City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
Rating: 4 /5 stars
Where to start with this one? City of Stairs is like a many-spoked wheel, made up of numerous underlying social/political issues. Before we get to the nitty gritty, though, let’s talk about the world building, which is pretty impressive. The Continent, where six gods (Divinities) used to dwell, is left in shambles when the oppressed colony of Saypur rose up to overthrow it. The six Divinities, then, either abandoned the Continent or were killed off by Kaj, a Saypuri general of mysterious origin, carrying a weapon that even the gods were powerless against. Now, anything divine is forbidden—material or spoken word—under Saypuri rule. The Continentals are not allowed access to what’s left of their own historical records. Buildings and even landmasses simply vanished when the Divinities died, and no one knows or remembers how or why. Even the weather changed dramatically and areas of “static” formed where reality is warped.
Enter Shara Thivani, Saypur’s top spymaster. Under the guise of Cultural Ambassador, she is in the capitol of Bulikov to investigate the murder of a Saypuri historian. During her investigation, she uncovers facts about the Divinities that conflict with what history has recorded. Being a devoted student of the Divine herself, Shara cannot help but follow the trail of new evidence, leading her to meet her old lover again, question her superior’s motives, and doubt her own ancestry. It seems that not all the gods are dead, and the touch of the Divine lives on, in spite of Saypur’s strict regulations to suppress it.
The relationship between the Continent and Saypur is one of oppression, one by the other and then vice versa as the tables turned. Oppression came not only from outside forces, however. The Continent’s Divine beliefs made life practically insufferable for its citizens as religious rules became more and more stringent. The age-old question of what came first, the chicken or the egg, fittingly comes to mind as the origin of the Divinities is challenged and more details are brought to light about the Saypuri uprising and subsequent change of power. Shara’s long road of patriotic service seems to finally come to an end as she learns of her own connection to the Divine.
Alongside Shara is her faithful “secretary,” Sigrud. He is actually my favorite character in the book. A man who has seen bitter hardship after unspeakable loss, his turning of the tide comes when he meets Shara, who offered him impossible hope and unlooked for kindness. Since then, he has not left her side in service and friendship. He is Shara's Ockham’s razor to her frequent political mires.
Like I mentioned at the start, there is a lot going on. Everything seems to build on everything else, and all this building takes time. This is not your non-stop action, political thriller. Pacing can actually be quite slow at times, but it does build an intricate and complex web of a story that questions religious zeal as well as political agendas. How far is one willing to go to cover up the past and preserve the present status quo? To extremes, apparently, including murder.
There were touches of Tolkien’s epic, Lord of the Rings, in Shara’s former lover’s sad resignation of “I’m glad I’m here with you, here at the end of all this.” And Colonel Mulaghesh’s rousing speech before the troops just before what was sure to be a losing battle was reminiscent of Aragorn’s before the Black Gate. Like Tolkien’s unforgettable epic, Bennett’s City of Stairs is looking like the beginning of an epic story in its own right. It is certainly not a light read, and planning for an uninterrupted block of time is a must before digging into the sequel, City of Blades.