Status
Available
Call number
Publication
New York : Roc, [2015]
Description
In the late twentieth century, the streets of Paris are lined with haunted ruins. The Great Magicians' War left a trail of devastation in its wake. The grands magasins have been reduced to piles of debris, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine has turned black with ashes and rubble and the remnants of the spells that tore the city apart. But those that survived still retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and the great houses still vie for dominion over France's once-grand capital.Once the most powerful and formidable, House Silverspires now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.Within the house, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful fallen angel, an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells of unknown origin. They may be Silverspires' salvation -- or the architects of its last, irreversible fall. And if Silverspires falls, so may the city itself.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member imyril
An alternate twentieth century Paris. The Fallen live amongst mankind, banished for crimes against Heaven. Stripped of their wings and their memories, each must rapidly come to terms with their new earthbound existence and find a home in one of the Houses - or die at the hands of humans who steal
Philippe, who is not entirely human himself, was brought to Paris from Vietnam when the Fallen forcibly drafted people from the colonies to fight in the great war between Houses. Decades later, Paris destroyed by the almost nuclear fall-out of magical pollution, Philippe runs with the gangs, stripped of all hope of returning home. When he stumbles across newly-Fallen Isabelle in the wreckage of Les Grands Magasin, he and Isabelle are seized by House Silverspires and taken to Notre Dame.
But Silverspires - founded by the Morningstar, its influence slowly crumbling in the decades following his disappearance - is under insidious attack. Philippe and Isabelle find themselves at the centre of the storm as loyalties shift and bonds are forged.
I ended up admiring and being incredibly frustrated by the world-building. It's good - very good - in the sense that this decaying, dull Paris feels real, it's inhabitants creeping through mouldering ruins and avoiding the terrors of the blackened Seine. The Houses have real stature in this landscape; the buildings as stricken as the rest, but looming large above the devastated city, bastions of power and influence run by Fallen overlords one can serve or avoid but rarely ignore. The Fallen, with their crisp suits and Louis XV furniture, are a lofty 1% who rarely value human lives as they play malicious games of influence.
The frustrating bit is the lack of detail. The Fallen know their own history on Earth; Philippe knows the history of the apocalyptic war that destroyed Europe; but none of this is spelled out. We get only fragments through memories and references, with nothing to string it together. I couldn't tell you exactly when the novel is set; I couldn't even tell you if the Great War it references is World War I or the War between Houses. Part of me is rather impressed that de Bodard has managed to construct something that feels so real without ever really giving you more than glimpses of what holds it together, because technically it's not relevant to the modern story. It's history. It's background, and it's firmly kept out of the way. It frustrates me only because when I know I'm dealing with an alternate history, I like to know how it fits together. On the flip side, I guess there's a huge opportunity for her to write a lot of novels exploring different periods ;)
The story itself is fairly traditional, but expressed in interesting ways thanks to the infusion of Vietnamese mythology and enough twists to make you genuinely unsure of whether this will end well or badly. This is a dark (but not grimdark) story - for much of the novel the enemy is literally a shadow - and the flawed, flailing cast of characters are riven by self-doubt and House politics in their attempts to face up to it. I couldn't guess how it would end, and I'm happy to say I didn't call it.
Doubleplus points for the range of on-page friendships, sexual pairings (NB no sex on-page - it's not that sort of fantasy), and for strong characters of both genders; also for shady morality, difficult decisions and proper consequences. Nobody gets off lightly here, and while it would be possible to leave this as a stand-alone novel, there are plenty of loose ends for characters and House politics that will make for fascinating future complications instalments.
I'll certainly seek out future novels in the same setting (there is a sequel in the very early works, and a number of short stories, some of which I'm going to read right now in the hope of more glimpses of that elusive history).
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the magic from their body parts. Philippe, who is not entirely human himself, was brought to Paris from Vietnam when the Fallen forcibly drafted people from the colonies to fight in the great war between Houses. Decades later, Paris destroyed by the almost nuclear fall-out of magical pollution, Philippe runs with the gangs, stripped of all hope of returning home. When he stumbles across newly-Fallen Isabelle in the wreckage of Les Grands Magasin, he and Isabelle are seized by House Silverspires and taken to Notre Dame.
But Silverspires - founded by the Morningstar, its influence slowly crumbling in the decades following his disappearance - is under insidious attack. Philippe and Isabelle find themselves at the centre of the storm as loyalties shift and bonds are forged.
I ended up admiring and being incredibly frustrated by the world-building. It's good - very good - in the sense that this decaying, dull Paris feels real, it's inhabitants creeping through mouldering ruins and avoiding the terrors of the blackened Seine. The Houses have real stature in this landscape; the buildings as stricken as the rest, but looming large above the devastated city, bastions of power and influence run by Fallen overlords one can serve or avoid but rarely ignore. The Fallen, with their crisp suits and Louis XV furniture, are a lofty 1% who rarely value human lives as they play malicious games of influence.
