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A review by llmacrae
The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies
5.0
I apologise for how long it’s taken me to read this. This is purely a failing on my part and is in no way a reflection of this book’s quality or enjoyment - which are excellent.
Thirteenth Hour is listed as Gaslamp fantasy, which was something new for me. Think urban fantasy but with a strong flavour of victorian steampunk. There are tea shops, there are brass pipes, there are machines, and there is plenty of magic.
Set in Chime, a city where the 12 (somewhat ruthless and mostly cruel) gods cannot tread, it’s a melting pot of people from all 12 domains where their various gods rule. You know it’s a good book when you can recognise each race of people without having to think “wait, who/what is that again?”
Each of the 12 races have a distinct appearance and set of powers - Diviners can stop time (or slow it down/speed it up), Vesper control shadows, Glimmer control light, Fauna can transform into various animals etc. It’s wildly different, and while a few races are more typical fantasy fare, there are a lot of new spins on them. I was excited to discover each and every race, and learn more of them and their powers.
Fantasy books can be intimidating. There are whole new worlds to learn, people’s names, magic systems, the setting of the story. This is masterfully written. There are no infodumps, no exposition to drag things down. Need to know information is fed through in a natural way that never became overwhelming. There is a lot to get through in this book - it’s quite a chunk! - but at no point did I feel hit over the head with an onslaught of “and so this is how the world works” which was refreshing and greatly appreciated.
The book holds some familiar tropes - an upper city vs an undercity; found family; amnesia (sort of); and things being far more than they appear. There’s a thread of a murder mystery running through it, which is the driving force for much of the book, before it shifts gears into something altogether more sinister. The last quarter or so of the book charges forward at breakneck speed, making me desperate to read one more page - one more chapter! There are some dark things that happen, so be prepared for some parts that are difficult or uncomfortable to read.
Characters are one of Skies’ biggest strengths. Told from two first-person perspectives (a tricky ask at the best of times), Kayl and Quen lead the story. They are flanked by a colourful plethora of side characters, some major and some minor, and they all have vibrant personalities and are clearly distinct from one another (Sinder and Vincent were probably my favourites outside the leads). The story leads our cast down dark paths and into unexpected situations, and several times I was baffled as to how they’d get themselves out of trouble!
Also my advice is to have a snack with you while you read this (or eat a large meal before), because all the descriptions of tea and biscuits, scones and pastries, and other delicacies made me ragingly hungry for the most part!
So much of the world building and character behaviours - especially Quen - is quintessentially British. If you’ve spent any time in the UK, you’ll know what I mean, and that brought a flavour of comfort to the read in a way I didn’t realise I needed, but came to enjoy very much.
If you want something that truly feels different, unique, and original, I highly recommend The Thirteenth Hour. There are fresh ideas, brilliant worldbulding (Chime feels so lived in), exceptional characters, and an absolutely brilliant, beautiful writing style!
Thirteenth Hour is listed as Gaslamp fantasy, which was something new for me. Think urban fantasy but with a strong flavour of victorian steampunk. There are tea shops, there are brass pipes, there are machines, and there is plenty of magic.
Set in Chime, a city where the 12 (somewhat ruthless and mostly cruel) gods cannot tread, it’s a melting pot of people from all 12 domains where their various gods rule. You know it’s a good book when you can recognise each race of people without having to think “wait, who/what is that again?”
Each of the 12 races have a distinct appearance and set of powers - Diviners can stop time (or slow it down/speed it up), Vesper control shadows, Glimmer control light, Fauna can transform into various animals etc. It’s wildly different, and while a few races are more typical fantasy fare, there are a lot of new spins on them. I was excited to discover each and every race, and learn more of them and their powers.
Fantasy books can be intimidating. There are whole new worlds to learn, people’s names, magic systems, the setting of the story. This is masterfully written. There are no infodumps, no exposition to drag things down. Need to know information is fed through in a natural way that never became overwhelming. There is a lot to get through in this book - it’s quite a chunk! - but at no point did I feel hit over the head with an onslaught of “and so this is how the world works” which was refreshing and greatly appreciated.
The book holds some familiar tropes - an upper city vs an undercity; found family; amnesia (sort of); and things being far more than they appear. There’s a thread of a murder mystery running through it, which is the driving force for much of the book, before it shifts gears into something altogether more sinister. The last quarter or so of the book charges forward at breakneck speed, making me desperate to read one more page - one more chapter! There are some dark things that happen, so be prepared for some parts that are difficult or uncomfortable to read.
Characters are one of Skies’ biggest strengths. Told from two first-person perspectives (a tricky ask at the best of times), Kayl and Quen lead the story. They are flanked by a colourful plethora of side characters, some major and some minor, and they all have vibrant personalities and are clearly distinct from one another (Sinder and Vincent were probably my favourites outside the leads). The story leads our cast down dark paths and into unexpected situations, and several times I was baffled as to how they’d get themselves out of trouble!
Also my advice is to have a snack with you while you read this (or eat a large meal before), because all the descriptions of tea and biscuits, scones and pastries, and other delicacies made me ragingly hungry for the most part!
So much of the world building and character behaviours - especially Quen - is quintessentially British. If you’ve spent any time in the UK, you’ll know what I mean, and that brought a flavour of comfort to the read in a way I didn’t realise I needed, but came to enjoy very much.
If you want something that truly feels different, unique, and original, I highly recommend The Thirteenth Hour. There are fresh ideas, brilliant worldbulding (Chime feels so lived in), exceptional characters, and an absolutely brilliant, beautiful writing style!