City of Stairs (The Divine Cities)

Enjoyed it. Nice world building, suggestive and vivid. The plot had potential to go deeper tough. The characters are well defined and fleshed out. there is some intrigue, some action. The pantheon of gods is very well thought out, one of the strong facets of the story.
Over all a good read.

I loved the world building, the characterizations, the plot twists. This novel kept me engaged until the last page. If you like science fiction for its ability to provoke thought, give this author a try.

One of the most original and entertaining fantasy novels I've read in quite a quite a while. Very unique concept and characters, and regularly infused with a good dose of humor. I very much enjoyed reading City of Stairs, and I will look forward to starting on the next book in this series shortly.

The author has created a unique city in Bulikov which is a conquered territory of Saypur. When a reviled historian from Saypur looking at the history of Bulikov and it's Divinities is murdered a former student and descendant of the man who conquered Bulikov comes to investigate and discovers lies, cover-ups and political maneuvering for power. My biggest complaint is I would have liked more exploration of the magical city hidden behind the ugly reality of Bulikov and less dull murder investigation.

Robert Jackson Bennett has breathed new life into the genre. I couldn't put it down, and immediately tried to buy the second book when I finished. My heart sank when I realized it won't be out until 2016.

A unique world where the powerful gods only stuck to one continent, and that continent took it as their gods-given right to rule the world and shaped their gods (as worshipers always do) to justify it.

Eventually the rest of the world rebelled, and this story is set in the aftermath when the old-powerhouse country-continent is being contained and destroyed for their historical actions a couple generations later. Set in the old capital where stairs lead to where the gods used to live among them, surrounded by miraculous walls and other god-gifts, this story is part murder mystery and part political thriller.

Who killed the man sent from the new conquers to poke around in the history of people who are not allowed to study their own history? And can the spy investigating stay out of the local politics to solve the mystery without getting killed by the locals or by the political leaders an ocean away who also have secrets to hide?

Love the worldbuilding. Plus the mystery has nice pacing on the reveal.

Good topic and good ideas, but very little on the development of the mentioned concepts and plot. After some chapters I felt like the author was running to conclude the book, and concepts were stated rather than reviewed or debated, and were unilaterally described by the main character. Anyway I got curious about how the next step in the series will evolve....for the sake of a better future...

A continent with a tortured past, a city fractured in itself, gods both mad and divine, and a mystery that one woman must untangle.

Perhaps a bit slow in the beginning, but keep going. Bulikov wasn't built in a day.

City of stairs was a very enjoyable and easy read. The world building was beautifully done and the strongest part of the book. There are also some memorable characters that kept me invested in the story. The story itself was solid but very transparent. Overall, though, this was a fantastic book.

A beautiful fantasy of world-building, mystery, and myth. Mr. Bennett writes strong, unforgettable characters, and describes his world's so vividly, you forget they aren't real. This tale will enthrall and transport you. Every lover of fantasy and excellent storytelling needs to read this book.

Starts off very well - China Mieville meets Ian Fleming - and there are some very deft moments when little drips of exposition open up substantial depths of plot and metaphor. But by the end it's a little formulaic. This seems to kick in with a couple of Lovecraftian monsters - the first is marvellous (a really remarkable scene) but the second is straight out of central casting (and it goes on a bit). And of course you write the review at the end, don't you? But there's good stuff along the way.

Very well written, the character development was outstanding. Thought provoking ideas for interaction between a society and their gods. Definitely avoided the classic tropes of most fantasy novel beautifully. I would highly recommend this novel.

Great, refreshingly original fantasy. Hidden plots, politics, old gods, a good cast of characters and an interesting world steeped in well developed history. Eagerly looking forward to the second book.