The frustrating bit is the lack of detail. The Fallen know their own history on Earth; Philippe knows the history of the apocalyptic war that destroyed Europe; but none of this is spelled out. We get only fragments through memories and references, with nothing to string it together. I couldn't tell you exactly when the novel is set; I couldn't even tell you if the Great War it references is World War I or the War between Houses. Part of me is rather impressed that de Bodard has managed to construct something that feels so real without ever really giving you more than glimpses of what holds it together, because technically it's not relevant to the modern story. It's history. It's background, and it's firmly kept out of the way. It frustrates me only because when I know I'm dealing with an alternate history, I like to know how it fits together. On the flip side, I guess there's a huge opportunity for her to write a lot of novels exploring different periods ;)
The story itself is fairly traditional, but expressed in interesting ways thanks to the infusion of Vietnamese mythology and enough twists to make you genuinely unsure of whether this will end well or badly. This is a dark (but not grimdark) story - for much of the novel the enemy is literally a shadow - and the flawed, flailing cast of characters are riven by self-doubt and House politics in their attempts to face up to it. I couldn't guess how it would end, and I'm happy to say I didn't call it.
Doubleplus points for the range of on-page friendships, sexual pairings (NB no sex on-page - it's not that sort of fantasy), and for strong characters of both genders; also for shady morality, difficult decisions and proper consequences. Nobody gets off lightly here, and while it would be possible to leave this as a stand-alone novel, there are plenty of loose ends for characters and House politics that will make for fascinating future complications instalments.
I'll certainly seek out future novels in the same setting (there is a sequel in the very early works, and a number of short stories, some of which I'm going to read right now in the hope of more glimpses of that elusive history).
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LibraryThing member pwaites
While there were elements of The House of Shattered Wings that I enjoyed, it never fully worked for me. I never felt much of a connection to any of the characters, and the plot wasn’t compelling enough to make up for that absence.
House Silverspires is on the decline. Like all of Europe’s
Selene, Morningstar’s apprentice, is desperately trying to keep her house afloat. Philippe, a former Immortal from Vietnam, has become entangled by Silverspire and stuck in a land he never wanted to be in. Madeline is the House’s alchemist, with a secret addiction to the ground up bones of former angels. These three make up the POV cast of The House of Shattered Wings.
Unfortunately, I never came to care about any of these characters, or even anyone among the supporting cast. I didn’t hate any of our protagonists, but I remained indifferent to them. Even when a major character died, I was unmoved. I can’t come up with an easy explanation for why this is. Based on the short descriptions I’ve given of them, they don’t look uninteresting. Perhaps it’s because only Selene has a clear and specific goal – preserve her house – and it’s not a goal that’s immediately easy to invest in. Or maybe having seen more of characters relationships with each other? Although there are relationships among the characters, it often feels like they’re stated more than shown.
I did like the world building of Fallen among the magical ruins of a post-apocalyptic Paris. However, I would like to know more. The details revealed are really only the ones necessary for the story immediately at hand, but there’s a sense of vastness to this world that I’d like to see explored. I’m also interested in the shape of the world after the destruction of the war. Why is travel so difficult exactly? What’s the houses economic basis? I will consider reading further books in this setting, although I hope they improve upon where The House of Shattered Wings lacks.
I never found the pacing or plot line of The House of Shattered Wings gripping. The climax in particular felt unsatisfyingly sudden, although my inability to invest in the characters or situation may have played a role. Overall, it felt too slow to start and too quick to wrap up.
The imagination of the world that de Bodard has created is what bumps this from three stars to three and a half stars. Although I am unlikely to be recommending this one much in the future, I will investigate whatever de Bodard writes next.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
House Silverspires is on the decline. Like all of Europe’s
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houses, it was brought to the brink of ruin by the war. Although it survived, it is now missing it’s leader, the oldest fallen angel of all, Morningstar. Now, Silverspires is threatened by a dark and shadowy magic, and it’s members are being killed, Fallen and mortal alike.Selene, Morningstar’s apprentice, is desperately trying to keep her house afloat. Philippe, a former Immortal from Vietnam, has become entangled by Silverspire and stuck in a land he never wanted to be in. Madeline is the House’s alchemist, with a secret addiction to the ground up bones of former angels. These three make up the POV cast of The House of Shattered Wings.
Unfortunately, I never came to care about any of these characters, or even anyone among the supporting cast. I didn’t hate any of our protagonists, but I remained indifferent to them. Even when a major character died, I was unmoved. I can’t come up with an easy explanation for why this is. Based on the short descriptions I’ve given of them, they don’t look uninteresting. Perhaps it’s because only Selene has a clear and specific goal – preserve her house – and it’s not a goal that’s immediately easy to invest in. Or maybe having seen more of characters relationships with each other? Although there are relationships among the characters, it often feels like they’re stated more than shown.
I did like the world building of Fallen among the magical ruins of a post-apocalyptic Paris. However, I would like to know more. The details revealed are really only the ones necessary for the story immediately at hand, but there’s a sense of vastness to this world that I’d like to see explored. I’m also interested in the shape of the world after the destruction of the war. Why is travel so difficult exactly? What’s the houses economic basis? I will consider reading further books in this setting, although I hope they improve upon where The House of Shattered Wings lacks.
