#robertjacksonbennett — Public Fediverse posts

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I started my review of the last book by comparison to other books. I’ll start this with a quote.

I learned very early on not to speak to my folk from on high, but to get down with them, beside them, showing them how to act rather than telling them. And I suggested that they should do the same with one another: that they didn’t need a book of rules to tell them what to do and what not to do, but experience and action.

Robert Bennett builds not just a fantasy world but a wisdom system for his series. It doesn’t need to be correct, to be appealing.

The gods were killed 80 years ago. With their deaths, most of their miracles vanished as well, including a large number of buildings from the sacred city of Bulikov. Eighty years later, the gods are forbidden. They can’t be mentioned, studied, hinted, their religions practiced, and the leftovers of their miracles cannot be used. People pretend they never existed, or at least most people.

Someone is breaking these rules. A top spy, the mighty Shara, is sent to Bulikov to figure out the conspiracy. Who killed the expert of the divine past, Efrem Pangyui? Why? Why do miracles still exist?

Dense and likable characters, a rich world, and an endlessly long ending, just like The Tainted Cup. Would I have been able to read this book if I hadn’t read The Tainted Cup? Unsure. But it’s a clear 5*/5 and a great fantasy. Ending with a quote as well.

Forgetting… is a beautiful thing. When you forget, you remake yourself… For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must forget it was a caterpillar at all. Then it will be as if the caterpillar never was & there was only ever a butterfly.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I started my review of the last book by comparison to other books. I’ll start this with a quote.

I learned very early on not to speak to my folk from on high, but to get down with them, beside them, showing them how to act rather than telling them. And I suggested that they should do the same with one another: that they didn’t need a book of rules to tell them what to do and what not to do, but experience and action.

Robert Bennett builds not just a fantasy world but a wisdom system for his series. It doesn’t need to be correct, to be appealing.

The gods were killed 80 years ago. With their deaths, most of their miracles vanished as well, including a large number of buildings from the sacred city of Bulikov. Eighty years later, the gods are forbidden. They can’t be mentioned, studied, hinted, their religions practiced, and the leftovers of their miracles cannot be used. People pretend they never existed, or at least most people.

Someone is breaking these rules. A top spy, the mighty Shara, is sent to Bulikov to figure out the conspiracy. Who killed the expert of the divine past, Efrem Pangyui? Why? Why do miracles still exist?

Dense and likable characters, a rich world, and an endlessly long ending, just like The Tainted Cup. Would I have been able to read this book if I hadn’t read The Tainted Cup? Unsure. But it’s a clear 5*/5 and a great fantasy. Ending with a quote as well.

Forgetting… is a beautiful thing. When you forget, you remake yourself… For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must forget it was a caterpillar at all. Then it will be as if the caterpillar never was & there was only ever a butterfly.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I started my review of the last book by comparison to other books. I’ll start this with a quote.

I learned very early on not to speak to my folk from on high, but to get down with them, beside them, showing them how to act rather than telling them. And I suggested that they should do the same with one another: that they didn’t need a book of rules to tell them what to do and what not to do, but experience and action.

Robert Bennett builds not just a fantasy world but a wisdom system for his series. It doesn’t need to be correct, to be appealing.

The gods were killed 80 years ago. With their deaths, most of their miracles vanished as well, including a large number of buildings from the sacred city of Bulikov. Eighty years later, the gods are forbidden. They can’t be mentioned, studied, hinted, their religions practiced, and the leftovers of their miracles cannot be used. People pretend they never existed, or at least most people.

Someone is breaking these rules. A top spy, the mighty Shara, is sent to Bulikov to figure out the conspiracy. Who killed the expert of the divine past, Efrem Pangyui? Why? Why do miracles still exist?

Dense and likable characters, a rich world, and an endlessly long ending, just like The Tainted Cup. Would I have been able to read this book if I hadn’t read The Tainted Cup? Unsure. But it’s a clear 5*/5 and a great fantasy. Ending with a quote as well.

Forgetting… is a beautiful thing. When you forget, you remake yourself… For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must forget it was a caterpillar at all. Then it will be as if the caterpillar never was & there was only ever a butterfly.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I started my review of the last book by comparison to other books. I’ll start this with a quote.

I learned very early on not to speak to my folk from on high, but to get down with them, beside them, showing them how to act rather than telling them. And I suggested that they should do the same with one another: that they didn’t need a book of rules to tell them what to do and what not to do, but experience and action.

