Sam DiMascio

City of Stairs is what got me into my current reading groove. I had never read more than a handful of books for my own personal pleasure over the years. Something felt special about the whole world Robert Jackson Bennett built.

I won’t go as far to say he’s done it again but it’s fun to see the motifs he plays with. This time being a magical coding world. Mostly threads the needle of the fun of a heist and playing with a somewhat complicated magical system.

It does take a good chunk to get going as I think action is not where RJB excels. Or I’m just dumb. Logistically his writing always makes me feel like I’m missing one piece of the geography to fully map it. That pops up a couple times in the book. But once they get into the actual systems and how that shapes the world we are really cooking.

For the first few months of the year I have been wanting to dig into a fantasy ass fantasy book. I tried digging through TikTok, reading every fantasy list I could, and nothing quite struck my fancy. And the cover of this book didn't give me the vibes I was looking for. The premise sounded interested enough, a world where gods are real but the gods are gone.

What I wasn't expecting, besides it being the exact type of fantasy I was looking for, it would have elements of a fun detective story, this taught political landscape while laying the foundation of more to come, how religion functions even if it feels like it comes down to a 102 course the journey there is where the joy is.

There are other moments where the book turns to horror or action. Bennett dabbles into what he can within this world. Fully in love with this thing.

FIRST, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will forever be a book that's imagery and style I will hold dearly. Alright, with that out of the way.

This is a reimagining of Wonderland, the place and to mature version of the themes, TWISTED in the most ramped up way. A lot to do with the rape and sex trafficking, it is hard to stomach at times but also at times feels...normalized? This is how this world is. It is vile. As the book keeps moving forward Alice gets more empowered but a little over halfway through, the rate is that of a freight train. I still enjoyed the journey, and Henry does a great job of taking these characters in frightening and unique directions, but it felt like the book was a car going downhill with the breaks pressed halfway down and then all of a sudden they are just released.

Then as we get to the climax see how little of this is left and I wasn't sure how they could possibly resolve multiple big bads. With so much pain inflicted, often being presented the aftermath of prolonged periods of evil reigning supreme, the end doesn't feel gratifying. I wasn't asking for this torture filled revenge...but some greater catharsis. These entities that have ruled this city have fallen relatively easily but these bads, these are the WORST of the worst. And the resolutions are simplest of all.

With the ending, and not having a great affinity for Through the Looking Glass, I'm not too keen on continuing the journey. I enjoyed this version of Wonderland well enough but I have scratched the itch I needed to scratch.

I appreciate a book that gets me in and out doesn’t get too mucked down. So for that, I thank KPS and I can’t rag on it too much.

Will rag on it for a bit though. The characters feel overly engineered, like they are improv actors busting out quips at any given moment. These people are not of this planet. And then throw on the modern references that have no way of translating to probably even 5 years from now. You can’t make a DOOM ETERNAL reference.

The book works best when going into the “science”. Sure it is just exposition dumps but I’m a sucker for scientists going back and forth like this.