I never found the pacing or plot line of The House of Shattered Wings gripping. The climax in particular felt unsatisfyingly sudden, although my inability to invest in the characters or situation may have played a role. Overall, it felt too slow to start and too quick to wrap up.
The imagination of the world that de Bodard has created is what bumps this from three stars to three and a half stars. Although I am unlikely to be recommending this one much in the future, I will investigate whatever de Bodard writes next.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member stefferoo
It all begins with a fallen angel. The War in Heaven has come to Paris – or what’s left of it. The proud city is a ruin now, the once beautiful Seine clogged with the ashes of the dead and destroyed. House Silverspires, which used to be one of the most powerful Fallen factions, has followed
The situation grows more complicated when a new Fallen named Isabelle comes to Silverspires with a young man named Philippe. Isabelle, being one of their own, is embraced immediately, but Philippe – as an immortal but not a Fallen – remains an outsider until they can figure out what he is and where he came from. However, as Selene and her alchemist Madeleine struggle to unravel the enigma of Philippe and his strange mental link to Isabelle, a sudden string of uncanny deaths strikes those with ties to Silverspires, including a visiting dignitary of another Great House. To prevent another a war from tearing them all apart, friends and enemies must band together to uncover the secrets of their past and figure out how all of this is tied to the stranger in their midst.
The House of Shattered Wings is therefore a very different kind of murder mystery, one that involves the blending of a great number of elements. Using a broken and crumbling version of Paris as a backdrop lends the story a gothic vibe, in all its dark and portentous glory. Snippets of the story behind Lucifer’s fall can be glimpsed in the long history of House Silverspires and their infamous founder. Fallen themselves become the favorite prey of the urban gangs hiding amidst the hollowed out ruins, waiting patiently for their chance to harvest the magical flesh and bone to sell for lucrative sums on the black market. East also clashes with West when the mythologies of two very different cultures meet. Characters still dream longingly of a bygone era, clinging to ideals that they’ll never have again.
This book also has all the hallmarks of an “Aftermath” story. There’s a strong sense of being thrust into the middle of a situation, which I felt so keenly that at one point I actually stopped to wonder if I had unknowingly stepped into a spinoff or a continuation novel of an existing universe. These types of narratives are often tricky; after all, I have to be convinced that the “post-event” is in fact more interesting to read about than the event itself. For the most part, I think author Aliette de Bodard pulled it off. You won’t get a lot of background information here – at least, not laid out in a traditional or organized fashion. Instead, the world building and character details are integrated seamlessly into the plot, to be absorbed gradually as it progresses. It’s a very immersive way to experience a story.
On the other hand, throughout my reading of this novel there was a constant tugging, nagging sensation deep inside of me always demanding to know more. I wanted to know more about this bombed-out world, learn more about the author’s vision of this shattered version of Paris. I wanted to see the scope of the story expanded, because really, what we get to see here is merely a sliver. While the power struggle among the many Fallen Houses involves a great number of individuals, it’s still a relatively small piece of the puzzle. We know from the presence of Philippe that there’s a much bigger picture, and to her credit De Bodard does plenty to indicate this, though she left little room to explore further.
I also struggled to engage with the characters, the reason being most of them had pasts that sounded a lot more intriguing than their present circumstances. In many ways, Isabelle was a blank slate and Philippe’s own journey was part of the mystery, so I was all right with those two. With Selene and Madeleine, however, I felt like their histories overshadowed their current selves. Selene was apprentice to Morningstar himself, a relationship I would have really liked to know more about. And as for Madeleine, mentions of her past at House Hawthorne often made me feel out of my depth, like I was already supposed to know everything about her origins and her associations with the Fallen there. Ironically, she was probably the most interesting character, but I also felt disconnected to her most of all.
And yet, in spite of the areas which I thought could have been improved, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m not denying there were hurdles, but overall I thought it was very well put together story that presented an intriguing and sophisticated never-seen-before side to the “fallen angels” mythos. In a way, my desire to know more is a testament to how thoroughly this book drew me in. It might not have swept me off my feet, but it got me paying attention. I look forward to reading more of Aliette de Bodard’s work in the future.
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Paris’ downfall into decay and disarray. It is thought that the House’s founder Morningstar has abandoned them, or he may be dead; either way, the fate of Silverspires now rests in his protégé Selene’s hands. And Selene, while she’s no Morningstar, is trying to do her best to keep her House together and her people safe.The situation grows more complicated when a new Fallen named Isabelle comes to Silverspires with a young man named Philippe. Isabelle, being one of their own, is embraced immediately, but Philippe – as an immortal but not a Fallen – remains an outsider until they can figure out what he is and where he came from. However, as Selene and her alchemist Madeleine struggle to unravel the enigma of Philippe and his strange mental link to Isabelle, a sudden string of uncanny deaths strikes those with ties to Silverspires, including a visiting dignitary of another Great House. To prevent another a war from tearing them all apart, friends and enemies must band together to uncover the secrets of their past and figure out how all of this is tied to the stranger in their midst.
