Review: City of Stairs

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

97. [City of Stairs] - Robert Jackson Bennett


What is reality? Is it something solid and independent of us, each and every one of us? Or is it 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?

Saypur, once a vassal state to the Continent, enslaved, kept poor and controlled, suddenly, by the hand of one man, the Kaj, manages to kill the Divinities that provide the power and knowledge to the Continent. And then, with their protection gone, Saypur goes on to conquer the Continent and turn the tables utterly.

Generations later, a young woman, Shara, who has served Saypur as a spy and provocateur, arrives at the central city on the Continent, the city the Divinities had created as their own, to investigate the death of a rather unimportant professor who'd been sent to Bulikov by Shara's superior.

Shara arrives, and as she delves into the reasons for the professor's death, she finds out that what the professor has discovered could very well change everything.

This was a terrific read. A strong female protagonist, a complex plot, world-building that was deep and elaborate and well-planned. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a fantasy that has depth and thought behind it.

I received this book for a review through Blogging for Books in return for an honest review.

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