Robert Bennett builds not just a fantasy world but a wisdom system for his series. It doesn’t need to be correct, to be appealing.

The gods were killed 80 years ago. With their deaths, most of their miracles vanished as well, including a large number of buildings from the sacred city of Bulikov. Eighty years later, the gods are forbidden. They can’t be mentioned, studied, hinted, their religions practiced, and the leftovers of their miracles cannot be used. People pretend they never existed, or at least most people.

Someone is breaking these rules. A top spy, the mighty Shara, is sent to Bulikov to figure out the conspiracy. Who killed the expert of the divine past, Efrem Pangyui? Why? Why do miracles still exist?

Dense and likable characters, a rich world, and an endlessly long ending, just like The Tainted Cup. Would I have been able to read this book if I hadn’t read The Tainted Cup? Unsure. But it’s a clear 5*/5 and a great fantasy. Ending with a quote as well.

Forgetting… is a beautiful thing. When you forget, you remake yourself… For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must forget it was a caterpillar at all. Then it will be as if the caterpillar never was & there was only ever a butterfly.

City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I started my review of the last book by comparison to other books. I’ll start this with a quote.

I learned very early on not to speak to my folk from on high, but to get down with them, beside them, showing them how to act rather than telling them. And I suggested that they should do the same with one another: that they didn’t need a book of rules to tell them what to do and what not to do, but experience and action.

Robert Bennett builds not just a fantasy world but a wisdom system for his series. It doesn’t need to be correct, to be appealing.

The gods were killed 80 years ago. With their deaths, most of their miracles vanished as well, including a large number of buildings from the sacred city of Bulikov. Eighty years later, the gods are forbidden. They can’t be mentioned, studied, hinted, their religions practiced, and the leftovers of their miracles cannot be used. People pretend they never existed, or at least most people.

Someone is breaking these rules. A top spy, the mighty Shara, is sent to Bulikov to figure out the conspiracy. Who killed the expert of the divine past, Efrem Pangyui? Why? Why do miracles still exist?

Dense and likable characters, a rich world, and an endlessly long ending, just like The Tainted Cup. Would I have been able to read this book if I hadn’t read The Tainted Cup? Unsure. But it’s a clear 5*/5 and a great fantasy. Ending with a quote as well.

Forgetting… is a beautiful thing. When you forget, you remake yourself… For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must forget it was a caterpillar at all. Then it will be as if the caterpillar never was & there was only ever a butterfly.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I’ll start writing about this book by comparison. It has the charm of Tress of the Emerald Sea, the worldbuilding of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, and the green aesthetic of Jade City by Fonda Lee. I mean, the story feels green, not the book itself. That’s good company for any novel.

The world is GMO-fantasy, where all life is subject to genetic modifications, and the modifications often go out of control. Perhaps one of these insanely potent GMOs, one of the sources of them, or both, are the leviathans. They are Godzilla-like monsters, coming out of the sea every year in a mindless attempt to either destroy all humans or talk to them. Humans are always trying to stop them, structured to sustain an army that can battle with such giant creatures. That’s the world, and the world is just a humble background.

Our main characters, Dinios and Ana, are investigators with peculiar powers. He has a GMO-altered memory that lets him remember everything, and she is smart. Ana and Dinios have to investigate a murder where the victim has a tree growing out of his corpse. How does one even approach a disaster like that? They will figure it out, step by step, by using their superpowers.

The story flows naturally, and the pacing is strong right up until the ending. If there’s one critique, it’s that not every thread needed to be fully explained or wrapped up in detail. I would have preferred a bit more left unsaid for what comes next.

Overall, a fantastic story, a solid 5*, and probably the best book I’ve read this month so far.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I’ll start writing about this book by comparison. It has the charm of Tress of the Emerald Sea, the worldbuilding of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, and the green aesthetic of Jade City by Fonda Lee. I mean, the story feels green, not the book itself. That’s good company for any novel.

The world is GMO-fantasy, where all life is subject to genetic modifications, and the modifications often go out of control. Perhaps one of these insanely potent GMOs, one of the sources of them, or both, are the leviathans. They are Godzilla-like monsters, coming out of the sea every year in a mindless attempt to either destroy all humans or talk to them. Humans are always trying to stop them, structured to sustain an army that can battle with such giant creatures. That’s the world, and the world is just a humble background.

