unfair.
Moving on from the complex cast of characters, I took some time to familiarise myself with the plot. Initially, I thought it was going to be completely political with the focus being on the history of colonisation and slavery between the Continentals and the Saypuris. As the story unfolded, the layers hidden beneath the bitterness of the city began to emerge, making the tale much more compelling and twisted - the Restorationists and their agenda against the reforms being brought to the Continent, the mystery behind Efrem’s death, the rivalry between Ernst and Vo, the mysterious “divine” encounter Shara experienced, the myth behind the Dreyling prince, and Vinya’s true intentions behind sending Efrem to Bulikov. With every chapter, I felt the intensity just building up, and it all came to a head in the last 25% with the whole Votrov fiasco, the Kolkan-Jukov conundrum, flying ships, psychedelic drugs, and that last jaw-dropping revelation which left me stunned.
And of course, I have to mention a few of my favourite moments (which will only make sense if you’ve read the book, so yes ⚠️SPOILER ALERT⚠️):
> “my little battle-ax” 😍
> Shara’s interaction with Troonyi - the way she broke down that man’s ego!!! 🥳
> Sigrud slathering himself with the “allergic-potion” and Mulaghesh’s commentary 😂😂😂
> Shara’s mind and its brilliance in general- I love how smart she is, and I especially love how she responded to every single taunt Volka threw her way, and damn woman legit argued with a Divinity!!! 😂
> “I killed a god last week… a ministry should be a small task” HOWLING 😂
> Also Mulaghesh’s comic timing and commentary in every single extremely serious situation!!! And how she never fails to mention the reposting
> Shara’s and Vo’s banter in general
> Also, that ending - THAT REVEAL!!!! Omg!!! Like not the Vinya reveal, I mean the “conversation-amongst-the-pine-trees” reveal!!!
All in all, this was a great start to the series, and unfortunately, it’s not a 5-star read, this is more of a me thing since I struggled with the initial 50% and was contemplating on dropping it, but I am so glad I did not. This is a fantastic urban fantasy, with a touch of sci-fi, that’s filled with unique magic or miracles as we call them in this world, with fallen gods, diverse cultures, political messes, enigmatic mysteries, and wonderful characters that bring a web of convoluted moral and ethical dilemmas to the table along with a subtle but refreshing sense of humour, which keeps you engaged and locked in. I would recommend this to the folks who are looking for a fantasy that isn’t about dragons, royalty, or flaming swords, but rather about adults figuring out how to fix their messed up government in a magical world of divine powers and technological advancements.”
Bookishbarrister
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Sam 🗡️🐉
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“One of the most original fantasy books I’ve read. I absolutely loved the world that RJB has created here, especially the parallels between our world yet the otherworldly, mythical quality it has. It was a bit of a slow start as the plot does take its time in building its world first, but it kicks into gear quickly and doesn’t really stop until the end. Can’t wait to read more from Mr. Bennett.”Start a Book Club
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