Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 54

Book reviews
By Pete Sutton

City of Stairs

by Robert Jackson
Bennett

investigation we also explore the fascinating history of
the world, the city and the gods as well as Shara and
Sigrud’s personal histories. It is a lush world, lovingly
detailed, that is a pleasure to explore.
The world is the real star here, although the plot clips
along it’s not so groundbreaking. It’s one of those
books that you read and wonder why no-one has done
it before (or if they have why have you not read it).
The gods bend reality so that when they are eliminated
there is a “Blink” and the history of the gods is supressed by the invaders. The writing is fresh and fantasy is rarely this interesting or compelling for me. This
is no stale Tolkein homage but an interesting blend of
what feel like new ideas.
Overall – A hugely enjoyable fantasy

The explorer by
The book opens with a courtroom scene. A man is
accused of breaking a law imposed by the conquering
Sayypuri on the conquered Continentals to repress
any reference to the gods. The Saypuri used to be the
ones oppressed by the Continentals, with their gods,
but a Saypuri invents a weapon that can kill gods,
and uses it, and so the situation becomes reversed.
The story is set in Bulikov, the centre of the continent
(and once the seat of the gods) and revolves around
the investigation into the death of a history professor.
Shara, our protagonist is a fully rounded character
and her sidekick Sigrud is kick-ass, I also really liked
the character of the female general Mulaghesh. Shara
is a diplomat/spy with personal ties to the murdered
professor and her investigation reveals much more
than anyone bargained for. As we progress through the

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James Smythe