Our main characters, Dinios and Ana, are investigators with peculiar powers. He has a GMO-altered memory that lets him remember everything, and she is smart. Ana and Dinios have to investigate a murder where the victim has a tree growing out of his corpse. How does one even approach a disaster like that? They will figure it out, step by step, by using their superpowers.

The story flows naturally, and the pacing is strong right up until the ending. If there’s one critique, it’s that not every thread needed to be fully explained or wrapped up in detail. I would have preferred a bit more left unsaid for what comes next.

Overall, a fantastic story, a solid 5*, and probably the best book I’ve read this month so far.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I’ll start writing about this book by comparison. It has the charm of Tress of the Emerald Sea, the worldbuilding of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, and the green aesthetic of Jade City by Fonda Lee. I mean, the story feels green, not the book itself. That’s good company for any novel.

The world is GMO-fantasy, where all life is subject to genetic modifications, and the modifications often go out of control. Perhaps one of these insanely potent GMOs, one of the sources of them, or both, are the leviathans. They are Godzilla-like monsters, coming out of the sea every year in a mindless attempt to either destroy all humans or talk to them. Humans are always trying to stop them, structured to sustain an army that can battle with such giant creatures. That’s the world, and the world is just a humble background.

Our main characters, Dinios and Ana, are investigators with peculiar powers. He has a GMO-altered memory that lets him remember everything, and she is smart. Ana and Dinios have to investigate a murder where the victim has a tree growing out of his corpse. How does one even approach a disaster like that? They will figure it out, step by step, by using their superpowers.

The story flows naturally, and the pacing is strong right up until the ending. If there’s one critique, it’s that not every thread needed to be fully explained or wrapped up in detail. I would have preferred a bit more left unsaid for what comes next.

Overall, a fantastic story, a solid 5*, and probably the best book I’ve read this month so far.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I’ll start writing about this book by comparison. It has the charm of Tress of the Emerald Sea, the worldbuilding of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, and the green aesthetic of Jade City by Fonda Lee. I mean, the story feels green, not the book itself. That’s good company for any novel.

The world is GMO-fantasy, where all life is subject to genetic modifications, and the modifications often go out of control. Perhaps one of these insanely potent GMOs, one of the sources of them, or both, are the leviathans. They are Godzilla-like monsters, coming out of the sea every year in a mindless attempt to either destroy all humans or talk to them. Humans are always trying to stop them, structured to sustain an army that can battle with such giant creatures. That’s the world, and the world is just a humble background.

Our main characters, Dinios and Ana, are investigators with peculiar powers. He has a GMO-altered memory that lets him remember everything, and she is smart. Ana and Dinios have to investigate a murder where the victim has a tree growing out of his corpse. How does one even approach a disaster like that? They will figure it out, step by step, by using their superpowers.

The story flows naturally, and the pacing is strong right up until the ending. If there’s one critique, it’s that not every thread needed to be fully explained or wrapped up in detail. I would have preferred a bit more left unsaid for what comes next.

Overall, a fantastic story, a solid 5*, and probably the best book I’ve read this month so far.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, Book Review

I’ll start writing about this book by comparison. It has the charm of Tress of the Emerald Sea, the worldbuilding of The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin, and the green aesthetic of Jade City by Fonda Lee. I mean, the story feels green, not the book itself. That’s good company for any novel.

The world is GMO-fantasy, where all life is subject to genetic modifications, and the modifications often go out of control. Perhaps one of these insanely potent GMOs, one of the sources of them, or both, are the leviathans. They are Godzilla-like monsters, coming out of the sea every year in a mindless attempt to either destroy all humans or talk to them. Humans are always trying to stop them, structured to sustain an army that can battle with such giant creatures. That’s the world, and the world is just a humble background.

Our main characters, Dinios and Ana, are investigators with peculiar powers. He has a GMO-altered memory that lets him remember everything, and she is smart. Ana and Dinios have to investigate a murder where the victim has a tree growing out of his corpse. How does one even approach a disaster like that? They will figure it out, step by step, by using their superpowers.

The story flows naturally, and the pacing is strong right up until the ending. If there’s one critique, it’s that not every thread needed to be fully explained or wrapped up in detail. I would have preferred a bit more left unsaid for what comes next.

