Yuletide reveals
I am very excited about this, mostly because now I can talk about City of Stairs.
I can't remember where I first heard about this book--possibly a podcast?--but I wasn't intrigued enough to run out and get it, but I recognized the name when I saw it on sale. I got the Kindle version with bonus audio and wound up alternating between the two. Before I go into detail on the book itself, I'll say the audiobook is well-read but not brilliant, and I think I enjoyed reading it more than listening.
So, the book. I wasn't sold on the first chapter. I kept wondering why on earth we were supposed to be sympathetic to the militaristic occupiers bent on suppressing the religion of the place they'd conquered, but the worldbuilding was interesting and the main movers and shakers of the plot seemed to be women, so I was willing to give it a go. I'm very glad I did, because in the second chapter the military and religious context opened up into this absolutely fascinating and complicated situation, and the story only got better from there.
isis, my Yuletide recipient, has a good writeup of the book here. It's not without flaws, but it is so, so good. I adored the characters, was stunned by the worldbuilding, and I absolutely cannot wait for the second book, which comes out later this month. City of Stairs stands alone very well, but there's a lot more to explore in this world. The series is called The Divine Cities, and it's by Robert Jackson Bennet.
I read this book just as Yuletide signups were closing. I didn't feel a desperate need to read or write fic, but I thought it'd be a fun Yuletide fandom and was disappointed when I couldn't find it in the tag set. I think I must have been searching for the book title rather than the series. I was assigned to
isis for an entirely different fandom, and on the third or fourth reread of her letter I finally noticed her prompt. And it was the perfect prompt, exactly what I would have wanted to ask for or offer myself--and somehow it turned into a novella-length prequel.
City of Songs (26075 words) by pendrecarc for Isis
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: The Divine Cities - Robert Jackson Bennett
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sigrud je Harkvaldsson & Ashara "Shara" Komayd
Characters: Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, Ashara "Shara" Komayd, Vinya Komayd, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Worldbuilding, Case Fic, Pre-Series
Summary:Nine years before she sets foot in Bulikov, Shara Komayd is dispatched to Voortyashtan to investigate the murder of a military deserter.
I had so much fun with this! It was also incredibly stressful--there's enough plot that I kept wishing for a few more weeks to cut in some places and embellish in others, then polish at my leisure. But I'm glad I decided not to cut back and do something simpler. There was so much to explore with worldbuilding and characters, and it's the perfect canon for plotty case-fic, which is my favorite thing to write.
Check out the book, seriously, whether or not you feel like reading the fic. There's a lot of meaty stuff in there to discuss, and I have high hopes for City of Blades! Warnings for some pretty graphic violence and for extensive discussion of imperialism and religious suppression.
comments at http://pendrecarc.dreamwidth.org/181303.html. Feel free to comment wherever you prefer.
I can't remember where I first heard about this book--possibly a podcast?--but I wasn't intrigued enough to run out and get it, but I recognized the name when I saw it on sale. I got the Kindle version with bonus audio and wound up alternating between the two. Before I go into detail on the book itself, I'll say the audiobook is well-read but not brilliant, and I think I enjoyed reading it more than listening.
So, the book. I wasn't sold on the first chapter. I kept wondering why on earth we were supposed to be sympathetic to the militaristic occupiers bent on suppressing the religion of the place they'd conquered, but the worldbuilding was interesting and the main movers and shakers of the plot seemed to be women, so I was willing to give it a go. I'm very glad I did, because in the second chapter the military and religious context opened up into this absolutely fascinating and complicated situation, and the story only got better from there.
isis, my Yuletide recipient, has a good writeup of the book here. It's not without flaws, but it is so, so good. I adored the characters, was stunned by the worldbuilding, and I absolutely cannot wait for the second book, which comes out later this month. City of Stairs stands alone very well, but there's a lot more to explore in this world. The series is called The Divine Cities, and it's by Robert Jackson Bennet.
I read this book just as Yuletide signups were closing. I didn't feel a desperate need to read or write fic, but I thought it'd be a fun Yuletide fandom and was disappointed when I couldn't find it in the tag set. I think I must have been searching for the book title rather than the series. I was assigned to
isis for an entirely different fandom, and on the third or fourth reread of her letter I finally noticed her prompt. And it was the perfect prompt, exactly what I would have wanted to ask for or offer myself--and somehow it turned into a novella-length prequel.
City of Songs (26075 words) by pendrecarc for Isis
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: The Divine Cities - Robert Jackson Bennett
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sigrud je Harkvaldsson & Ashara "Shara" Komayd
Characters: Sigrud je Harkvaldsson, Ashara "Shara" Komayd, Vinya Komayd, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Worldbuilding, Case Fic, Pre-Series
Summary:Nine years before she sets foot in Bulikov, Shara Komayd is dispatched to Voortyashtan to investigate the murder of a military deserter.
I had so much fun with this! It was also incredibly stressful--there's enough plot that I kept wishing for a few more weeks to cut in some places and embellish in others, then polish at my leisure. But I'm glad I decided not to cut back and do something simpler. There was so much to explore with worldbuilding and characters, and it's the perfect canon for plotty case-fic, which is my favorite thing to write.
Check out the book, seriously, whether or not you feel like reading the fic. There's a lot of meaty stuff in there to discuss, and I have high hopes for City of Blades! Warnings for some pretty graphic violence and for extensive discussion of imperialism and religious suppression.
comments at http://pendrecarc.dreamwidth.org/181303.html. Feel free to comment wherever you prefer.