City of Bones
Ratings16
Average rating3.7
A rising new talent in the genre offers a fantasy adventure in the style of the Arabian Nights, replete with devious images, beautiful maidens, palace intrigues, and a lone hero who must solve a riddle to preserve his magic powers.
Charisat is a city at the Fringe of the Waste, a rocky and treacherous area of desolation formed more than a thousand years ago when a mysterious holocaust drained the sea and destroyed the flourishing civilization of the Ancients. It is a city which survives by trade, and its most valuable merchandise is relics, artifacts from the remains of the Ancient city that once occupied Charisat's present location. Relics are priceless, and in a city where living space is at a premium and water is a scarce and valuable commodity, they are dangerous to own.
Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working on the edge of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors and to support Sagai's family. When Khat is hired to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, they are both reluctant to become involved. But the request comes from the Warders, powerful mages who serve Charisat's Elector. Khat soon discovers that the deadly politics of Charisat's upper tiers aren't the only danger. The relics the Warders want are the key to an Ancient magic of unknown power, and, as all the inhabitants of Charisat know, no one understands the Ancients' magic.
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I'm leaving this unrated for now, because while I really enjoyed the world-building and the plot, I didn't really like how the book ended.
Most of my frustration with the book is rooted in one character, Elena. As readers, we are supposed to love her and cheer on her growth throughout the book but that's difficult to do when she largely ignores the abuse and unfair treatment heaped on her friends. That's a bit easier to understand in the beginning when she has little power but it makes little sense by the end when she is Master Warder. Sure she fights for their safety when they are in danger but she never calls out any of her colleagues' biases and prejudices. I didn't expect her to take on the entire social hierarchy of Charisat but it's interesting to see that despite the power she wields by the end, Elena doesn't even try . Is it because she is too self-interested to fight for better treatment for people she cares about? Does she think the prejudice is justified? What exactly is it that drives her inability to stand up for people who have consistently put their lives in danger to save hers? Her inaction would be an easier pill to swallow if the narrative called out her behaviour, but it absolutely doesn't. Despite this, she is arguably the character that has the best outcome by the end of the book.
Thus, in spite of the lengths Wells goes to portray the abysmal treatment of the kris and foreigners in Charisat, the narrative doesn't present a compelling argument for why they should be treated better. It almost seems to accept their inferiority. I feel like this point is further buttressed by Wells' treatment of Khat's rape at the hands of the Elector's heir. It's quickly glossed over and not discussed again, although it is suggested that such behaviour is commonplace among patricians and krismen. It was a horrifying scene and should absolutely have been treated as such.
It's such a shame because this was in most parts such an enjoyable read. However, it was Wells' second book and written more than 2 decades ago so I'm willing to give the rest of her books a chance.
Post apocalyptic world that is all gloom but is understandable and tough, magic, a love story (of sorts), a growing up (of sorts) and an ending that closes the story in a good but not sentimental way. Some of the twists were fairly telegraphed but not in a way that made me groan. Overall, well done Martha Wells.
