- Paperback: 464 pages
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0007345240
- ISBN-13: 978-0007345243
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 429,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
“satisfying, well observed and entertaining.”
- The Guardian, reviewing “The Gift of Joy”
“As a collection, 'The Gift Of Joy' is certainly worth taking the time to enjoy.”
- SF Crowsnest, reviewing “The Gift of Joy”
Product Description
The first in a series of novels set in one of the most extraordinary fantasy settings since Gormenghast – the vertical city of Thaiburley.
From its towering palatial heights to the dregs who dwell in The City Below, it’s an incredible creation. When Tom, a teenage street thief from the depths, ventures into the uppermost levels to impress a girl, the last thing he expects to do is witness a murder.
Accused of the crime, he must use all of his knowledge of the ancient city to flee certain death.
File under: Fantasy [ Tall City / Class Divide / Murder Witness / Assassination ]
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book tells the story of a street nick, Tom, who lives in the dregs of an amazing multi-tiered city. During a trip up top to try to steal a demon egg, he witnesses the murder of a member of the ruling class. From then on out, he's on the run.
I really wanted this book to be amazing. It is the first novel by a seemingly established sci fi short story writer in the UK. I bought it at a local sci fi bookstore after reading about it on their blog. The blog described the book as being "Dickensian". I had just read a Dickens book and really liked it, so I thought sci fi + Dickens, cool (yes, I am a geek). Unfortuantely, it did not meet my 'great expectations' (ugh).
The world Whates created is amazing (4.5/5 stars there), with the cool towering city of Thaiburley as a backdrop and crazy characters that do everything from defecate crystals to sell to the rich folks upstairs to stitch dogs together with robotic parts to make gruesome cyborg muts. The author plans more books in this setting.
While the characters are colorful, most of them aren't well developed (3 stars). I liked Dewar, the badie who is sent to dispose of the main character, and Kat, the independent street nick with a nasty history, but the other main characters, Tom, who witnessed the murder, and Tylus, a member of the kite guard sent to investigate, were too formulaic for my taste. Tylus was especially boring as he never swayed from the 'by the book' cop steroetype. The story was basically Tom and Kat running away from something. The somethings were always cool - demon dogs, spider thingies, but the story never really differed, it was just them running. So, 2 stars there.
The version of this book that I read had a snippet from the next book in the series, City of Hope and Despair, which looked very promising. The story lines introduced seem a bit more complex and interesting. Since I liked the world so much, I'll probably give it a read, but I hope the plot will grab me a bit more.
I really wanted this book to be amazing. It is the first novel by a seemingly established sci fi short story writer in the UK. I bought it at a local sci fi bookstore after reading about it on their blog. The blog described the book as being "Dickensian". I had just read a Dickens book and really liked it, so I thought sci fi + Dickens, cool (yes, I am a geek). Unfortuantely, it did not meet my 'great expectations' (ugh).
The world Whates created is amazing (4.5/5 stars there), with the cool towering city of Thaiburley as a backdrop and crazy characters that do everything from defecate crystals to sell to the rich folks upstairs to stitch dogs together with robotic parts to make gruesome cyborg muts. The author plans more books in this setting.
While the characters are colorful, most of them aren't well developed (3 stars). I liked Dewar, the badie who is sent to dispose of the main character, and Kat, the independent street nick with a nasty history, but the other main characters, Tom, who witnessed the murder, and Tylus, a member of the kite guard sent to investigate, were too formulaic for my taste. Tylus was especially boring as he never swayed from the 'by the book' cop steroetype. The story was basically Tom and Kat running away from something. The somethings were always cool - demon dogs, spider thingies, but the story never really differed, it was just them running. So, 2 stars there.
The version of this book that I read had a snippet from the next book in the series, City of Hope and Despair, which looked very promising. The story lines introduced seem a bit more complex and interesting. Since I liked the world so much, I'll probably give it a read, but I hope the plot will grab me a bit more.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Tom is a street-nick, born in the poverty-ridden slums that lie at the base of the fantastic city of Thaiburley, the City of One Hundred Rows. It's a three-dimensional, Dickensian metropolis, where status is measured, quite literally, by your height above sea level. After being dared to climb to the top levels of the city, Tom happens across an argument between two high-status arkademics which ends with one being brutally stabbed by the other. Almost caught at the scene of the crime, Tom has to run for his life to avoid being framed for the murder.
As Tom flees towards home, guided through unfamiliar territory by a streetwise young woman called Kat, the murderer sends two men - a cop and an assassin - to catch him. The closer Tom and Kat get to his home turf, the more obstacles are thrown in their path, including demon hounds, one-eyed mechanical spiders and brainwashed street-nicks. Yet someone is working hard to protect Tom, and the strange powers he doesn't yet know how to harness, from harm.
Will Tom and Kat make it to safety, or will they be caught by the forces of anarchy that are threatening to over-run Thaiburley?
One of the things I really enjoyed about this story was the level of invention it displayed. Whates has populated his book with all sorts of original creatures, including the Jeradines (intelligent lizard men), Spill Dragons, the Soul Thief, Demon Hounds and many more. He has a deft touch in bringing such inventions to life, and they added hugely to the excitement that I felt as I read the novel.
I also liked the characterisation of so many of the supporting characters. One particularly telling example is Jezmina, one of Tom's fellow gang members. To Tom, she appears to be a sweet, innocent girl, and he dreams of asking her out. However, when the assassin on Tom's trail infiltrates the gang, she turns out to be a manipulative minx, who knows exactly how to wind men round her little finger.
