Welcome to today’s Reading Roundup post! I have really enjoyed my book this week. Only one, but it was quite long and complex. Here it is:

I was really pleased when I came across this book: The City by Stella Gemmell. Some of you may know that David Gemmell was one of my very favourite authors. Well, Stella is his wife. When he died part way through a book, Stella finished it. So, she then went on to write her own books. This is her first one:

“Built up over the millennia, layer upon layer, the City is ancient and vast. Over the centuries, it has sprawled beyond its walls, the cause of constant war with neighbouring peoples and kingdoms, laying waste to what was once green and fertile.

And at the heart of the City resides the emperor. Few have ever seen him. Those who have remember a man in his prime and yet he should be very old. Some speculate that he is no longer human, others wonder if indeed he ever truly was. And a small number have come to a desperate conclusion: that the only way to stop the ceaseless slaughter is to end the emperor’s unnaturally long life.

From the rotting, flood-ruined catacombs beneath the City where the poor struggle to stay alive to the blood-soaked fields of battle where so few heroes survive, these rebels pin their hopes on one man. A man who was once the emperor’s foremost general. A man, a revered soldier, who could lead an uprising and unite the City. But a man who was betrayed, imprisoned, tortured and is now believed to be dead…”

And this is my response to the book on Goodreads (and I gave it four stars):

The City by Stella Gemmell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was delighted to see a two book series written by Stella Gemmell! As I hoped, she has her own style of writing, which I really enjoyed. Her scene-setting is excellent and very atmospheric. I could really smell the disgusting mess in the deep passages under the City and see the devastation of the lands around.

There were a lot of characters and story arcs in the book. The main ones were well drawn and interesting. In places, some of the plot became a little repetitive and could have been cut, but, in general, the story had a good pace.

I am really looking forward to reading the sequel and wonder if the author will set more books in this world.

View all my reviews

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As I have quite a few books in my library queue, I will wait a while before reading the sequel. I am looking forward to it, though!

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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