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A review by river24
City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25/5
City of Last Chances boasts an incredible cast of characters scattered across the intriguing city of Ilmar. We jump from character to character as the churnings of a revolution start sparking forth and the city grows restless. And whilst I can see this style of storytelling not being for everyone, it was completely my kind of book!
I loved its unique style and loved discovering each piece of this world slowly—in bits and pieces, in starts and stops—with every new character. I adored that we were able to experience so many different mindsets and ideals as we danced with each of them in turn.
It's an incredible and fascinating world that Tchaikovsky has created here; there's an occupational force that suffocates the city, relentless in their pursuit for 'perfection'; there are demons chained in wards, bound and contracted to work for the factories; there's a seething underworld of crime, talons dug deep into the lives of the citizens; and there stands an otherworldly wood on the outskirts of the city, full of ravenous creatures and other, far older things.
And the characters of this captivating city are full of just as much depth and intrigue, my favourite of them being Yasnic, the last priest of a long-forgotten god. Every single character added so much to the story.
I thought every ounce of commentary on class was done brilliantly, and everything else this book covered in its vast and sprawling narrative was done very well. I don't want to divulge too much here as it's best to go into it not knowing much about what is to come, but I did want to sing its praises for this reason, too.
The intelligent use of this story's specific, head-hopping writing style is part of the genius construction of the narrative. Through it, we are able to navigate such wildly different people and see all sides of each faction of this conflicted city.
I also adored the skilled use of an omniscient perspective that increased the mystical feeling of this world even more. It was extremely well-written, I was so caught up in the allure and unearthly spell of it all. I never wanted to stop reading it. I'm very glad there are sequels!
This is my first Tchaikovsky book so I'm delighted that I still have all the rest of his works to read. This book alone held so many interesting and unique ideas, and I can't wait to see what other worlds he's dreamed up!
City of Last Chances boasts an incredible cast of characters scattered across the intriguing city of Ilmar. We jump from character to character as the churnings of a revolution start sparking forth and the city grows restless. And whilst I can see this style of storytelling not being for everyone, it was completely my kind of book!
I loved its unique style and loved discovering each piece of this world slowly—in bits and pieces, in starts and stops—with every new character. I adored that we were able to experience so many different mindsets and ideals as we danced with each of them in turn.
It's an incredible and fascinating world that Tchaikovsky has created here; there's an occupational force that suffocates the city, relentless in their pursuit for 'perfection'; there are demons chained in wards, bound and contracted to work for the factories; there's a seething underworld of crime, talons dug deep into the lives of the citizens; and there stands an otherworldly wood on the outskirts of the city, full of ravenous creatures and other, far older things.
And the characters of this captivating city are full of just as much depth and intrigue, my favourite of them being Yasnic, the last priest of a long-forgotten god. Every single character added so much to the story.
I thought every ounce of commentary on class was done brilliantly, and everything else this book covered in its vast and sprawling narrative was done very well. I don't want to divulge too much here as it's best to go into it not knowing much about what is to come, but I did want to sing its praises for this reason, too.
The intelligent use of this story's specific, head-hopping writing style is part of the genius construction of the narrative. Through it, we are able to navigate such wildly different people and see all sides of each faction of this conflicted city.
I also adored the skilled use of an omniscient perspective that increased the mystical feeling of this world even more. It was extremely well-written, I was so caught up in the allure and unearthly spell of it all. I never wanted to stop reading it. I'm very glad there are sequels!
This is my first Tchaikovsky book so I'm delighted that I still have all the rest of his works to read. This book alone held so many interesting and unique ideas, and I can't wait to see what other worlds he's dreamed up!