City of Stairs
A brief review and recommendation
The world created by Robert Jackson Bennett in City of Stairs is simply put: expansive, intricate, cohesive, and absolutely fascinating. How this story (and its two sequels) has not spawned a roaring cult fandom is beyond me. The mature source material is endlessly entertaining with still so much to explore; aided by Bennet’s masterful spinning of a world overflowing with complex social commentary, political upheaval, and divine magic that fits in so naturally. I could go on, there is so much to love in Bennet’s world: the waring, conquering, rebelling, and reconquering people of the Continent and Saypur, the ravaged, husked Continental capital Bulikov — the city of stairs, and the once very real and tangible Gods of limitless power, now murdered.
The characters inhabiting Bennet’s gritty, divine magic laden world are for the most part complex, driven, unique, and brimming with personality. Ashara (Shara) Komayd is a head-strong and ruthless detective who’s unwavering devotion to the discovery of truth and encyclopedic knowledge of the Divine fold together to form a near unstoppable brilliant force. Shara’s ability to simply outsmart enemies is balanced by her towering, door-filling hulk of a “secretary” Sigrud je Harkvaldsson. The stoic brawn to her brains, Sigrud will readily murder, eviscerate, or at the very least incapacitate anyone or anything in Shara’s way and in the next moment will provide a calm and reaffirming ear for Shara and her musings. Bennet builds his characters so carefully and consistently that I have to assume they are direct representations of real people in his life. Characters’ actions are so well justified by their personalities that I repeatedly noticed myself thinking “wow, that’s SO Sigrud”, or “that’s SO Shara”.
Some side characters leave something to yearn for, but this is likely more a symptom of me being entirely sucked into this amazing world of the Divine Cities trilogy and wanting to know everything about everything down to every characters’ inner thoughts, the history of each city, the geography of the continent. Are there insects in this world? What kinds of animals roam the countryside? What are the oceans like? Are there other landmasses? Other people and other Gods yet to be discovered? Any fantasy detective novel that leaves the reader wondering about the resident flora and fauna a year after reading deserves some special commendations.
The City of Stairs is brilliantly atmospheric (in part aided by fascinating excerpts of ancient texts, newspapers, and scientific journals presented at the beginning of each chapter), expertly written, with stunningly depictions of a fantastical world through the eyes of lovable and dynamic characters. I wish I could have my memory wiped just to relive the experience of exploring Bennett’s world with fresh eyes. But rereading City of Stairs several times will have to do for now.
— An excerpt from City of Stairs—
And Olvos said to them: “Why have you done this, my children? Why is the sky wreathed with smoke? Why have you made war in far places, and shed blood in strange lands?”
And they said to Her: “You blessed us as Your people, and we rejoiced, and were happy. But we found those who are not Your people, and they would not become Your people, and they were willful and ignorant of You. They would not open their ears to Your songs, or lay Your words upon their tongues. So we dashed them upon the rocks and threw down their houses and shed their blood and scattered them to the winds, and we were right to do so. For we are Your people. We carry Your blessing. We are Yours, and so we are right. Is this not what You said?”
And Olvos was silent
— BOOK OF THE RED LOTUS, PART IV, 13.51–13.59
