This is the second book I’ve read by this author, having enjoyed the first book of his new series I thought I should check out some of his older stuff while I wait for new material.
This fantasy book introduces a new world with interesting magic systems – with clearly defined rules. The writing style and magic systems remind me a lot of Brandon Sanderson’s. One difference is that this series seems to be aimed more at adults – there is swearing, sex, slavery and savagery.
The characters in this book are written well – they are interesting and have things going happening on a deeper level. One of my favorite elements of the story was the characters’ ability to converse with inanimate objects – and to convince them to change the instructions that they have. These parts were pretty hilarious.
The only downsides I found were that the world described here is pretty small, actually. I hoped for a sense of what everyone else who lives in this city was doing. What’s beyond this city and the horizon? Also the magical system is sometimes over-explained, and although the author is trying hard to make sure that things are done fairly I would be inclined to just trust that the physics of this magical situation are on the up and up.
So this was a pretty good fantasy book with some surprises and I’ll probably continue the series down the line.
Next I am reading Burn Book by Kara Swisher.
