City of Brass (2017)
Written by: S.A. Chakraborty
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Length: 19 hours, 36 minutes (Audiobook)
Series: First Book in the Daevabad Trilogy
Publisher: Pyr Science Fiction & Fantasy
Why I Chose This: As someone who grew up loving the story of “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp,” this djinn-focused story hit a lot of the right nostalgia notes for me. In addition, it’s received tons of praise, including a World Fantasy Award nomination. When I saw the audiobook up for sale, I knew I had to give this new author a chance.
The Premise:
On the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, Nahri is a con woman of unsurpassed skill. She makes her living swindling Ottoman nobles, hoping to one day earn enough to change her fortunes. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, during one of her cons, she learns that even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.
Forced to flee Cairo, Dara and Nahri journey together across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, to Daevabad, the legendary city of brass.
It’s a city steeped in magic and fire, where blood can be as dangerous as any spell; a city where old resentments run deep and the royal court rules with a tenuous grip; a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound—and where her very presence threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.
No spoilers!
Discussion: The description above, while completely accurate, doesn’t really portray how vast the scope of City of Brass is. Sure, the story begins by focusing on a young woman and a djinni, but the further you get into this (admittedly lengthy) book, the more complex everything becomes. The worldbuilding of City of Brass, which draws its inspiration from Arabian Nights, is top notch, filled with various cultural factions, and a rich history. While this can be a little overwhelming at first, the result is a world that feels authentic and lived in. A lot of fantasy book these days get compared with Game of Thrones, if just for the reason that it’s the most recognizable franchise in the genre right now. But this is one instance where I find the comparison particularly apt, if based on the strength of the worldbuilding alone.
Also like Game of Thrones, City of Brass is a book that isn’t afraid to play with your expectations. It starts out as more of less a survival story involving Nahri and Dara, as they do their best to fend of magical attacks and the elements, all while being drawn towards each other against their better judgments. But inter spliced between these sections, are chapters focusing on a secondary protagonist, Ali. I wasn’t as big of a fan of Ali at first. In all fairness, Nahri, s small time swindler with mysterious powers of her own, is a pretty tough act to follow. I fell for her almost immediately (and the steamy romance with Dara certainly doesn’t hurt). By comparison Ali felt incredibly young and naive. I was determined to be underwhelmed by him, but as the book continued, I begrudgingly found him earning my respect.
Part of this transformation has to do with the fact that City of Brass doesn’t make things easy for any of its characters. Throughout the book, both Nahri and Ali constantly seem to be two steps (or more) behind, dealing with people who are more knowledgeable and experienced then they are. And just when you think they’ve finally gotten ahead, the story finds a way to pull out the rug from beneath them. A huge example of this can be found in the absolutely gripping ending. I found myself floored by some of the twists. And that cliffhanger in the final chapter? I am very happy to see that the second book in the Daevabad Trilogy, City of Copper, only comes out in a couple months (January 22nd) because I don’t know if I can wait much longer.
A Note on the Audiobook- City of Brass is narrated by Soneela Nakani who handles the material really well overall. The book is filled with a lot of terminology that may be unpronounceable to some western readers, but not to Nakani. I felt she did incredibly well with this, at times, very emotional book. It looks like she’ll be narrating the sequel, which I’m glad to hear.
In conclusion: City of Brass checked off a lot of boxes for me. I loved its in-depth worldbuilding, inspired by Arabian Nights. I loved the characters, including some who I was determined not to like, but won me over any way. And I loved how it wasn’t afraid to play with the reader’s expectations. If you’re looking for a big, fat epic fantasy book to whisk you away for many hours, then you would be wise to check out City of Brass. I am so glad that I gave it a chance.
[…] to checking out book two once it’s released. I wrote a more thorough review of this one on Speculative Chic as […]