City of Bones by Martha Wells (Updated and Revised Edition) My rating: ★★★★
Synopsis
Before Martha Wells captured the hearts of MILLIONS with her Murderbot series, there was Khat, Sagai, and Elen, and a city risen out of death and decay…
The city of Charisat, a tiered monolith of the Ancients’ design, sits on the edge of the vast desert known as the Waste. Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working in the bottom tiers of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors.
When Khat is hired by the all-powerful Warders to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, he, and his party, begin unravelling the mysteries of an age-old technology.
This they expected.
They soon find themselves as the last line of defense between the suffering masses of Charisat and a fanatical cult, bent on unleashing an evil upon the city with an undying thirst for bone.
That, they did not expect.
This updated and revised edition is the author’s preferred text.
The city of Charisat, a tiered monolith of the Ancients’ design, sits on the edge of the vast desert known as the Waste. Khat, a member of a humanoid race created by the Ancients to survive in the Waste, and Sagai, his human partner, are relic dealers working in the bottom tiers of society, trying to stay one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors.
When Khat is hired by the all-powerful Warders to find relics believed to be part of one of the Ancients' arcane engines, he, and his party, begin unravelling the mysteries of an age-old technology.
This they expected.
They soon find themselves as the last line of defense between the suffering masses of Charisat and a fanatical cult, bent on unleashing an evil upon the city with an undying thirst for bone.
That, they did not expect.
This updated and revised edition is the author’s preferred text.
REVIEW
I heard this described as Dune meets Lara Croft and I was like, say less.
This is only my second Martha Wells book. I've read All Systems Red, the first in her popular Murderbot series, with plans to continue. I also have a very fancy Illumicrate edition of Witch King sat on my shelf, waiting for me to get to it. So although I haven't read lot of her books yet, I do feel like I have a sense of her style now.
First thing I'll say, this is not one for the romantasy girlies - this is straight-up high fantasy so I'll save you some time if that's what you're looking for.
But how about those comparisons: Dune and Lara Croft.
Well, yes, we have a city surrounded by a sandy, desolate wasteland as the setting. Really harsh conditions and bad things living under the surface. So Dune for the setting = check!
The storyline involved relic hunters searching for ancient artefacts, so yes I can see the Lara Croft comparison.
I also want to throw one more in - Mistborn. I couldn't help but draw a parallel between the Krisman and the Skaa. Both are a race within the population treated as less than. It's even suggested Krisman have no souls simply because they cannot have their surface thoughts read by the Warders - robe-wearing magic users that live on the higher, more affluent levels of the tiered city of Charisat.
It's these warders who want to hire our Krisman main character, Khat, to help them survive out in the Waste while they try to unlock the secrets of the Ancients and potentially access more power. The Krisman are much better suited to the conditions of the Waste. They can last longer without water, survive the heat better, etc. So a Krisman that also knows a thing or two about relics? The perfect guide - whether he wants to be one or not.
What I loved:
I really enjoyed my time with this although I have to say, similar to when I read All Systems Red, it just takes me a minute with Well's writing style for me to fully tune into it and for it to flow. I really tried to put my finger on why this was because Well's writing isn't purple prosey in any way - something I'm not a fan of - but it is very intelligent and each sentence is pretty loaded. Once I got my groove, however, I flew through this.
I really felt for Khat. His life...really sucks. As a Kris he can't become a citizen of Charisat and as a non-citizen, he's not allowed to trade in coin, only tokens. Every day is a grind with next to nothing to show for it. He's also constantly being beaten up and as the lowest rung on the societal ladder, he's often used, abused and mistreated by pretty much everybody. Yet he still manages to maintain a dry humour and, although he does his absolute best to avoid any attachments, a sense of loyalty to those he deems worthy of it.
Other characters of note are his relic-hunting partner Sagai who has his back no matter what, and Elen, a young Warder determined to uncover the secrets of the Waste, even if they're not what anyone thought they were.
Overall this was a great read. Unusual, slightly weird in places (had me Googling kangaroo reproductive systems at one point - thanks for that🫠), but fascinating and with great plot, good pacing and realistic character development.
4 ★★★★
Advanced Reader Copy provided in exchange for my honest review.
