The Empire of Gold
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4.6 • 79 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
The final chapter in the bestselling, critically acclaimed Daevabad Trilogy, in which a con-woman and an idealistic djinn prince join forces to save a magical kingdom from a devastating civil war.
Daevabad has fallen.
After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.
But the death of his people and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s dark past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.
Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo, face difficult choices of their own. Though Nahri is finding peace in the rhythms of her old home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a savior, are at the mercy of a new tyrant.
Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains.
As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved…and take a stand for those they once hurt.
Reviews
“The City of Brass is the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind. It’s stunning and complex and consuming and fantastic. You must read it.”
Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes
“A rich Middle Eastern fantasy…Against [a] syncretic yet nonderivative and totally credible backdrop, Chakraborty has constructed a compelling yarn of personal ambition, power politics, racial and religious tensions, strange magics, and terrifying creatures, culminating in a cataclysmic showdown that few readers will anticipate…Best of all, the narrative feels rounded and complete yet poised to deliver still more. Highly impressive and exceptionally promising.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“An opulent masterpiece. Chakraborty's debut is desire-soaked, intrigue-laced, and ripe with so-delicious-you'll-sink-your-teeth-into-it worldbuilding and equally mesmerizing characters. The City of Brass is a must-read.”
Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
“A richly imagined, stunningly immersive book that takes you into a world of darkly alluring djinn, terrifying monsters and beguiling magic. Subversive and clever in its politics, nothing is quite as it seems in treacherous, seductive Daevabad. Peopled with irresistible characters and steeped in the myths of the Middle East, The City of Brass is a dazzlingly inventive tale, set in a world that feels both familiar and new. You will race to the end of this bold and brilliant debut.”
Ausma Zehanat Khan, award-winning author of the Khattak/Getty mysteries and The Bloodprint
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The conclusion to the Daevabad Trilogy, S. A. Chakraborty’s inspired historical fantasy series, has everything we were hoping for—and some surprises we never saw coming. These gorgeously unique books are set in the magical city of Daevabad and steeped in Middle Eastern mythology. In this instalment, magicians Nahri and Ali have managed to escape the tyrannical ruler Manizheh’s murderous plotting and flee to Cairo, taking all of Daevabad’s magic with them. As in the two earlier books in the series, Chakraborty’s detailed world-building creates a fascinating setting we could happily get lost in for days. Even the heroes have flaws to overcome, and the bad guys are just as interesting—especially Manizheh’s increasingly morally conflicted enforcer, Dara. Not just a satisfying conclusion to the series, The Empire of Gold is a thrilling fantasy adventure on its own. And while it’s a good idea to read the earlier books first, there’s enough of a recap for newcomers to get up to speed.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The centuries-long power struggle for the magical kingdom of Daevabad comes to a head in the marvelous final adventure in Chakraborty's Daevabad trilogy (after The Kingdom of Copper). Healer Nahri awakens back home in 18th-century Egypt, with no memory of how she got there from Daevabad. The temptation to stay in her comfort zone is nearly impossible to resist when weighed against returning and joining the fight to take back the devastated djinn city. But exiled Daevabad prince Ali is stranded alongside Nahri and will do whatever it takes to find his way back home to avenge his family and restore their rule. Both Nahri and Ali run up against the sins of their ancestors when deeply buried secrets come to light, revealing Nahri's true parentage and Ali's family debt. Chakraborty pulls off an astonishing balancing act as her multifaceted characters navigate the complex politics of her beautifully painted world, but she relies on some too-convenient plot devices to tie up all the loose ends, slightly cheapening the otherwise satisfying conclusion. Still, this mammoth finale is a worthy finish to a beloved series.
