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My #doublespin (and #roll100 pick 1) was an outstanding epic fantasy set in a dystopian, shattered, quasi-modern Bulikov where a scholar has been murdered, the gods are long dead, and the last thing anyone wants is an interfering Saypuri diplomat-spy poking around with her Northman bodyguard in tow. Bulikov, City of Stairs, seems as dead as the scholar. But absolutely nothing and no one here are what they seem. Ripping snd gripping yarn! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to the Audio version read, very ably, by Alma Cuervo

What is reality? Something solid and independent of us? Or created by what we believe, and how we think it is? Can we make the world change by merely creating a shared reality that we all agree to live within? And if so, how can that be altered? Can it be?

Terrific read. A strong female protagonist, a complex plot, world-building that was deep and elaborate and well-planned.

🎧 I think this was recommended to me as a fantasy but it‘s a fantasy like Dresden Files or The Dark Tower series are fantasies.

There‘s magic but there‘s also machinery, vehicles & guns BUT the people are mainly hands on, walking & using swords.

A diplomat is killed. A spy, aging soldier & bodyguard will set out to solve the murder.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/3 👇🏻

Oh my goodness! This is such a good book! I love me a good fantasy meets murder mystery, and this book delivered really well! I loved the characters, the whack lore and plot! Occasionally there was a weird moment where I felt it was a bit "men writing women" but it wasn't too bad or discomforting for me to take a big note of it. Anyhow, since this book wrapped up so nicely, I'm curious what the other two books are going to cover. Definitely hyped.

This weekends reads.

#currentlyreading

Strong female lead? ✅ Innovative magic system? ✅ Impeccable world building? ✅ Slowly unfolding mystery that ends up blowing your mind? ✅✅✅

Seriously excellent fantasy challenges how we view our reality. This book questions our relationship with the gods and how a society falls and conquers, the importance of history. It is immersive and consuming. A fully satisfying story that sets up the trilogy, I cannot recommend RJB highly enough. 5👍🏼

Special Delivery! My retail therapy continues unabated.

I love this trilogy so much! The Divine Cities is political fantasy at its best with complicated characters and fantastic world building. #20series20days @Andrew65

In Bennett's world any potential artifacts & signs of the old gods are investigated & removed by officials as they have the potential to summon strange & potentially destructive forces. In book one Shara Thivani is sent to Bulikov, a colonial outpost, on an espionage mission. Each of the books in Bennett's trilogy were one book a day reads for me, they were utterly absorbing with their unique premises & wonderful characters. #Top20Series

A highly connected spy and her factotum must navigate their way through the former capital of the world. Political, religious and divine currents swirl around them in this original and fascinating world. Very enjoyable, felt compelled to read all 3 books of the trilogy one after the other.

Day 18 of #BiblioMAYnia is #ThisShouldBeATVSeriesOrMovie

I would love to see this trilogy as a series or a set of films. They are some of my favourites. Fantasy, political intrigue, interesting characters. Would be very interesting 🥰

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

The Continent was once ruled by seven gods, until one man found out how to kill them. Their miracles died with them, leaving all they built a crumpled ruin. Their very mention was outlawed and their history was rewritten. Now a historian has been murdered for finding what was forbidden, and Shara, grandaughter of the man who killed the gods, must unearth the plot. Fantasy mixed with espionage and murder mystery, beautifully written.

1) Song of Ice & Fire, Dark Tower, Winslow's Cartel trilogy, RJ Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy, Slaughter's Grant County Series, Dublin Murder Squad
2) GoT, Hannibal, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Fringe
3) Only when the Royals are in it
4) Probably Jack Stacks on Sunday
5) He does, almost exclusively nonfiction. He read Mary Roach on my recommendation.
#friyayintro
@howjessreads AKA the Litten formerly known as @jesshowbooks

Mini #library #bookhaul just now. I skimmed a couple of pages in the Arikawa book and it sounds charming! 😻

This is my second time reading this book (so it is fresh in my memory when I start the rest of the trilogy) and it‘s as good as the first time!

Following the death of a historian, Shara goes to Bulikov to investigate. Once the seat of the world, ruled by divine beings, Bulikov is no longer the city it once was and speaking of the divine is forbidden. But it appears the historian found out a dark truth, and that not all the divinities are dead.

If you're a fan of full-blooded political fantasy with plenty of intrigue and complicated characters, try City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett.
#fantasy #time

“And while removing the glass—a full three pounds of glass—and shrapnel from his wounds, they discovered …” The crackle of paper as he pulls out a list. “… four bolt tips, one bullet, five darts—some kind of exotic, tribal things …” From Qivos, thinks Shara. I told him to get a doctor that time. “… and six teeth that appear to be from some kind of shark . . .