The House of Shattered Wings is therefore a very different kind of murder mystery, one that involves the blending of a great number of elements. Using a broken and crumbling version of Paris as a backdrop lends the story a gothic vibe, in all its dark and portentous glory. Snippets of the story behind Lucifer’s fall can be glimpsed in the long history of House Silverspires and their infamous founder. Fallen themselves become the favorite prey of the urban gangs hiding amidst the hollowed out ruins, waiting patiently for their chance to harvest the magical flesh and bone to sell for lucrative sums on the black market. East also clashes with West when the mythologies of two very different cultures meet. Characters still dream longingly of a bygone era, clinging to ideals that they’ll never have again.
This book also has all the hallmarks of an “Aftermath” story. There’s a strong sense of being thrust into the middle of a situation, which I felt so keenly that at one point I actually stopped to wonder if I had unknowingly stepped into a spinoff or a continuation novel of an existing universe. These types of narratives are often tricky; after all, I have to be convinced that the “post-event” is in fact more interesting to read about than the event itself. For the most part, I think author Aliette de Bodard pulled it off. You won’t get a lot of background information here – at least, not laid out in a traditional or organized fashion. Instead, the world building and character details are integrated seamlessly into the plot, to be absorbed gradually as it progresses. It’s a very immersive way to experience a story.
On the other hand, throughout my reading of this novel there was a constant tugging, nagging sensation deep inside of me always demanding to know more. I wanted to know more about this bombed-out world, learn more about the author’s vision of this shattered version of Paris. I wanted to see the scope of the story expanded, because really, what we get to see here is merely a sliver. While the power struggle among the many Fallen Houses involves a great number of individuals, it’s still a relatively small piece of the puzzle. We know from the presence of Philippe that there’s a much bigger picture, and to her credit De Bodard does plenty to indicate this, though she left little room to explore further.
I also struggled to engage with the characters, the reason being most of them had pasts that sounded a lot more intriguing than their present circumstances. In many ways, Isabelle was a blank slate and Philippe’s own journey was part of the mystery, so I was all right with those two. With Selene and Madeleine, however, I felt like their histories overshadowed their current selves. Selene was apprentice to Morningstar himself, a relationship I would have really liked to know more about. And as for Madeleine, mentions of her past at House Hawthorne often made me feel out of my depth, like I was already supposed to know everything about her origins and her associations with the Fallen there. Ironically, she was probably the most interesting character, but I also felt disconnected to her most of all.
And yet, in spite of the areas which I thought could have been improved, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m not denying there were hurdles, but overall I thought it was very well put together story that presented an intriguing and sophisticated never-seen-before side to the “fallen angels” mythos. In a way, my desire to know more is a testament to how thoroughly this book drew me in. It might not have swept me off my feet, but it got me paying attention. I look forward to reading more of Aliette de Bodard’s work in the future.
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LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: A post-apocalyptic murder mystery that is excellent when dealing with the mystery, but not as great when dealing with other aspects of the plot.
Opening Sentence: It is almost pleasant at first, to be Falling.
The Review:
The world as we know it has
I had a very hard time coming up with a rating for this one. On one hand, I love the premise. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic worlds, and fallen angels especially fascinate me. Throw in a murder mystery, and I should find myself on cloud nine. And that aspect of the story is done very well. Every scene involving the “dark force” in the House is excellent, full of tension and creepiness. I was on the edge of my seat. However, pretty much everything else wasn’t nearly as fascinating, and I found my attention wandering often. I feel like it may have been an issue of having too much description and not enough character interaction. We’re told Philippe and Isabelle have a bond that arose from their first meeting, but we don’t necessarily see that in play for ourselves. It makes it hard to buy their relationship.
All of my favorite scenes involved the character Madeleine, the House’s alchemist who has become addicted to angel essence in an effort to forget her traumatic past. Being mortal, she seemed to be the most reliable narrator in terms of showing the reader what’s going on with the Fallen. Through her, we see Isabelle begin to change from an innocent newly Fallen angel to a Fallen who knows her place in the world and has the arrogance to go along with it. We see the Madeleine’s past come back to haunt her, and her incapability of escaping it. For me, she was the easiest character to connect to, and I always looked forward to her scenes.
All in all, while this book had some fantastic moments, the duller moments seem to be what I remember most, which is unfortunate. There are some hanging plot threads that have me interested in what will happen next, but I don’t necessarily think I’ll be rushing out to pick up book 2. It will more likely be a “when I get around to it” type of read.
Notable Scene:
Forcing himself to breathe, he moved across the room, bumping into people in his eagerness to keep an eye on mirrors and glass. Every time he moved, the darkness seemed to flow across the room, in empty wineglasses, in mirrors, in spectacles, in diamond pendants and polished silver fob watches; but it disappeared as soon as he tried to focus on it. It was real – rising, searching, sniffing the air like a blind, monstrous worm – something that made the room seem smaller, its air a miasma worse than the polluted clouds near the Seine; something looking for a way in . . .
He came to with a start. He was staring at the seating plan, his hand frozen over Selene’s name – she was at the largest table with the other heads of Houses, of course, but that wasn’t what mattered. Cautiously, he craned his neck to the left and then to the right: nothing but the glitter of light on wineglasses. The darkness was gone, as if it had never been.
But it would be back.