Overall, a fantastic story, a solid 5*, and probably the best book I’ve read this month so far.

I've finished: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is not what I'm used to from Robert Jackson Bennett,

A hard hitting, near future, techno-thriller, parody of American gun culture.

It is not the funny sort of satire, it is the tragic, tense drama kind.

Published in 2019 it hit's a bit too close to home in 2025.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/08c7b0e6-cf4b-4405-8219-5d51dd7b8095

@bookstodon @audiobooks #ScienceFiction #dystopia #satire #NearFuture #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks #robertjacksonbennett

I've finished: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is not what I'm used to from Robert Jackson Bennett,

A hard hitting, near future, techno-thriller, parody of American gun culture.

It is not the funny sort of satire, it is the tragic, tense drama kind.

Published in 2019 it hit's a bit too close to home in 2025.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/08c7b0e6-cf4b-4405-8219-5d51dd7b8095

@bookstodon @audiobooks #ScienceFiction #dystopia #satire #NearFuture #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks #robertjacksonbennett

I've finished: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is not what I'm used to from Robert Jackson Bennett,

A hard hitting, near future, techno-thriller, parody of American gun culture.

It is not the funny sort of satire, it is the tragic, tense drama kind.

Published in 2019 it hit's a bit too close to home in 2025.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/08c7b0e6-cf4b-4405-8219-5d51dd7b8095

@bookstodon @audiobooks #ScienceFiction #dystopia #satire #NearFuture #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks #robertjacksonbennett

I've finished: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is not what I'm used to from Robert Jackson Bennett,

A hard hitting, near future, techno-thriller, parody of American gun culture.

It is not the funny sort of satire, it is the tragic, tense drama kind.

Published in 2019 it hit's a bit too close to home in 2025.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/08c7b0e6-cf4b-4405-8219-5d51dd7b8095

@bookstodon @audiobooks #ScienceFiction #dystopia #satire #NearFuture #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks #robertjacksonbennett

I've finished: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett

This is not what I'm used to from Robert Jackson Bennett,

A hard hitting, near future, techno-thriller, parody of American gun culture.

It is not the funny sort of satire, it is the tragic, tense drama kind.

Published in 2019 it hit's a bit too close to home in 2025.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/08c7b0e6-cf4b-4405-8219-5d51dd7b8095

@bookstodon @audiobooks #ScienceFiction #dystopia #satire #NearFuture #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks #robertjacksonbennett

@Verain I caught up with #robertjacksonbennett (2024) The Tainted Cup and just picked up @travisbaldree (2025) Brigands and Breadknives. #books #bookstodon

@Verain I caught up with #robertjacksonbennett (2024) The Tainted Cup and just picked up @travisbaldree (2025) Brigands and Breadknives. #books #bookstodon

@Verain I caught up with #robertjacksonbennett (2024) The Tainted Cup and just picked up @travisbaldree (2025) Brigands and Breadknives. #books #bookstodon

In the fantasy mystery THE TAINTED CUP, by Robert Jackson Bennett, a very green apprentice named Kol is assigned to help the investigator Ana Dolabra, who has a Nero Wolfe-esque set of quirks. They're investigating the murder of an army engineer, killed when plants rapidly sprouted from inside his body. The army belongs to the Empire, which builds & maintains sea walls to keep out giant kaiju that periodically try to come ashore & attack. The Empire is based upon technology that uses a wide variety of plants and potions to bioengineer their people; for example, Kol is an Engraver, able to photographically remember scenes and conversations in order to testify to them later.

This was a lot of fun: I liked the setting, which felt vividly drawn and had an underlying sense of body horror (all these modifications come with costs). Kol was a good choice as our Watson character, though Dolabra felt more like Nero Wolfe than Sherlock Holmes, and she was disappointingly unmemorable; she has quirks that are more disadvantaging than Holmes, though she will (reluctantly) travel for her investigation.

(3/5)

#TheTaintedCup #RobertJacksonBennett

In the fantasy mystery THE TAINTED CUP, by Robert Jackson Bennett, a very green apprentice named Kol is assigned to help the investigator Ana Dolabra, who has a Nero Wolfe-esque set of quirks. They're investigating the murder of an army engineer, killed when plants rapidly sprouted from inside his body. The army belongs to the Empire, which builds & maintains sea walls to keep out giant kaiju that periodically try to come ashore & attack. The Empire is based upon technology that uses a wide variety of plants and potions to bioengineer their people; for example, Kol is an Engraver, able to photographically remember scenes and conversations in order to testify to them later.