*Sigrud is my kind of badass.*

My previous tbr got completely blown out of the water when I picked up Foundryside just to read the first few pages 😬 well I loved it but it‘s the first in the series then I remembered that I had City of Stairs on audio so I started that. Well I‘ve finished the series and it was AWESOME! So cool and different and smart. This author is amazing. He reminds me of Brandon Sanderson except more urban. Thanks for Foundryside @slightlyfoxed I loved it.

" . . . Jukov played tricks with his mortal followers, turning them into animals—wolves, sometimes, but most frequently brown starlings—and sometimes even going so far as to impregnate them, regardless of gender, if you can believe it.”

*Wait. What?!*

RJB brought to life some truly interesting characters, my favorite being Sigrud. Sigrud is brooding with a dark and tragic past. He is fiercely loyal to our MC Shara. I love their relationship, it is respect, loyalty and protectiveness for one another and not romantic in any way. City of Stairs is a promising start for this fantasy series. The world RJB builds is unique and intriguing. Definitely recommend!

⭐⭐⭐⭐☄

All too true.

Real Talk: This might be Squidapus' favorite new fantasy world/trilogy/whatnot in quite some time. City of Stairs creates an incredibly unique and fascinating world of dead gods and the impact of their deaths on former worshippers and the former slaves turned occupying force. Shara is such a wonderful character and following her and her mysterious bodyguard as they try and figure out the hidden secrets of the city is enthralling, beginning to end.

Shara arrives in the city of Bulikov with her ‘secretary‘ Sigrud, to solve the murder of her old mentor.

Bulikov was once a conquering country, enjoying the power that come with living #InTheLapOfTheGods

In the present day the gods have died, but they left behind mysteries, such as the stairs leading to nowhere. As Shara grows closer to discovering the killer, she finds the gods may not be as dead as the world believed... ❤️

#WeAreTheReaders

Hands down one of the best books I‘ve ever read. Mystery, philosophy, horror, and fantasy all rolled into one. If you‘re a fan of stories where religion is a dominant theme, you should definitely check it out! You can read my full review here: http://novelnotions.net/2018/07/13/cityofstairs/

I‘ve been taking a fantasy break for the past month or two, and I‘m super excited to dive back into my favorite genre. Up first: a trilogy that my friends have raved about that‘s been on my shelf for over a year. I‘ve heard is slow and philosophical and incredibly original. I‘m only a few chapters in, but I‘m loving it so far!

My current read is off to a fantastic start. It‘s about a city, and that city‘s history has been erased, its divine protectors killed. Can‘t wait to see where this goes!

Thus it was quickly decided that Pitry—being young, cheerful, and not in the room at the time—would be the best man for the job.

*😂*

#QuotsyMay18 #Hoard

This is a really, really fine piece of worldbuilding and storytelling, with underlying themes regarding colonialism and issues about state authority. It's one of the least "escapist" fantasy novels I've seen recently, as it engages with a whole range of themes relevant to our present in our world, and it does so in ways which are not forced and are integral to the plot.

I don't have many books with #stripes, but these come close. And they sure are pretty. They also bring me to my #readingresolution for this year: read more series in their entirety. I don't even know how many series I've started without finishing, but it's an embarrassing amount... And I haven't even started this series yet!! 😅 #readingresolutions #janinbooks18

I really wavered on my rating here. It's a well-written, unique fantasy with a great, well-rounded female lead, solid world building, and a nice break from medieval inspired, technologically stagnant fantasy worlds. It definitely deserves all the glowing reviews and praise...but I was never able to quite connect and didn't feel like reading the rest of the trilogy when I was done. Probably a classic case of "it's not you, it's me."

Still trying to cure my Stormlight Archive hangover, this seems promising. I loved American Elsewhere by this author. We'll see though, I started and rejected probably a dozen books the last two days.

There have been some really great SFF sessions at the #texasbookfestival this year. This one with Robert Jackson Bennett and Patrick Hemstreet on evil in SFF pairs nicely with yesterday‘s with Dan Chaon and Benjamin Percy. #txbookfest

#RiotGrams, Day 30: Today's prompt is “favorite side character.” The first character to pop into my mind is Sigrud from RJB‘s Divine Cities trilogy. If Predator and River Tam had a baby who was then raised by Sherlock Holmes, you‘d get Sigrud. ❤️

Special ordered City of Stairs on a recommendation from someone I met at a conference and couldn't resist Her Body and Other Stories. Also wanted to try out this place, which is an all-day breakfast bar with donuts and a mimosa bar. Pineapple and pear for a Saturday afternoon. #bookhaul

Absolutely stunning world building. Bennett crafts an elaborate and enthralling mythology that enriches this fantastical murder mystery. Read this and immediately picked up 2nd and third books in series.

The city of Bulikov used to be protected by the divine. After its defeat, all mention of the divine and relics relating to them were outlawed. But some things remained, stairs that lead to nowhere, a city that is never quite the same. After a professor is murdered, Shara arrives in Bulikov to investigate, and finds that the influence of the divine is not as well hidden as she thought.

#BrokedownPalace #JuneTunz