A review by martydah
The Etched City by K.J. Bishop
4.0
This was a strange novel - I've heard it referred to as Steampunk, sci-fi, fantasy. Really, I think fantasy is a better description for it than anything else. It's the story of Gwynn, a gun-slinger and Raule, a doctor, former rebels who fought on the losing side of a revolution in the Copper Country. Both find new lives in the city of Ashamoil. Gwynn becomes a strong arm/assassin for a notorious slaver and Raule opens a hospital for the poor.
The novel becomes ever more strange: who or what is Beth Constantin, Gwynn's lover and maker of beautiful but bizarre etchings that seem to come alive and transport the viewer into other realms? What is causing all the strange deformed fetuses that Raule feels compelled to collect and study? The reader is never quite sure what is going on, anymore than the main characters are. And that's part of the appeal - Bishop never completely resolves the mysteries of the Etched City. The epilogue raises more questions than it answers. I thought this was a fascinating read and would like to see more work from this author.
The novel becomes ever more strange: who or what is Beth Constantin, Gwynn's lover and maker of beautiful but bizarre etchings that seem to come alive and transport the viewer into other realms? What is causing all the strange deformed fetuses that Raule feels compelled to collect and study? The reader is never quite sure what is going on, anymore than the main characters are. And that's part of the appeal - Bishop never completely resolves the mysteries of the Etched City. The epilogue raises more questions than it answers. I thought this was a fascinating read and would like to see more work from this author.