This was a lot of fun: I liked the setting, which felt vividly drawn and had an underlying sense of body horror (all these modifications come with costs). Kol was a good choice as our Watson character, though Dolabra felt more like Nero Wolfe than Sherlock Holmes, and she was disappointingly unmemorable; she has quirks that are more disadvantaging than Holmes, though she will (reluctantly) travel for her investigation.

(3/5)

#TheTaintedCup #RobertJacksonBennett

In the fantasy mystery THE TAINTED CUP, by Robert Jackson Bennett, a very green apprentice named Kol is assigned to help the investigator Ana Dolabra, who has a Nero Wolfe-esque set of quirks. They're investigating the murder of an army engineer, killed when plants rapidly sprouted from inside his body. The army belongs to the Empire, which builds & maintains sea walls to keep out giant kaiju that periodically try to come ashore & attack. The Empire is based upon technology that uses a wide variety of plants and potions to bioengineer their people; for example, Kol is an Engraver, able to photographically remember scenes and conversations in order to testify to them later.

This was a lot of fun: I liked the setting, which felt vividly drawn and had an underlying sense of body horror (all these modifications come with costs). Kol was a good choice as our Watson character, though Dolabra felt more like Nero Wolfe than Sherlock Holmes, and she was disappointingly unmemorable; she has quirks that are more disadvantaging than Holmes, though she will (reluctantly) travel for her investigation.

(3/5)

#TheTaintedCup #RobertJacksonBennett

In the fantasy mystery THE TAINTED CUP, by Robert Jackson Bennett, a very green apprentice named Kol is assigned to help the investigator Ana Dolabra, who has a Nero Wolfe-esque set of quirks. They're investigating the murder of an army engineer, killed when plants rapidly sprouted from inside his body. The army belongs to the Empire, which builds & maintains sea walls to keep out giant kaiju that periodically try to come ashore & attack. The Empire is based upon technology that uses a wide variety of plants and potions to bioengineer their people; for example, Kol is an Engraver, able to photographically remember scenes and conversations in order to testify to them later.

This was a lot of fun: I liked the setting, which felt vividly drawn and had an underlying sense of body horror (all these modifications come with costs). Kol was a good choice as our Watson character, though Dolabra felt more like Nero Wolfe than Sherlock Holmes, and she was disappointingly unmemorable; she has quirks that are more disadvantaging than Holmes, though she will (reluctantly) travel for her investigation.

(3/5)

#TheTaintedCup #RobertJacksonBennett

In the fantasy mystery THE TAINTED CUP, by Robert Jackson Bennett, a very green apprentice named Kol is assigned to help the investigator Ana Dolabra, who has a Nero Wolfe-esque set of quirks. They're investigating the murder of an army engineer, killed when plants rapidly sprouted from inside his body. The army belongs to the Empire, which builds & maintains sea walls to keep out giant kaiju that periodically try to come ashore & attack. The Empire is based upon technology that uses a wide variety of plants and potions to bioengineer their people; for example, Kol is an Engraver, able to photographically remember scenes and conversations in order to testify to them later.

This was a lot of fun: I liked the setting, which felt vividly drawn and had an underlying sense of body horror (all these modifications come with costs). Kol was a good choice as our Watson character, though Dolabra felt more like Nero Wolfe than Sherlock Holmes, and she was disappointingly unmemorable; she has quirks that are more disadvantaging than Holmes, though she will (reluctantly) travel for her investigation.

(3/5)

#TheTaintedCup #RobertJacksonBennett

I've finished: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

General Mulaghesh, the grizzled veteran is at the center of this Divine Cities novel.

This one is about the horrors of war, and the harm it does to the perpetrators as well as the victims.

As ancient and modern warfare come to ahead, can the cycle of violence be broken?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a32241fc-48cd-499f-9192-1a631294f6da

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #RobertJacksonBennett #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

General Mulaghesh, the grizzled veteran is at the center of this Divine Cities novel.

This one is about the horrors of war, and the harm it does to the perpetrators as well as the victims.

