The City of Brass

Bewilderingly overpraised. This is clearly a first novel, with many of the common attendant issues: there are problems with pacing, world building, consistent characterisation, believable relationships, all coupled with some clunky prose and a couple of grammar mistakes so glaring that it's embarrassing to see in professionally-published fiction. I could roll with that, however, if there were signs of promise here, but City of Brass provided few hints that S.A. Chakraborty has the ability to eventually produce something more interesting than a generic fantasy trilogy.

Yes, the world of City of Brass is of a kind you don't often see in Anglophone publishing—the novel takes place in an alt-18th century north Africa/Asia, with characters show more variously practicing either alt versions of Islam or of Zoroastrianism—but having that be the book's only major strength/selling point makes it come across less as "pleasingly diverse" and more "trading on exoticism." (I should also point out here that while I've seen a number of reviews refer to this as an #OwnVoices book, it's not—the author is a white woman from New Jersey.)

Chakraborty does have a couple of strengths as a writer—not making caricatures out of those with religious convictions; an awareness that antagonist characters must have their own motivations and don't think of themselves as bad people—but these aren't enough to make me want to continue with this trilogy. show less

Nahri is a healer and con woman in Cairo, but when she performs a zar and accidentally calls a djinn to her side, she is suddenly on the run from ifrits and learns about a heritage she never knew she had. Meanwhile, Ali is the king's second son, but he is drawn to the plight of shafit - half-djinn, half-human - but his loyalties between friends and family will be tested when a deal he financed goes horribly wrong.

The narrative goes back and forth between these two characters' point of view, though it stays in third-person. I usually have patience for world-building, but I thought it took Nahri far too long to get to Daevabad and set up the main action of the book. That being said, I very much enjoyed this Middle Eastern-set historical show more fantasy and the djinn politics that come into play as Nahri and Ali discover more about their respective worlds. I'll look forward to reading more. show less

WOW, I absolutely inhaled this book!! The writing was seamless. The world was devine. The middle did drag a bit but royal politics and in-depth character development can tend to lend itself to this type of dilemma. I decided not to penalise the rating too harshly because of this though I did waiver back and forth between 4 & 4.5 star...BUT seeing as how the sluggishness was coupled with some great writing... a grand and unique premise (especially for a topic so fervently explored)... a plot that had me constantly questioning everything I had presupposed along the way...I couldn't help but bump up the rating sooooo a well deserved 4.5 stars it is.

Now onto the dual POVs. Imo the very distinctive POVs played perfectly off one another, a show more frequently attempted endeavour that many stories fail to accomplish. The backdrop seemed both masterfully crafted as well as meticulously researched creating an undeniably authentic atmosphere. The characters were breathtakingly, "humanly"flawed. Nahri, our heroine, was a little annoying at times but ultimately her loyalty and overall potential was endearing. I can definitely see camps for favored male characters being formed down the road. Who was my favorite you ask?!? Well I won't go into too much detail but I will say that though Dara seems like the perfect companion/protector, I couldn't help but root for sweet naive Ali. Speaking of camps, it's probably obvious from my previous admission BUT fair warning: there was a most salacious love triangle percolating (though very minimally acted upon) which happened to be the impetus for much of the drama SO if that's not your thing...you've been warned.

I couldn't help but obsessively check Chapter and Location progress. This is usually a bad sign in my world BUT here it was for all the right reasons. I watched the pages fly by wishing to stall the inevitable and THAT hasn't happened to me in a long while....sad, I know, but true.

Anyhow, ultimately many MANY questions went unanswered, leaving me with a nagging hunger for the next book, STAT. So hurry up please, I NEED answers!!! show less

SPOILER FREE!

This was a recommendation from a friend who very accurately divined that it would appeal to me. As soon as I started reading it I was hooked and it did prove to be a book I was reluctant to put down, made time to read, and was very engaged with.

I never like to categorise books as it may close a book off to readers that would find it worthwhile and interesting. This book is in the style of an Arabian Nights story involving characters and creatures with magical powers, and as such it will probably be found on the Fantasy shelf in bookshops and libraries. For people not inclined to read Fantasy novels this would be a terrible shame as they may never even consider reading it.

Middle Eastern mythology is the environment in which show more this story takes place but this is simply the backdrop to what is a tale of racial prejudice, political machinations, and the manipulation of historical events to influence the thinking of a population with the intent of keeping the current rulers in their place of power and suppressing any dissent that might arise. I do not know if the author had any particular real life situation in mind when she was writing this book, but I can see the actions and reactions in this book being relevant in so many real world circumstances that exist today. Having grown up in a divided community with history being used to foment violent political action I can relate to many of the incidents in this book and the way people’s emotions were used to direct the thoughts and actions of individuals and mobs.

