The City of Brass

A very well written book that I struggled to put down.

I have seen positive reviews and mentions of this book for a long time, but I have to say the blurb just didn't grab my attention. It was one of those books that I felt that I really should get around to...sometime.

This year it looked like it was going to be chosen as the monthly read for a bookclub I follow, so I decided I should finally get around to getting a copy. I started to read a few pages and found that the writing just flowed. The setting was complex and somewhat confusing, yet was written in such a way that it intrigued and (to me) never frustrated. I felt swept along and soon discovered that the writing improved from it's initial “good” to “maestro” level. The main characters were likable, relatable and interesting and the plot...Oh boy.

At the start I wanted to know what on Earth (and it is a version of our Napoleonic Earth) was going on, as did our poor main character, so I kept reading, but soon layer after layer of mystery and tantalising clues are skillfully added until suddenly the whole thing goes from a tense mystery to an epic fantasy style explosion of edge of the seat action climax.

I was so wrapped up in the story that I actually scared the person next to me with an involuntary Luke Skywalker-style cry of “Noooooooo!” at one dramatic moment.

This was a great book and I am really looking forward to reading the sequel.