The City

#1 City

Stella Graham

$27.99

Paperback

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English

Corgi
01 July 2014

Fantasy; Heroic

Series: City

GALAXY CHOICE JULY 2014
This is one of those rare books that you finish, put in the 'done' pile and say "WOW!"

It's an impressive achievement. Both clever and engrossing. It is rich in well-crafted characters, as some books are, but nearly every character in here has a point. There's very little said or done that does not have some significance to someone at some point. It is so cleverly plotted. Some characters you see grow up, some you see old (or older) reflecting on their earlier life, their losses, their achievements, their regrets, (all of which have relevance). Some characters don't remember, and things are slowly revealed to them (and you) as the story goes on). It's all so damned clever.

There's so many layers, so many story's (so many lives) that twist and thread through the other lives - this character knows that one, this one bumps in to that one and helps him, this one is the son of that one. All the information you're given is useful, not just filler. Not just some side story that makes the book bigger. What I always think of as - "A violent thing that happened on the way to..."

Stella really knows how to 'build' a story, I would have to say maybe better than some of the most prominent authors of our time. It was half way through this when I met a character, for the second time or so, that i really started to think,"Hey wasn't that that kid from..." You really need to pay attention to this one, not because it's a struggle to understand, but because its so clever and so rewarding if you give it that little bit more effort (no skimming!).

The world is obviously huge and well thought-out, but it's not all dumped on you at once, merely mentioned in passing when relevant, and that also adds to the realistic feel the story has. It's a brutal world, a brutal war, and you don't expect to reach the end of the story with many characters ... intact, but it's not unnecessarily violent or needlessly ruthless. Again it feels like things are happening for a reason (in the big picture). I was pleasantly surprised by how well Stella writes ALL her characters. All the males and females feel real, they stay 'in character', which is often not the case. There are no weak links.

I find it very hard to fault this book. I get the feeling that A LOT of other authors are going to read it and feel sad about themselves (we know those creative ones are all so sensitive and vulnerable!) - because they'll just be sitting there, shaking their heads, saying to themselves - "there's just no way I could write this!"

It has a feeling of Guy Gavriel Kay (aside from it being a stand-alone book), both in that it just feels so well written, and that it feels real, as if she had gone and lived in the ruins of The City to get a feel for it to write the book. Stella has clearly made her own, significant, individual mark here, with what feels, refreshingly (for a change) like a stand-alone book. (it's not part of a series, but you never know). Craig

Deep within the rotting bowels of The City, in its rank catacombs, crumbling sewers and ancient tunnels, society's dregs and dispossessed - and those who are fleeing punishment or who simply want to disappear - struggle to survive. Above ground, the streets and markets teem as people go about their daily lives, and the palaces of the privileged gleam in the sunlight. All seems well. But in truth, the City teeters on the brink of disaster. It is place of cruelty and fear, where the rule of its seemingly immortal and quite possibly insane ruler has brought his dominion to its knees through waging almost constant war over hundreds of years. Amongst the outcasts living beneath are a brother and sister with no memory of their past and an old man who wishes to keep his secret. Disaster will separate them but years later, the memory of a tattooed corpse and something akin to fate will reunite them as players in a monumental conspiracy to liberate their world...

By: Stella Graham
Imprint: Corgi
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 35mm
Weight: 498g
ISBN: 9780552168953
ISBN 10: 0552168955
Series: City
Pages: 704
Publication Date: 01 July 2014
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Stella Gemmell was married to the internationally acclaimed and bestselling fantasy novelist David Gemmell. She worked with him on his three Troy novels, completing the final book, Troy: Fall of Kings, following his death in 2006. She lives and writes in East Sussex. The City is her first solo novel.

Reviews for The City (#1 City)

The most satisfying, intelligent and enthralling epic fantasy I've read in many a year. -- JULIET McKENNA An astonishing book ... combines extraordinary scope with first class characterization, devastating and visceral battles, a multi-layered plot and a tightly-focused narrative ... The City is easily the best fantasy novel I've read in the last decade. -- JAMES BARCLAY One of the best fantasy novels I've read in a long time ... utterly compelling fiction, an awesome example of the genre ... brilliant. SF BOOK REVIEWS Vast, immersive and accomplished. Independent on Sunday A brutally visual world ... vivid, motivated characters each with a heartbreaking history ... thrilling and devastating ... a true epic. SCIFI NOW