The City Of Bones by Martha Wells (book review).

The city of Charisat rises above the desolate emptiness of the Waste, a volcanic desert occupied only by poisonous animals and the strange humanoid krismen. With each tier of the city, one rises out of poverty and finally into the luxurious heights of the Electors palace where water runs freely. The Ancients built the city just as they had created the krismen and, some say, the Waste.

The relics of Ancient times litter the depths of the city, cracked tiles of no colour artisans can reproduce and trinkets in a metal no longer found. Khat and his partner hunt down these relics and sell them, always just one step ahead of the Trade Inspectors. A job guiding mages into the Waste to investigate age-old technology would pay enough to get him out from under his past mistakes. Modern intrigues and dangers must soon be weighed against the survival of the world against an Ancient foe.

I really enjoyed this book. A classic fantasy with a vaguely middle eastern vibe, it is part of the much loved ‘our ancestors delved too deep and now we’re paying the price’ genre of both fantasy and Science Fiction. Once again, the creators didn’t leave any notes or warning labels so now the successors are making the same mistakes and are about to destroy the world, but for real this time. Gandalf warns of the dangers of delving too deep into the unknown because that’s how you get a bal-rog.

Lovecraft reminds us in every story that too much curiosity can bring madness if not the Elder Gods. Yet it seems that we can’t imagine an accent artifact that we don’t just try and turn on. Sure, some offer benefits alongside the apocalyptic potential. The gates in ‘Stargate’ brought technologies and scientific advancement for humanity but first we destroyed someone with a nuclear blast, which naturally incurred some animosity and a whole series of world-ending events. Looking out across the treacherous Wastes from the opulent heights of Charisat, a scholar can’t help wonder at the Ancient towers left behind, about the potential for the power to create such things. To build things that can stand against not only devastation but the ravages of time. What’s a mage to do?

Once again, Martha Wells has given us a dark hero. Khat is definitely willing to solve problems and settle scores with violence but this is tempered by mostly honourable motivations. He might beat a teenager but only if that teenager is harassing his neighbour. He might be downright shady in his business practices but he will give coins to the poor widow down the way. Khat is loyal to his found family and rises above profound childhood trauma to do so. Khat does share some screen time with other characters but the focus mainly stays on him. It is through his eyes Wells shows us the thousand details that bring Charisat to life without ever falling into exposition. Khat’s place as outsider allows comparisons of the city and the waste, the past and the present, that bring it all to life.

‘The City Of Bones’ (not to be confused with the first ‘Shadowhunter’ novel by Cassandra Clare) was first published in 1995 and this 2023 re-issue is revised and updated with Wells’ preferred text. TOR has already re-released Wells’ ‘Witch King’ which I reviewed here. Considering the great success of ‘The Murderbot Diaries’, it only makes sense to bring these older works into the public eye once more. This standalone fantasy novel is definitely worth putting on the to be read pile.

LK Richardson

September 2023

(pub: TOR, 2023. 416 page enlarged paperback. Price: $18.99 (US). ISBN: 978-1-25086-167-2)

check out website: www.tor.com