In addition to the story demonstrating how those in power and those who are not operate to try to advance their respective group’s position, the book was very well written. Having recently read John Yorke’s excellent book “Into the Woods: how stories work and why we tell them” I was more conscious of structure and technique while reading “The City of Brass” than I otherwise would have been. In Yorke’s terminology “The City of Brass” is a three dimensional story; the characters clearly develop and the reader can see how their experiences influence their development, growth an action.

One excellent technique was the use of two viewpoints, i.e. the viewpoints of two characters drawn from each of the two main factions involved in the story. Chapters alternated between the two characters and this gave a balanced view of the situation; the reader could understand the thinking and actions of the two main parties and this gives the reader an overview of the story that allows observation of how each side is manipulating facts to influence people. In every real conflict on Earth each party uses prejudices to stir up hate against the group portrayed as the enemy; historical characters are presented as heroes despite atrocities they might have initiated; the atrocities of the other side are pulled out of the history of the group to demonise the present day enemy and fire up the crowds with fear and a desire for vengeance. I have lived through this sort of activity and recognized it very clearly in this book.

No one should be put off from reading this book because they see it as Fantasy. No one should be put off from reading this book because it has magic in it. The Fantasy and the magic in it are simply backdrops to a story about prejudice, conflict, and political manipulation. This story could be set in any nation on Earth and the tale of political struggle and inter-group conflict could be told in any environment; dressing it up in a world where magic is the norm is a technique to let people enjoy a story without being drawn into the real world conflicts that it reflects. This book is an exposé of how political power is wielded and control maintained. From that viewpoint it is a good companion book to “The Leopard” by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and “Dune” by Frank Herbert. show less

The City of Brass is a dashing Arabian themed fantasy novel that spices up the usual characters and plots with exotic setting details and complex webs of intrigue. Nahri, our narrator, is a fortune-teller, thief, healer, and scoundrel living in Cairo in the 18th century. When an exorcism turns out to actually work, calling a powerful djinn warrior to her side, Nahri is pulled into a world of strange magic and deadly threats. She may be the last surviving heir of a powerful and sacred bloodline, her new companion Dara is an incredibly deadly warrior with a dark past, and they're being hunted by vicious renegade killers and slavers. The only sanctuary is Daevabad, the legendary City of Brass.

The other half of the story is told from the show more perspective of Ali, second son of the ruling sultan of Daevabad, an intelligent and empathic young soldier with a reputation for fanaticism, and his own developing sense of duty and honor. Ali wants to help the half-human inhabitant of the city, to serve his brother the future sultan, and to maintain some kind of ordered life. The arrival of Nahri is just the first step in a plot that might topple the entire city.

In some sense, we've seen these characters before. The hidden heir, the honorable man in a city of scoundrels. If this book were about elves, I doubt I'd care, but Chakraborty has spun 1001 Arabian Nights into a unique fantasy setting. And what really elevates this book is that so many fantasy novels have a protagonist side and antagonist side, and it's clear where the lines are. Nahri and Ali have very different priorities and worldviews, but they're both valid, and neither are obviously wrong. Chakraborty has taken to heart the adage that no one sees themselves as evil. Lots of fun, and I'm looking forward to the next book. show less

I loved this! I love the complexity of the characters and their world, I loved the way Chakraborty described the settings so I could see the gardens and smell the markets, I loved the twists and turns of the story and the way it made me indignant for the side of Good, and I loved the set-up for the next book, which is mostly hints at what might happen and few promises. I also loved that this was set within the Middle East, grounded in its deserts and mythologies, and that it also included Islam.

This is one of the few books I’ve read, along with the Eagle books by Alan Smale, where I genuinely enjoyed the politics and the way there never quite seemed to be a good solution. Everyone has good points! Everyone has good reasons! Everyone show more has clashing personalities and incomplete information and that affects their actions! I never quite knew where things were going as a result and yes, that did leave me silently screaming at people to a) talk to each other b) listen to each other c) do the smart thing. (Spoiler: sometimes, not always.)

The beauty of the world and the way Chakraborty kept me on uneven footing pulled me through the story wonderfully and had me thinking about events while I was working too. I definitely recommend the book and can’t wait for the next installment, but also suggest you, uh, click that link in the warnings because yeah, for all that it’s a good book, it’s not perfect.

Warnings: This post by @mlledevoltaire​, a lot of which I missed when reading, though I disagree about Nahri’s chapters being boring.

8/10 show less

I really enjoyed this book. For me the setting here was very original since I've never read fantasy with an Arabic setting or where the main fantasy race are Djinns. The worldbuilding in this book is for me the best part of it. The tension between tribes as well as the religious aspects and differences made it really interesting. There is also a bloody history that has shaped the people and the land they live in. And the characters with their personal grievances and beliefs made them very realistic. It definitely feels like there are real stakes in this series and that action has great consequences.

The main problem I had was all the information the author gives us. I listened to this, and had to get a glossary of names, tribes and maps show more to be able to understand what or who they were talking about (https://www.sachakraborty.com/the-world-of-daevabad.html). But despite that I really think this was worth listening to and Chakraborty got me excited for the next book in the series. show less