Krank Reads: The Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennett

So browsing reddit the other day, I came across a book recommendation thread and on the top of the list was the first book of the series, City of Stairs. A quick online purchase, and I settled in with both cat and e-reader for what I hoped was to be an enjoyable yarn.

What I wasn't prepared for was exactly how enjoyable it was, and exactly how much of my time it would monopolize until I finished.

The first book opens with the murder of a historian in Bulikov, the titular City of Stairs, and the arrival of the unassuming Shara Thivani to investigate. The setting revolves around the Continent, a realm that was the domain of six Divinities and the preeminent power, until they were overthrown by the inhabitants of Saypur, an island to the south of the Continent whose inhabitants were slaves to the Continentals.

Now the entire Continent is under Saypuri military occupation, and they have forbidden everything to do with the absent Divinities, up to and including even mentioning them by name. The murdered historian was from Saypur, and had special dispensation to study Continental history that was forbidden the Continentals themselves; including the Divine.

If you hadn't figured it out already, I enjoyed these books immensely and would highly recommend you check them out if you at all enjoy fantasy novels. The author does an excellent job of creating a compelling world with authentic characters that draw the reader into the story. It's a difficult balance to strike between making the world and story compelling and mysterious, but without making it so opaque that the reader loses focus, and Robert Jackson Bennett strikes the balance deftly.

I've got Bennett's Foundry series downloaded and ready to read, hopefully they are just as good! Anyone else ready anything good lately? Let us know in the comments.