As ancient and modern warfare come to ahead, can the cycle of violence be broken?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a32241fc-48cd-499f-9192-1a631294f6da

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #RobertJacksonBennett #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

General Mulaghesh, the grizzled veteran is at the center of this Divine Cities novel.

This one is about the horrors of war, and the harm it does to the perpetrators as well as the victims.

As ancient and modern warfare come to ahead, can the cycle of violence be broken?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a32241fc-48cd-499f-9192-1a631294f6da

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #RobertJacksonBennett #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

General Mulaghesh, the grizzled veteran is at the center of this Divine Cities novel.

This one is about the horrors of war, and the harm it does to the perpetrators as well as the victims.

As ancient and modern warfare come to ahead, can the cycle of violence be broken?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a32241fc-48cd-499f-9192-1a631294f6da

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #RobertJacksonBennett #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett

General Mulaghesh, the grizzled veteran is at the center of this Divine Cities novel.

This one is about the horrors of war, and the harm it does to the perpetrators as well as the victims.

As ancient and modern warfare come to ahead, can the cycle of violence be broken?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a32241fc-48cd-499f-9192-1a631294f6da

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #RobertJacksonBennett #amReading #bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

After I finished A Drop of Corruption, I was looking for more Robert Jackson Bennett.

City of Stairs is similar enough to the Shadow of the Leviathan Series to feel very familiar yet not so similar you feel like your reading the same story in a different location.

This time the female is the lead, but she isn't infallible, and the male partner is an uncannily capable muscle.

Like in the Leviathan novels, The story begins with a murder investigation that then reveals more and more about the world, the gods, the old imperial power and the new. Neither political system is admirable but our heroine intends to try and change things for the better.

The premise is also quite unique, What if the rebels found a way to kill the empire's gods? What would an empire that has lost not only its gods but everything that was powered by their miracles look like after decades of occupation?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b092604c-3cdd-4088-9691-e3ce2d6d577d

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #amReading #RobertJacksonBennett
#bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

After I finished A Drop of Corruption, I was looking for more Robert Jackson Bennett.

City of Stairs is similar enough to the Shadow of the Leviathan Series to feel very familiar yet not so similar you feel like your reading the same story in a different location.

This time the female is the lead, but she isn't infallible, and the male partner is an uncannily capable muscle.

Like in the Leviathan novels, The story begins with a murder investigation that then reveals more and more about the world, the gods, the old imperial power and the new. Neither political system is admirable but our heroine intends to try and change things for the better.

The premise is also quite unique, What if the rebels found a way to kill the empire's gods? What would an empire that has lost not only its gods but everything that was powered by their miracles look like after decades of occupation?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b092604c-3cdd-4088-9691-e3ce2d6d577d

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #amReading #RobertJacksonBennett
#bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

After I finished A Drop of Corruption, I was looking for more Robert Jackson Bennett.

City of Stairs is similar enough to the Shadow of the Leviathan Series to feel very familiar yet not so similar you feel like your reading the same story in a different location.

This time the female is the lead, but she isn't infallible, and the male partner is an uncannily capable muscle.

Like in the Leviathan novels, The story begins with a murder investigation that then reveals more and more about the world, the gods, the old imperial power and the new. Neither political system is admirable but our heroine intends to try and change things for the better.

The premise is also quite unique, What if the rebels found a way to kill the empire's gods? What would an empire that has lost not only its gods but everything that was powered by their miracles look like after decades of occupation?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b092604c-3cdd-4088-9691-e3ce2d6d577d

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #amReading #RobertJacksonBennett
#bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

After I finished A Drop of Corruption, I was looking for more Robert Jackson Bennett.

City of Stairs is similar enough to the Shadow of the Leviathan Series to feel very familiar yet not so similar you feel like your reading the same story in a different location.

This time the female is the lead, but she isn't infallible, and the male partner is an uncannily capable muscle.

Like in the Leviathan novels, The story begins with a murder investigation that then reveals more and more about the world, the gods, the old imperial power and the new. Neither political system is admirable but our heroine intends to try and change things for the better.

The premise is also quite unique, What if the rebels found a way to kill the empire's gods? What would an empire that has lost not only its gods but everything that was powered by their miracles look like after decades of occupation?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b092604c-3cdd-4088-9691-e3ce2d6d577d

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #amReading #RobertJacksonBennett
#bookstodon #AudioBooks

I've finished: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

After I finished A Drop of Corruption, I was looking for more Robert Jackson Bennett.