FTC Advisory: Penguin/Roc provided me with a copy of The House of Shattered Wings. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: A post-apocalyptic murder mystery that is excellent when dealing with the mystery, but not as great when dealing with other aspects of the plot.
Opening Sentence: It is almost pleasant at first, to be Falling.
The Review:
The world as we know it has
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been gone for a long time. Fallen angels have taken over, dividing the world into factions known as Houses. Selene is the leader of one such House, having taken over when Morningstar disappeared. One day, Selene happens upon a newly Fallen angel, Isabelle, as she is being mutilated by two gang members. One person gets away, but Selene manages to capture Philippe and bring him back to the House with her and Isabelle. Phillipe, while sorry for the crime that finds him in this position, is very unhappy to find himself once again under house rule. He would do anything to free himself, including making a deal with a rival House. While he’s trying to engineer his escape, a string of murders begins occurring, and it starts to become apparent that there is a dark force present in the House, one intent on revenge upon the House and its members. The question now is, will Philippe stay alive long enough to even be able to escape, or will the dark force take him under as well?I had a very hard time coming up with a rating for this one. On one hand, I love the premise. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic worlds, and fallen angels especially fascinate me. Throw in a murder mystery, and I should find myself on cloud nine. And that aspect of the story is done very well. Every scene involving the “dark force” in the House is excellent, full of tension and creepiness. I was on the edge of my seat. However, pretty much everything else wasn’t nearly as fascinating, and I found my attention wandering often. I feel like it may have been an issue of having too much description and not enough character interaction. We’re told Philippe and Isabelle have a bond that arose from their first meeting, but we don’t necessarily see that in play for ourselves. It makes it hard to buy their relationship.
All of my favorite scenes involved the character Madeleine, the House’s alchemist who has become addicted to angel essence in an effort to forget her traumatic past. Being mortal, she seemed to be the most reliable narrator in terms of showing the reader what’s going on with the Fallen. Through her, we see Isabelle begin to change from an innocent newly Fallen angel to a Fallen who knows her place in the world and has the arrogance to go along with it. We see the Madeleine’s past come back to haunt her, and her incapability of escaping it. For me, she was the easiest character to connect to, and I always looked forward to her scenes.
All in all, while this book had some fantastic moments, the duller moments seem to be what I remember most, which is unfortunate. There are some hanging plot threads that have me interested in what will happen next, but I don’t necessarily think I’ll be rushing out to pick up book 2. It will more likely be a “when I get around to it” type of read.
Notable Scene:
Forcing himself to breathe, he moved across the room, bumping into people in his eagerness to keep an eye on mirrors and glass. Every time he moved, the darkness seemed to flow across the room, in empty wineglasses, in mirrors, in spectacles, in diamond pendants and polished silver fob watches; but it disappeared as soon as he tried to focus on it. It was real – rising, searching, sniffing the air like a blind, monstrous worm – something that made the room seem smaller, its air a miasma worse than the polluted clouds near the Seine; something looking for a way in . . .
He came to with a start. He was staring at the seating plan, his hand frozen over Selene’s name – she was at the largest table with the other heads of Houses, of course, but that wasn’t what mattered. Cautiously, he craned his neck to the left and then to the right: nothing but the glitter of light on wineglasses. The darkness was gone, as if it had never been.
But it would be back.
FTC Advisory: Penguin/Roc provided me with a copy of The House of Shattered Wings. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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LibraryThing member sussura
Another Paris from the one I love. Now I love two Parises. I can't get the opening scenes out of my mind. Nor the characters.
Little known factoid: I once wrote an honors thesis on Milton's Paradise Lost. I fell a bit for his fallen angels then, and for his imagery. Aliette deBodard's got me
Some of you have heard me say now and then that when de Bodard starts talking about food, watch out, you're in for a great ride. Food isn't a main focus in The House of Shattered Wings. Instead, de Bodard uses it the way a chef uses their most trusted set of knives. to shape, separate, and elevate the dish.
And the dish, in this case, is exquisite.
Little known factoid: I once wrote an honors thesis on Milton's Paradise Lost. I fell a bit for his fallen angels then, and for his imagery. Aliette deBodard's got me
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falling all over again.Some of you have heard me say now and then that when de Bodard starts talking about food, watch out, you're in for a great ride. Food isn't a main focus in The House of Shattered Wings. Instead, de Bodard uses it the way a chef uses their most trusted set of knives. to shape, separate, and elevate the dish.
And the dish, in this case, is exquisite.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
I received a gratis early copy of this book at San Diego Comicon.
The world here gripped me from the very start: a post-apocalyptic Paris, long after the Great War resulted in worldwide destruction due to the squabbles of fallen angels. In the decades since, Phillipe--a Vietnamese conscript--has
Though the book intrigued me, I found the pace somewhat slow. I was impatient for more to happen through the middle. Even so, it was well worth the ride as things escalated at the end.
The world here gripped me from the very start: a post-apocalyptic Paris, long after the Great War resulted in worldwide destruction due to the squabbles of fallen angels. In the decades since, Phillipe--a Vietnamese conscript--has
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been stranded in the ruins of France. de Bodard creates a fascinating new mythology of angels, but I especially enjoyed the incorporation of Vietnamese mythology. It created freshness in a world gone stagnant in corruption and ruin.Though the book intrigued me, I found the pace somewhat slow. I was impatient for more to happen through the middle. Even so, it was well worth the ride as things escalated at the end.
