Sam Hawke

I enjoyed this, but not quite as much as I wanted to. The world is great. The characters are great. The hopepunk vibe--struggling to do better, rather than just win--is great.

But for me, the whole thing didn't quite hold together as strongly as I'd have liked. Part of it is my peculiar preferences: I find physical-action stuff in fantasy often just a frustrating barrier to characters doing things that actually interest me, and much of the siege-action plot aspects in this hit that problem show more for me. A lot of really satisfying genuine character choices and consequences and involvement happened in the last third of the book, and I really would have preferred more of that, or for that to comprise more of the story... but that's me, and not everyone has the same preferences.

Anyway, the writing is charming, and I really enjoyed spending time with Jovan and Kalina (and Tain and Hadrea), and I look forward to doing so more in the future. I would love to see more of the great world that Hawke has created here. I would love to explore more of the themes and philosophies. And so, the three-and-a-half that I was thinking of for this book is getting bumped up to four. show less

This novel was blurbed by Robin Hobb. I love Robin Hobb and am always looking for something as good as her which is why I bought a copy. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it. I found it quite hard to get into at first but then about half way I found it a lot more interesting. The two voices are not particularly different at first which is a flaw. But the siblings both have disabilities of different kinds which is unusual in fantasy. I liked the background ideas and the setting and that Tain is show more an ask questions, shoot later kind of leader - again pretty unusual in fantasy.
So I didn't love it but it was interesting enough that I will probably pick up the next book when it comes out. show less

City of Lies by Sam Hawke is a debut novel and the first in a new fantasy series by the Australian author. I picked it up mainly for its Australian-ness: to show support and because I’ve historically enjoyed many big fat fantasy (BFF) books written by Australian women.

City of Lies takes place in a capital city that sits in the middle of the country, surrounded by estates with farms and a few other cities closer to the foreign borders. The city is run by a chancellor and a council and out show more protagonists are the legal children (actually nephew and niece) of the Chancellor’s most trusted advisor. The story is told through their (first person) points of view in alternating chapters.

Jovan is the closest friend, advisor and protector of the Chancellor’s heir. His main ancestral job is to check the heir’s food for poison. Not because he’s a disposable food taster, but because he’s been trained to detect poison in even small amounts of food and is immune (or at least resistant to) many poisons, and always has antidotes on hand. Coincidentally, he also has something like OCD (it’s not named in the context of the fantasy world), which stops some people from taking him seriously and, to some degree, hampers his political career. It’s also just something he has to work around. From his point of view we see a lot of the inner politics and problems of the city, as he sticks pretty close to Tain, the heir.

Jovan’s sister, Kalina, is the other point of view character. Having been barred from the family profession due to ill health (in this fantasy world where men and women are treated equally), Kalina still finds ways to help her brother and Tain. Most people dismiss her because they see her as physically weak and hence consequential, but she’s smart and has hidden reserves of determination that not even her brother realised were there. Kalina is written as a very convincing example of chronic illness and the way it’s perceived and engaged with by society. She comes from a privileged family, so has the benefit of the best available medical care (in a pre-industrial society) but still has to contend with people underestimating her. Basically, not only is she a well written character but she kicks arse (but not literally) and I really enjoyed reading the story from her point of view. I highly recommend this book for the disability/chronic illness representation alone.

Of course, there’s more to City of Lies than just good characterisation. The story itself is gripping and kept me interested the whole way. It opens with poisoning throwing the young main characters (who I guessed to be in their 20s maybe?) into the spotlight and positions of power and quickly moves on to a siege of the city. As well as the practical wartime concerns of defence and food distribution, the traitor in their midst hangs over their heads, lowering their trust in everyone else.

I have to say, I was impressed with how this book didn’t drop too many hints as to the source of the treachery. I didn’t see the reveal coming, which is unusual for me these days. And the answer to the question of why the city was being attacked was meted out gradually so that we didn’t understand the whole picture until near the very end of the book. I found it an effective way to keep my interest up through this long tome. (All those short stories I’ve been reading just emphasised the length of this novel, lol.)

This was an excellent read and I highly recommend it to fans of fantasy (especially BFF) and to specific fans who are interested in seeing a society with gender equality with some disability/chronic illness representation thrown into the mix. (Note that the society is, of course, not perfect. If nothing else, there has to be a reason for the war at the heart of the plot.) I’m told there’s a sequel coming, and I look forward to reading more about these characters. On the other hand, the story in this first book is self-contained with no cliffhangers at the end. The overarching problems aren’t resolved at the end, but most of the open plot threads are tied up, making me keen, but not desperate, for the next book.

4.5 / 5 stars

You can read more of my reviews on my blog. show less

Not only was the first line as good as the cover blurb promised, but the rest of the book lived up to it. Tightly written; everything is a clue - but knowing that isn't a spoiler either as I went through several very plausible theories on the way to the truth being proven.

What may be more of a spoiler is that it did get a little didactic about 3/4 of the way through as we pause for Jovan to get a history lesson, and then the "but we're the *good* oppressors" trope gets subverted really show more self-consciously. I'm not entirely convinced by his love interest (like the character, but as a love interest? I dunno).

But mostly I just really loved Jovan and especially Kalina. Will definitely look for the next. show less