City of Iron and Dust
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
This fast-paced, razor-sharp fantasy with a grimdark edge is “one part China Miéville, one part Andrew Lang, one part James M. Cain” (Locus).
In a brutal city where goblins rule, the fae have had their magic stolen and seek solace in the darkest corners of the metropolis—but now, they’ve had enough.
The Iron City is a prison, a maze, an industrial blight. It is the result of a war that saw the goblins grind the fae beneath their collective boot heels. And tonight, it is also a city that churns with life.
A young fae tries to make his fortune one drug deal at a time.
A goblin princess searches for a path between her own dreams and others’ expectations, while her bodyguard decides who to kill first.
An artist hunts for his own voice.
An old soldier starts a new revolution.
A a young rebel finds fresh ways to fight.
And an old goblin dreams of reclaiming her power over them all.
On this night, all their stories twist together, wrapped up around a single bag of Dust—the only drug that can still fuel fae magic. Its fate and theirs will change the Iron City forever.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Oakes's fascinating but overstuffed debut puts a new spin on a post-apocalyptic universe. The war between the fae and goblins has ended and the Iron City stands as a symbol of goblin victory and fae defeat, ruled by five major goblin houses from within the tall towers at its heart. Against this backdrop, the lives of a varied assortment of characters collide one fateful night in the quest for Dust, a drug capable of restoring lost fae magic, if only for a moment. Among the sprawling cast are a drug dealer, a goblin heiress, a deposed ruler, an artist, a fae patriot, and a kobold revolutionary—and their meeting could alter the course of the Iron City forever. Fast-paced and resplendent with action, betrayal, and sometimes odd twists, the visceral, present-tense narrative is chaotic and would be difficult to follow if it weren't for the way it repeatedly circles back on itself, exhaustively exploring the loss of wonder, the rise of industrialism, and the lure of Dust. The driving philosophical beat is tempered by guerilla strikes of humor and intense introspection. Despite its flaws, this darkly idealistic world offers lovers of the bloody and fantastical plenty to enjoy.
Customer Reviews
Amazing!
This book ended up being different than I thought it would be, but it was different in the best possible way. The author did an amazing job with keeping you interested and wanting to read more. He created a story and characters that have depth. It is a fantasy that I would most definitely recommend