‘Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience’ – Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Prism.
Do the dead sleep soundly in the land of death – or do they have plans of their own?
Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award 2016.
A generation ago the city of Voortyashtan was the stronghold of the god of war and death, the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels who killed and subjugated millions. But that was then. Now the god is dead and the city lies in ruins, a wasteland of sectarian violence and bloody uprisings.
So it makes perfect sense for General Turyin Mulaghesh, foul-mouthed hero of the battle of Bulikov, rumoured war criminal, ally of embattled Prime Minister Shara Komayd, to be exiled here – but she’s not just eking out her days in this hellhole till retirement. She’s on one final mission, to find a Saypuri secret agent who’s gone AWOL.
The trouble is, that this old soldier isn’t sure she’s still got what it takes to be the hero . . .
A triumphant return to the world of A City of Stairs.
‘Loud, bold and uncompromisingly ambitious’ – Upcoming4.me
Do the dead sleep soundly in the land of death – or do they have plans of their own?
Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award 2016.
A generation ago the city of Voortyashtan was the stronghold of the god of war and death, the birthplace of fearsome supernatural sentinels who killed and subjugated millions. But that was then. Now the god is dead and the city lies in ruins, a wasteland of sectarian violence and bloody uprisings.
So it makes perfect sense for General Turyin Mulaghesh, foul-mouthed hero of the battle of Bulikov, rumoured war criminal, ally of embattled Prime Minister Shara Komayd, to be exiled here – but she’s not just eking out her days in this hellhole till retirement. She’s on one final mission, to find a Saypuri secret agent who’s gone AWOL.
The trouble is, that this old soldier isn’t sure she’s still got what it takes to be the hero . . .
A triumphant return to the world of A City of Stairs.
‘Loud, bold and uncompromisingly ambitious’ – Upcoming4.me
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Reviews
One of the smartest second world fantasies out there and has some of the most memorable characters in recent memory
Magnificent . . . City of Blades does everything a really good sequel should. If anything, it's a better book than its predecessor
Surpasses its predecessor in almost all aspects . . . loud, bold and uncompromisingly ambitious and I wholeheartedly recommend it even if you haven't read City of Stairs
Does [City of Blades] live up to the Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and GoodReads Choice Awards-nominated City of Stairs? Allow me to answer with an emphatic yes . . . Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the most talented authors writing in SFF today and this is his finest work to date'
Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience. This is the book that will earn it for him. A story that draws you in, brilliant world building, and oh my God, Sigrud. You guys are going to love Sigrud.
Astonishingly good . . . a deep, powerful novel that's worth reading and rereading
Building beautifully upon the richly detailed world introduced in the first book of the series, Bennett serves a stew of fantasy and adventure with a healthy dose of humor and a ladle full of violence
Like the very best speculative fiction, City of Blades immerses readers in a made-up world, only to force us to take a harder look at the real one
Richly detailed and expertly plotted. A grand entertainment
City of Blades is bolder and harder hitting in almost every aspect . . . perfection. This one gets a full five stars and my hearty recommendation
City of Blades has really left an impression and however much I try to write I feel like I can't do the book enough justice. It is so much more than just another Fantasy novel with gods, war and mystery
Bennett's most powerful book yet - an examination of deeper issues within an enthralling adventure fantasy tale as sharply crafted as any of the titular blades. 9/10
In a word, City of Blades is perfection.
A superior work of secondary world epic fantasy . . . I would recommend City of Blades, and its predecessor, to anybody looking for an example of cutting edge, subversive and self-aware epic fantasy . . . I sincerely hope this will be a landmark trilogy that . . . will have a rippling effect on the epic fantasy genre for years to come.
An outstanding example of fantasy literature
City Of Stairs worked, primarily, for one big reason: The world Bennett had created was just awesome. [City of Blades] feels no less rich, no less realised . . . Read this first and then, if you fall just as hard for the world as I have, go back and read Stairs to get your fill of all the strangeness and wonderment
Just as powerful as the first, and even stronger in significant ways . . . among the best novels of 2016
Hooked me from the first chapter and kept me reading at a frantic pace. I can honestly say I enjoyed it even more than the first
Very sharp portrayal of a political powder keg, complete with fantastic, fantastical action and hugely likeable characters. You're going to want to read this.
