It is the early 1800s and Nahri is a street healer and con artist, struggling to survive on the streets of French-occupied Cairo. Today started off well for the young woman – after pretending to cure the affliction of a naïve customer she conducted a faux exorcism on a girl who is possessed, singing a song in an ancient language nobody else but Nahri has ever heard, letting her audience believe she is coaxing the demon out of the child’s body. It’s never worked before but it’s a show that’s always earned Nahri and her musician friends some decent money. Except this time it was different – the evil spirit possessing the girl angrily responded, and now Nahri is being chased through the medieval cemetery by a horde of the spirit’s dead minions.
Luckily, she’s rescued in the nick of time by a djinn warrior who’s very handy with his sword (he’s actually a daeva warrior but, as we’ll soon discover, the djinn and the daeva are very closely related). His name is Dara and he knows that Nahri isn’t entirely human (a fact she didn’t know herself). For that reason, the evil spirits will continue to pursue her until she is destroyed. The only place Nahri will be safe is Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a kind of fabulous medieval nexus where the mystical, the supernatural and the mortal meet. It is also the place where Nahri will discover her incredible destiny.
Meanwhile, in the city of brass, tensions are rising. Ali, the king’s second son, is involved with an underground organisation that is dedicated to protecting the shafit (those who are born with both djinn and human blood). It’s a dangerous cause to be allied with, and is going to become even more risky when Ali and Nahri eventually meet…
If you’re anything like me, your heart probably sinks when you read about a debut author whose first book is supposedly the start of an exciting new trilogy. Whatever happened to writing a standalone novel with a compelling beginning, middle and an end? But The City of Brass is one of those few rare examples of a novel that actually works from the first page to the last, and suggests there is much more to look forward to in the future. It is intriguing, exciting, exquisitely written, and it spotlights a fascinating mythology that more authors would do well to dive into. Don’t miss this one; it’s easily the best YA/adult crossover fantasy this writer has read this year. Exceptional.
THE CITY OF BRASS / AUTHOR: S. A. CHAKRABORTY / PUBLISHER: HARPERVOYAGER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
