City of Stairs
On sale
2nd October 2014
Price: £20
Genre
‘Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience’ – Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Prism
In the city of stairs, nothing is as it seems.
You’ve got to be careful when you’re chasing a murderer through Bulikov, for the world is not as it should be in that city. When the gods were destroyed and all worship of them banned by the Polis, reality folded; now stairs lead to nowhere, alleyways have become portals to the past, and criminals disappear into thin air.
The murder of Dr Efrem Pangyui, the Polis diplomat researching the Continent’s past, has begun something and now whispers of an uprising flutter out from invisible corners.
Only one woman may be willing to pursue the truth – but it is likely to cost her everything.
‘Truly refreshing’ – New York Times Book Review
In the city of stairs, nothing is as it seems.
You’ve got to be careful when you’re chasing a murderer through Bulikov, for the world is not as it should be in that city. When the gods were destroyed and all worship of them banned by the Polis, reality folded; now stairs lead to nowhere, alleyways have become portals to the past, and criminals disappear into thin air.
The murder of Dr Efrem Pangyui, the Polis diplomat researching the Continent’s past, has begun something and now whispers of an uprising flutter out from invisible corners.
Only one woman may be willing to pursue the truth – but it is likely to cost her everything.
‘Truly refreshing’ – New York Times Book Review
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Reviews
City of Stairs is brilliant
City of Stairs is a smooth novel of near perfection and the best Epic Fantasy novel I've read this year. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough
[Bennett's] clever selection of detail, the honesty and depth with which he describes his characters, and his ability to use so many disparate elements to transcend genre set him apart from the crowd. 9/10
With nods to Neil Gaiman's slumbering deities, Ursula K. LeGuin's two-faced political schemers and China Miéville's labyrinthine worlds, City Of Stairs is a compulsively readable and thought-provoking tale that confirms the author as one of the genre's most exciting talents. 4/5
I'm honestly not sure I have anything to criticise, or even nitpick over. From start to finish, this is tightly written, expertly plotted, marvellously paced and just plain fun to read. 5/5
Complex, ever evocative, this is the novel as fireworks. Seductively addictive
City of Stairs definitely makes my list of favourite fantasy novels . . . Excellent and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. 9.5/10
With City of Stairs, Bennett has probably written the perfect blend of fantasy and crime fiction. Everything works . . . one of the best books of the year. A must read.
City of Stairs is deliciously unsettling
A memorably surreal urbanscape. . . . Readers seeking a truly refreshing fantasy milieu should travel to Bulikov, and welcome its conquest
A delightful urban fantasy that travels through a city full of Escher-like staircases and alternate realities. . . . A diverse and entertaining cast of old gods fleshes out the ruins of this mysterious city, and Shara's hit-man secretary delivers nonstop action
Entertaining yet thought-provoking. . . . Entrancing characters, exciting descriptions and piercingly clear action keep the story moving swiftly and surely to a satisfying conclusion
[An] incredible journey through a wondrously weird and surprising world. . . . I found myself both delighted and fascinated as every layer was slowly unpacked. Just the right mix of awesome
Bennett is plainly a writer in love with the world he has built-and with good cause. It's a great world, original and unique, with a scent and a texture, a sense of deep, bloody history, and a naturally-blended magic living in the stones
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
Smart and sardonic, with wry echoes from classic tales mixed up in an inventive, winning narrative. [Bennett is] a master of the genre
An excellent spy story wrapped in a vivid imaginary world
A rich, layered, thoughtful story, full of gods and magic and char-acters that feel unflinchingly true. . . . Every once in a while I read a book that's so well done, I find myself wanting to punch the author in the face out of pure envy. Congratulations, Mr. Bennett- you just made the face- punching list!
Alien and human at the same time, Bennett's world is engrossing and fascinating. The pacing kept me reading far later than was healthy
A revelation . . . City Of Stairs is an absolute delight and should be mandatory reading for almost all fantasy fans
