Solar Flare: Science Fiction News

City of Bones by Martha Wells is another masterful bit of storytelling by the author. This time rather than harkening after Victorian England she imbues her world with an “Arabian Nights” flavor. Wells has a real gift for world building it seems. This is a story where the past plays as big a role as the present. Its almost a character in its own right.

Descriptions of this book that I’ve seen online present it as either an SF tale or a “post apocalypse” tale. While it is set after an apocalypse of some sort, I would definitely class this as fantasy rather than SF and the apocalypse almost certainly isn’t what you think it is.

My only real criticism of the book is that I felt the actual “saving of the world” portion seemed anti-climatic. Up till then we’d had a slow and steady build up as we gradually found out what was going on and why. But when it came to the saving itself, well they just did it and then carried on. I just sort of expected it to be more effort is all.

I suspect this was deliberate though. While there’s plenty of action and plot in the book, it’s as much an exploration of the characters as it is anything else. Its interesting to see these well defined characters put in situations that push and stretch their beliefs. Yet in the end we discover that they are who they are. In that regard I suspect many people will not be entirely satisfied with the ending of the story, but it does fit.

All in all this is another book that I’d strongly recommend you read. Martha Wells is rapidly climbing towards the top of my must read list.