'"AN ASTONISHING BOOK."
-James Barclay
THE CITY
by
Stella Gemmell
In her debut solo novel, Stella Gemmell, coauthor of the “powerful” (Booklist) conclusion
to David Gemmell’s Troy series, weaves a dark epic fantasy about a
war-torn civilization and the immortal emperor who has it clutched in
his evil grasp.
The City is ancient, layers upon layers. Once a thriving metropolis, it has sprawled beyond its bounds, inciting endless wars with neighboring tribes and creating a barren wasteland of what was once green and productive.
In the center of the City lives the emperor. Few have ever seen him, but those who have recall a man in his prime, though he should be very old. Some grimly speculate that he is no longer human, if he ever was. A small number have come to the desperate conclusion that the only way to stop the war is to end the emperor’s unnaturally long life.
From the mazelike sewers below the City, where the poor struggle to stay alive in the dark, to the blood-soaked fields of battle, where few heroes manage to endure the never-ending siege, the rebels pin their hopes on one man—Shuskara. The emperor’s former general, he was betrayed long ago and is believed to be dead. But, under different aliases, he has survived, forsaking his City and hiding from his immortal foe. Now the time has come for him to engage in one final battle to free the City from the creature who dwells at its heart, pulling the strings that keep the land drenched in gore.
The City is ancient, layers upon layers. Once a thriving metropolis, it has sprawled beyond its bounds, inciting endless wars with neighboring tribes and creating a barren wasteland of what was once green and productive.
In the center of the City lives the emperor. Few have ever seen him, but those who have recall a man in his prime, though he should be very old. Some grimly speculate that he is no longer human, if he ever was. A small number have come to the desperate conclusion that the only way to stop the war is to end the emperor’s unnaturally long life.
From the mazelike sewers below the City, where the poor struggle to stay alive in the dark, to the blood-soaked fields of battle, where few heroes manage to endure the never-ending siege, the rebels pin their hopes on one man—Shuskara. The emperor’s former general, he was betrayed long ago and is believed to be dead. But, under different aliases, he has survived, forsaking his City and hiding from his immortal foe. Now the time has come for him to engage in one final battle to free the City from the creature who dwells at its heart, pulling the strings that keep the land drenched in gore.
- Hardcover: 528 pages
- Publisher: Ace Hardcover (June 4, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0425264181
- ISBN-13: 978-0425264188
REVIEW
Ms. Gemmell wrote this book totally on her own. It is her first book. I found it to be a good book. There are some things that are somewhat the same as some found in her late husband's books, but then there are differences.
The author built the book some on history, but the plot is totally of the fictional world.
The plot is about the once great Empire ruled now by an alien race. It is now in decline and decay from what it once was. Compared to her husband's writings, this author's plot and characters are quite different. The feeling of the book is also different.
The Empire is set in a war that seems endless with most of those around them. The Emperor also called the Immortal is slowly losing the war, but he is set solid to win as he had in all the previous wars. This book is filled with action, intrigue, treason, political problems which makes a powerful, thrilling and suspenseful story which is very hard to set aside. I felt that way to the last page. I did find the tone of the book rather horrific and found that it grips the soul. The author did a good job of the descriptions and parts of the City's underground world. Sometimes I found the characters were not what they seemed to be.
I did find the book to be just a little complicated. There is a lot of uncaring and unsympathetic attitudes towards others. The drive is simply and entirely for themselves.
I was given a complimentary copy of THE CITY from the author Stella Gemmell and Night Owl Reviews for my view of the book. No other compensation took place.
I was given a complimentary copy of THE CITY from the author Stella Gemmell and Night Owl Reviews for my view of the book. No other compensation took place.
I would give this book 4 STARS.
LINKS
LINKS
No comments:
Post a Comment