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LibraryThing member BrandieC
Although Goodreads reviewer Mogsy (MMOGC) gave Aliette de Bodard's The House of Shattered Wings a somewhat higher numerical rating than I did (3.5 stars v. 3), she has captured precisely the flaws which disturbed me while reading this book. The House of Shattered Wings has not one, but two back
I was intrigued by the basic premise of the book, especially its use of both Western and Eastern mythology, but not sufficiently so to continue with the series.
I received a free copy of The House of Shattered Wings through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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stories: the war among the houses, which led to the devastated Paris in which the book is set, and the falls from heaven, which are still happening but are apparently precipitated by each individual angel's actions. None of these newly-fallen angels remembers what they did to be cast out, and, unfortunately, the reader is not told either. This sense of constantly missing out is why I insist on reading series books in order, starting with the first, so it was disconcerting to have the same experience in the first book of a new series. (It does appear that de Bodard wrote a prequel which might have fleshed out her worldbuilding, but that book does not seem to be publicly available, instead being limited only to purchasers of The House of Shattered Wings who knew to seek it on her personal website before August 19.) Isabelle, one of the main characters, is one of these newly Fallen, so the missing back story prevented me from connecting with her character.I was intrigued by the basic premise of the book, especially its use of both Western and Eastern mythology, but not sufficiently so to continue with the series.
I received a free copy of The House of Shattered Wings through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member passion4reading
Paris, at an unspecified point in time: the once beautiful city lies in ruins, the great buildings all but rubble, and the Seine flows with blackened, oily waters, and no one dares go near it again these days – this is the aftermath of the Great Magicians War. The city is dominated by several
I may well be alone in this, but I have to say that I didn’t get on with this book at all. Reading the opening chapter felt like being thrown into the middle of an action film where you don’t know the plot or the characters, nothing but the location, but the fast pace very soon dwindled to walking pace as the characters and their backgrounds are established, and I was just trying to make sense of it all. The pace picks up slightly once the curse has been released, but it still takes a long time for the reader to learn what consequences a seemingly innocuous act has had. I couldn’t help but feeling being strung along for too long and was losing interest about halfway through the novel, which, at 400 pages, left still an awful lot to read when I just wanted to give up; the fact that I couldn’t identify or engage with any of the major characters, none of whom are particularly likeable and seemed engaged in serious self-pity for a lot of the time, did not help matters.
The synopsis sounded really good, but maybe if I’d realized that the Fallen were angels, cast out of Heaven for a sin they don’t remember committing, I would have held off ordering it as I’m not a religious person. Once I realized, I was expecting there to be at least some kind of interesting or engaging theological debate as part of the plot, especially as the reader learns early on that the most powerful Fallen, long gone at the time the novel starts, is also known by a different name, but apart from a few fairly general comments there was nothing. The mix of Western theology with a Southeast Asian belief system may have sounded good in theory, but the end result is a mess, albeit an original one. There are several distracting subplots that add very little to the general storyline, apart from confusion. I was told of the factions between the different Houses, of characters feeling love or hate or fear for another, but I remained completely unconvinced by the reality of their emotions, detached, and didn’t really care about what happened to them. I think this in part stems from the author’s writing style: due to her excessive use of punctuation (ellipses and semicolons), the narration appeared to me to be always stopping and starting, never getting going properly and flowing along. (I work in publishing, so I can’t help noticing these things.) There were too many details in places, whereas elsewhere important events are only guessed at, with some of the characters knowing things they hadn’t been told. Granted, the descriptions of something lurking in the shadows were genuinely creepy, and the descriptions of a decaying, dangerous post-apocalyptic Paris atmospheric, but these in no way make up for enduring the rest of the book. Needless to say I won't be picking up any of the sequels.
(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.)
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Houses who all strive for supremacy, inhabited by mortals without magical abilities who serve those living in the House, mortals with slight magical abilities who work as alchemists to preserve the magic, and the immortal Fallen who are the ruling elite, gifted with immense magical powers. But all is not well, and a curse is released that soon claims its first victims, not caring whether they are mortal or immortal. A race against time begins to destroy the artefact before it can reduce one of the most pre-eminent Houses to rubble.I may well be alone in this, but I have to say that I didn’t get on with this book at all. Reading the opening chapter felt like being thrown into the middle of an action film where you don’t know the plot or the characters, nothing but the location, but the fast pace very soon dwindled to walking pace as the characters and their backgrounds are established, and I was just trying to make sense of it all. The pace picks up slightly once the curse has been released, but it still takes a long time for the reader to learn what consequences a seemingly innocuous act has had. I couldn’t help but feeling being strung along for too long and was losing interest about halfway through the novel, which, at 400 pages, left still an awful lot to read when I just wanted to give up; the fact that I couldn’t identify or engage with any of the major characters, none of whom are particularly likeable and seemed engaged in serious self-pity for a lot of the time, did not help matters.