City of Stairs is similar enough to the Shadow of the Leviathan Series to feel very familiar yet not so similar you feel like your reading the same story in a different location.

This time the female is the lead, but she isn't infallible, and the male partner is an uncannily capable muscle.

Like in the Leviathan novels, The story begins with a murder investigation that then reveals more and more about the world, the gods, the old imperial power and the new. Neither political system is admirable but our heroine intends to try and change things for the better.

The premise is also quite unique, What if the rebels found a way to kill the empire's gods? What would an empire that has lost not only its gods but everything that was powered by their miracles look like after decades of occupation?

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b092604c-3cdd-4088-9691-e3ce2d6d577d

@bookstodon @audiobooks
#fantasy #amReading #RobertJacksonBennett
#bookstodon #AudioBooks

Review: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

https://twimom227.com/2025/04/review-a-drop-of-corruption-by-robert-jackson-bennett.html

#Mystery #RatingA #Reviews #SciFiOrFantasyFiction #DelReyBooks #RobertJacksonBennett #ShadowOfTheLeviathanSeries #SophiaRoseReview

Review: A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

https://twimom227.com/2025/04/review-a-drop-of-corruption-by-robert-jackson-bennett.html

#Mystery #RatingA #Reviews #SciFiOrFantasyFiction #DelReyBooks #RobertJacksonBennett #ShadowOfTheLeviathanSeries #SophiaRoseReview

https://ours-inculte.fr/the-tainted-cup/

I #AmReading Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett.
-----
In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself

#Foundryside #RobertJacksonBennett

I #AmReading Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett.
-----
In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself

#Foundryside #RobertJacksonBennett

I #AmReading Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett.
-----
In a city that runs on industrialized magic, a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself

#Foundryside #RobertJacksonBennett

Favourite fiction authors at the moment: #BrandonSanderson, #RFKuang, #JasperFforde, #RobertJacksonBennett, #NKJemisin, #MikeBrooks, #NaomiNovik. Non-fiction: #NickLane, #LeonardSusskind.

Favourite fiction authors at the moment: #BrandonSanderson, #RFKuang, #JasperFforde, #RobertJacksonBennett, #NKJemisin, #MikeBrooks, #NaomiNovik. Non-fiction: #NickLane, #LeonardSusskind.

Le retour du hiérophante est le second tome de la trilogie Les maîtres enlumineurs, par Robert Jackson Bennett.

Pour ce début 2023, j’ai décidé de me concentrer sur toutes ces suites de séries que je laisse trainer, toujours attiré par la nouveauté d’une saga inconnue. Mais non, maintenant on s’active et on lit des suites ! Hop hop hop ! Par exemple, voilà un tome 2 qui traîne honteusement dans ma PAL depuis plus d’un an : Le retour du hiérophante, suite du très bon Les maîtres enlumineurs, il est tout triste, peuchère.

Depuis la fin de leurs aventures trois ans plus tôt, Sancia et sa clique n’ont pas chômé : Ils ont monté une start-up de conseil en enluminures. Leur but est de promouvoir le partage des connaissances et l’entraide entre tous les enlumineurs indépendants qui ont quitté les grandes maisons marchandes. L’enluminure libre, quoi, open-source, tourne sur Linux, tout ça tout ça. Ils décident de s’attaquer au monopole de la maison Michiel et s’en sortent plutôt bien mais voilà qu’un gros souci débarque dans le port de Tevanne. Le premier des légendaires hiérophantes est de retour, il a des pouvoirs cosmiques phénoménaux et un plan qui va pas faire dans la dentelle. Nos héros vos devoir se dresser contre cette menace démesurée, un combat désespéré les attend.

Le retour du hiérophante démarre dans la droite ligne du tome précédent, avec une bande de gauchiasses qui veulent faire tomber les grandes « maisons » et partager les richesses. On organise des coups pour voler les précieux lexiques d’enluminures et les rendre disponibles pour tout le monde. Il faudra pas être chercheur en économie pour percevoir le message politique derrière le but de Sancia, Bérénice, Gregor et Orso. Mais l’arrivée de ce cher hiérophante va reléguer toutes ces considérations à l’arrière-plan puisqu’on va maintenant avoir affaire à gros méchant qui veut tout casser. Et c’est là que ce tome 2 perd un peu par rapport à son prédécesseur : à la place d’ennemis tout à fait humains, on se retrouve avec un gros méchant qui veut tous nous buter pour notre bien. Et si l’aura de cet antagoniste est très réussi, si il donne lieu à des scènes impressionnantes, on regrette son côté bourrino-manichéen même si l’auteur tente de justifier son but par des justifications pétées (un peu à la Thanos). C’est dommage parce que ça met de côté tout le côté social et politique qu’on commençait à mettre en place avec Interfonderies.