This brings me to my one, relatively minor, criticism of the book. Whereas many of the minor characters are brought to life with a few well-chosen details, I felt that the leading character, Tom, was missing a certain something. He is well-enough drawn, but seemed to me rather passive at times, particularly in comparison with his firebrand companion, Kat. This may have been deliberate, to reflect his confusion at the strange situation he finds himself at the centre of. I hope, however, that he will come out of his shell more as the series develops.
`City of Dreams & Nightmare' is a great debut novel from an author who is clearly going places. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel - an extract from which is included at the end of the present volume.
As Tom flees towards home, guided through unfamiliar territory by a streetwise young woman called Kat, the murderer sends two men - a cop and an assassin - to catch him. The closer Tom and Kat get to his home turf, the more obstacles are thrown in their path, including demon hounds, one-eyed mechanical spiders and brainwashed street-nicks. Yet someone is working hard to protect Tom, and the strange powers he doesn't yet know how to harness, from harm.
Will Tom and Kat make it to safety, or will they be caught by the forces of anarchy that are threatening to over-run Thaiburley?
One of the things I really enjoyed about this story was the level of invention it displayed. Whates has populated his book with all sorts of original creatures, including the Jeradines (intelligent lizard men), Spill Dragons, the Soul Thief, Demon Hounds and many more. He has a deft touch in bringing such inventions to life, and they added hugely to the excitement that I felt as I read the novel.
I also liked the characterisation of so many of the supporting characters. One particularly telling example is Jezmina, one of Tom's fellow gang members. To Tom, she appears to be a sweet, innocent girl, and he dreams of asking her out. However, when the assassin on Tom's trail infiltrates the gang, she turns out to be a manipulative minx, who knows exactly how to wind men round her little finger.
This brings me to my one, relatively minor, criticism of the book. Whereas many of the minor characters are brought to life with a few well-chosen details, I felt that the leading character, Tom, was missing a certain something. He is well-enough drawn, but seemed to me rather passive at times, particularly in comparison with his firebrand companion, Kat. This may have been deliberate, to reflect his confusion at the strange situation he finds himself at the centre of. I hope, however, that he will come out of his shell more as the series develops.
`City of Dreams & Nightmare' is a great debut novel from an author who is clearly going places. I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel - an extract from which is included at the end of the present volume.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
`City of Dreams & Nightmare' by Ian Whates, published by one of my favorite publishers, Angry Robot. I often decide to buy books based on the fact that it's an Angry Robot book... the books they publish are that good. Anyhow, I did what I very rarely do and read the first chapter of this online from the Angry Robot website. I much prefer proper books to online though I'm becoming more of a convert over time.
After reading chapter one I was hooked on the story of Tom from the City Below, the slums below Thaiburley, the City of One-Hundred Rows and dashed to my local Waterstones to buy a copy. The rest of the book did not disappoint and although it is the first volume of a series it managed to have a satisfying ending of its own.
Thaiburley is a multilayered metropolis with the wealthy and important dwelling in the upper tiers, workers and tradesfolk lower down and the street nicks and lower classes at the very bottom. Tom, a street nick, born and raised in the slums is sent on a mission to the very heights of Thaiburley. He never makes it. On the climb through the dizzying heights of the city rows he witnesses a murder. A murder no one was meant to see. As Tom races back to familiar ground he finds himself pursued by Kite Guards and assassins and at the centre of a plot that goes right to the top of the City of One-Hundred Rows. Finding allies in unlikely places, Tom is confronted by mechanical spiders, brainwashed street nicks and demon hounds and begins to display powers of his own that could well get him killed.
I won't say too much more on the plot for fear of revealing too much. The world is deftly drawn and compelling and the variety of life held within the city works really well. Tom can sometimes seem a little passive compared to his guide, the very streetwise Kat, but for me that serves to illustrate his complete confusion at being caught in so much turmoil. There is definitely a lot more to come from the series and I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
Highly recommended!
After reading chapter one I was hooked on the story of Tom from the City Below, the slums below Thaiburley, the City of One-Hundred Rows and dashed to my local Waterstones to buy a copy. The rest of the book did not disappoint and although it is the first volume of a series it managed to have a satisfying ending of its own.
Thaiburley is a multilayered metropolis with the wealthy and important dwelling in the upper tiers, workers and tradesfolk lower down and the street nicks and lower classes at the very bottom. Tom, a street nick, born and raised in the slums is sent on a mission to the very heights of Thaiburley. He never makes it. On the climb through the dizzying heights of the city rows he witnesses a murder. A murder no one was meant to see. As Tom races back to familiar ground he finds himself pursued by Kite Guards and assassins and at the centre of a plot that goes right to the top of the City of One-Hundred Rows. Finding allies in unlikely places, Tom is confronted by mechanical spiders, brainwashed street nicks and demon hounds and begins to display powers of his own that could well get him killed.
I won't say too much more on the plot for fear of revealing too much. The world is deftly drawn and compelling and the variety of life held within the city works really well. Tom can sometimes seem a little passive compared to his guide, the very streetwise Kat, but for me that serves to illustrate his complete confusion at being caught in so much turmoil. There is definitely a lot more to come from the series and I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.
Highly recommended!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Cool, but not very original
Street urchin going to a level above his station witnesses murder among the privileged, and is forced to flee from the police, represented by the Clouseau of this Universe, and... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Ventura Angelo
Cracking Debut
I originally heard of Ian when John Jarrold (a saint amongst Sci-Fi/Fantasy Agents who's renowned for representing the cream of the crop talent wise) announced the successful sale... Read more
Published on 9 May 2010 by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
What a great read
Best book I've read in three years. Whates paints his characters with a large dollop of truth and sets them racing through a setting endowed with astonishing depth and accuracy. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2010 by Tim C. Taylor
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