The synopsis sounded really good, but maybe if I’d realized that the Fallen were angels, cast out of Heaven for a sin they don’t remember committing, I would have held off ordering it as I’m not a religious person. Once I realized, I was expecting there to be at least some kind of interesting or engaging theological debate as part of the plot, especially as the reader learns early on that the most powerful Fallen, long gone at the time the novel starts, is also known by a different name, but apart from a few fairly general comments there was nothing. The mix of Western theology with a Southeast Asian belief system may have sounded good in theory, but the end result is a mess, albeit an original one. There are several distracting subplots that add very little to the general storyline, apart from confusion. I was told of the factions between the different Houses, of characters feeling love or hate or fear for another, but I remained completely unconvinced by the reality of their emotions, detached, and didn’t really care about what happened to them. I think this in part stems from the author’s writing style: due to her excessive use of punctuation (ellipses and semicolons), the narration appeared to me to be always stopping and starting, never getting going properly and flowing along. (I work in publishing, so I can’t help noticing these things.) There were too many details in places, whereas elsewhere important events are only guessed at, with some of the characters knowing things they hadn’t been told. Granted, the descriptions of something lurking in the shadows were genuinely creepy, and the descriptions of a decaying, dangerous post-apocalyptic Paris atmospheric, but these in no way make up for enduring the rest of the book. Needless to say I won't be picking up any of the sequels.
(This review was written for Amazon's Vine programme.)
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LibraryThing member musichick52
The beauty of this book lies in its descriptive imagery. Although a difficult book for me to enjoy reading, I admire the stylistic treatment. It is not one of the formulaic novels that so many authors fall back on, and it is sluggish in pulling along the story line. The plot concerns the aftermath
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of a great war in which we now have humans, angels and gods or Immortals, mingling in the several Houses that have organized for protection. The setting is a ravaged Paris where these Houses are vying for power and control. Magic abounds. It just did not thrill me as this author's work has in the past. My thanks to Penguin's First to Read program for a complimentary copy. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Ugh. It's magnificently written - the characters are vivid, the settings are strongly evoked, the events draw you in...except that everyone is lying and manipulating and behaving foully. The settings are a half-destroyed Paris with "Houses" squatting here and there, in buildings where half the
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rooms are neglected to the point of falling in - and the ones that are kept up include the dungeons, in various forms. The (or a) main character is introduced to us and immediately commits cannibalism (is it cannibalism if a human eats a bit of an angel? And is he actually human? But nasty, anyway). I read about a third of it, until the healer apprentice is killed; slogged on through the autopsy (which isn't really an autopsy, it's harvesting all the useful bits of the dead man)...and stalled. I could not convince myself to go back to the book. Finally I skipped to the end, read the last chapter and a half - and decided that the book hadn't gotten any better, and I was utterly uninterested in finding out what happened between the nastiness I'd read and the end. If you like grim and gory, you'll probably love this - the writing is great. But not for me. My difficulties reading weren't helped by the fact that the publisher (through First to Read) sent me a PDF ARC - PDFs are much harder for me to read than epubs, just because they don't flow to the small-form readers I use (phone and small tablet). But I read two other PDF books while unable to force myself to this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member KarenIrelandPhillips
I wanted to love this book. I was enamored of the plot via reviews and de Bodard's short stories before I even read it; enchanted with the entire idea. And the plot was indeed superb.
In a post-apocalyptic, gang-ridden Paris, the great houses of fallen angels spar with each other in a city riven by
Where this novel doesn't quite hold up is in its characters.
de Bodard is a courageous writer, make no mistake. How does an author make us care about creatures without emotion? It's as though one were writing internal dialogue or emotion of the canon Spock or Data - there's no there there. The reader doesn't know what horrible transgression sent an angel hurtling to earth; what little intimation of connection or caring is limited to the house (and magically imparted, in most cases).
I am hoping that this is the first of a series; that we get to learn more about the characters, fallen angels and people alike.
In a post-apocalyptic, gang-ridden Paris, the great houses of fallen angels spar with each other in a city riven by
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the Seine gone dark and toxic. Notre Dame is a shell of its former glory, part of the house of Silverspires, founded by the missing Lucifer/Morningstar. Silverspires, now run by Selene, is still the most powerful house in Paris, but the house itself is being attacked by foul magic.Where this novel doesn't quite hold up is in its characters.
de Bodard is a courageous writer, make no mistake. How does an author make us care about creatures without emotion? It's as though one were writing internal dialogue or emotion of the canon Spock or Data - there's no there there. The reader doesn't know what horrible transgression sent an angel hurtling to earth; what little intimation of connection or caring is limited to the house (and magically imparted, in most cases).
I am hoping that this is the first of a series; that we get to learn more about the characters, fallen angels and people alike.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
Beautiful setting - an alternate-history Paris, devastated by wars both terrestrial and magical, decaying but still filled with terrible beauty. Gangs run the streets, and others cluster to Houses for protection - Houses run with ruthless amorality by fallen angels.