Fort heureusement, l’alchimie de notre groupe de héros fonctionne toujours aussi bien. On prend un réel plaisir à retrouver cette bande de voleurs, car ils ont tous les quatre leur rôle à jouer, leur importance dans les plans pour parvenir à leurs fins. Sancia est toujours la voleuse talentueuse qui peut se faufiler partout et retourner les enluminures, mais Bérénice a la connaissance et la mémoire pour forger les outils qui leur serviront. Gregor est le gros bras, mais son arc narratif sera très intéressant puisqu’il doit encore s’affranchir de sa « malédiction » personnelle et en découvrir les secrets. On suit une série de « missions » dangereuses et palpitantes à leurs côtés, ils rendent la lecture fluide et prenante.

On a bien quelques soucis de rythme puisque le bouquin traîne un peu sur ses 600 pages, on a une structure assez redondante pendant les 3/4 de l’histoire qui sera faite de « ah, on doit s’introduire dans TRUC pour récupérer TEL OBJET pour parvenir à faire MACHIN » et se rendre compte 20 pages plus loin qu’ils ont besoin d’encore autre chose. On radote beaucoup, donnant à tout ça un sentiment de jeu vidéo découpé en « missions d’infiltration » qui se répètent. On se répète aussi avec Crasedes, le fameux hiérophante qui nous joue en boucle son numéro de « je flotte en l’air assis en tailleur pendant que je fous le bordel partout et que les gentils courent dans tous les sens ». Heureusement, Robert Jackson Bennett a ce talent pour nous faire immerger dans son action sans trop de souci, donc c’est jamais chiant à proprement parler, juste un peu redondant.

Mais petit à petit on va lever les mystères, avancer dans les intrigues, assister à des révélations qui nous font découvrir cet univers plus avant. Il y a une montée en puissance des possibilités offerte par l’enluminure à un niveau jamais vu (lu), offrant à Crasedes des pouvoirs sans égal ou presque, on joue avec l’espace et le temps pour mettre nos héros devant des défis toujours plus insurmontables. L’auteur a une tendance sandersonnienne à un peu trop rentrer dans les détails de son système, ce qui me perd un peu parfois, mais il faut avouer que ça fonctionne bien, on donne une dimension assez vertigineuse à la menace qui se présente. Et je dois avouer que le codeur en mois s’amuse beaucoup à voir ces personnages se creuser la tête pour contourner, hacker, le fonctionnement de la réalité même.

Et finalement, malgré ses longueurs et son méchant un peu caricatural, on plonge la tête la première dans Le retour du hiérophante, on est emportés par les enjeux qui touchent nos héros, par la démesure de l’univers qui se déploie devant nous, par ses possibilités qui font faire de la gymnastique cérébrale et tournent parfois en combats dévastateurs à la Dragon Ball Z (il parait que le tome 3 c’est encore plus n’importe quoi de ce côté-là). Le plaisir est là, c’est bien l’essentiel.

Lire aussi l’avis de : Apophis (Le culte d’Apophis), Marc Ang-Cho (Les chroniques du chroniqueur), Célinedanaë (Au pays des cave trolls), Dup (Book en stock), Les lectures du Maki, Fantasy à la carte, Boudicca (Le bibliocosme), Le nocher des livres, Aelinel (La bibliothèque d’Aelinel),

Couverture : Didier GraffetTraduction : Laurent Philibert-CaillatÉditeur : Albin Michel ImaginaireNombre de pages : 626Sortie : 29 Septembre 2021Prix : 24,90€ (broché) / 12,99€ (numérique)

#albin-michel-imaginaire #fantasy #le-retour-du-hierophante #les-maitres-enlumineurs #robert-jackson-bennett #sfff

https://ours-inculte.fr/le-retour-du-hierophante/