Biblical, Vietnamese, and Greek
Here, Philippe, a Vietnamese man brought to Paris as a conscripted soldier and then abandoned to the streets, is brought against his will into House Silverspires. It's recognized that something is odd about Philippe - something they want to investigate. Silverspires is the oldest House, and once the most powerful, run by the Morningstar himself - Lucifer. But Morningstar has been absent these past 20 years. In his absence, Selene is the head - but are there plots against her? If so, do they stem from without or within - or both?
With Phillipe's arrival, a curse of shadows seems to have been unleashed upon Silverspires, and both humans and angels are dying. Is the timing coincidence, or no? Will the mystery be solved, or will everything fall to chaos and dust?
There are a lot of elements to this book that I liked, but I also felt that it could've been better. I didn't really connect with, or care for, any of the characters. They felt remote from me. The setup also felt a bit - almost - game-influenced. It's almost as if Anne Bishop wrote one of Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels. (I love Shinn's writing style, but Bishop's leaves me cool.)
I'd only previously read short stories by de Bodard. Some I loved, some weren't for me - but this book wasn't really what I expected from my previous experience. That's not a positive or a negative - it's just different.
Many thinks to Orion Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinion is solely my own.
Biblical, Vietnamese, and Greek
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myths mix beautifully with original fantastic elements in this world.Here, Philippe, a Vietnamese man brought to Paris as a conscripted soldier and then abandoned to the streets, is brought against his will into House Silverspires. It's recognized that something is odd about Philippe - something they want to investigate. Silverspires is the oldest House, and once the most powerful, run by the Morningstar himself - Lucifer. But Morningstar has been absent these past 20 years. In his absence, Selene is the head - but are there plots against her? If so, do they stem from without or within - or both?
With Phillipe's arrival, a curse of shadows seems to have been unleashed upon Silverspires, and both humans and angels are dying. Is the timing coincidence, or no? Will the mystery be solved, or will everything fall to chaos and dust?
There are a lot of elements to this book that I liked, but I also felt that it could've been better. I didn't really connect with, or care for, any of the characters. They felt remote from me. The setup also felt a bit - almost - game-influenced. It's almost as if Anne Bishop wrote one of Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels. (I love Shinn's writing style, but Bishop's leaves me cool.)
I'd only previously read short stories by de Bodard. Some I loved, some weren't for me - but this book wasn't really what I expected from my previous experience. That's not a positive or a negative - it's just different.
Many thinks to Orion Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinion is solely my own.
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LibraryThing member viking2917
Very atmospheric urban fantasy set in an alternate Paris. Good fun, not quite as compelling as I hoped, but still very good.
LibraryThing member waclements7
This is a very unique story, I just never really felt attached to any of the characters. Not that they weren’t interesting characters, it was just difficult to figure them out, or find points to connect with them. The concepts were interesting, and the world building good.
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Odd. enjoyable without ever becoming gripping, there's not quite enough explanation of how the world can to be or the rules by which it now works, and the frequent switching between characters further disassociates the reader from the world.
LibraryThing member tldegray
Look what book I got an ARC of! I've been dying to read this ever since Aliette de Bodard mentioned she was working on it and it did not disappoint.
Paris, after the war between Houses. Magic has corrupted the Seine, and the city is in ruins. Magical Houses are the only thing that can protect the
Phillippe is one such soldier, from Annam. He and his gang find a Fallen, and when the Fallen is rescued by House Silverspires he is taken prisoner. They're both bound to the house, the Fallen as a valued member and Phillippe for punishment.
The Houses are often cruel in the way they rule, and House Silverspires, once belonging to the Morningstar, is no exception. Phillippe accidentally releases a curse that could destroy him, the Fallen he's now somehow bound to, and the entire House.
The worldbuilding is immense, and the magical system seems to be as equally well thought-out. The characters are well-rounded and believable. Also, there are dragons.
This is what I expected from Aliette de Bodard--of whom I am a huge fan--and I was thrilled to read it.
[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Paris, after the war between Houses. Magic has corrupted the Seine, and the city is in ruins. Magical Houses are the only thing that can protect the
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Fallen from those who would grind their bones to absorb their magic. And refugees from the colonies are left abandoned after they were conscripted into the war. Phillippe is one such soldier, from Annam. He and his gang find a Fallen, and when the Fallen is rescued by House Silverspires he is taken prisoner. They're both bound to the house, the Fallen as a valued member and Phillippe for punishment.
The Houses are often cruel in the way they rule, and House Silverspires, once belonging to the Morningstar, is no exception. Phillippe accidentally releases a curse that could destroy him, the Fallen he's now somehow bound to, and the entire House.
The worldbuilding is immense, and the magical system seems to be as equally well thought-out. The characters are well-rounded and believable. Also, there are dragons.
This is what I expected from Aliette de Bodard--of whom I am a huge fan--and I was thrilled to read it.
[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
In a Paris that isn't our Paris, Houses led (mostly) by Fallen angels rule the city, in uneasy peace and much quiet conflict. The oldest of these Houses, Silverspires, was founded by Morningstar, the first and oldest of the Fallen.
But Morningstar vanished without warning twenty years ago, and his
Meanwhile, a new Fallen has just fallen to Earth, in a bad section of the city, and a few members of a gang reaches her just before Selene does. Selene wants the Fallen alive and in Silverspires' care and service; the gang wants to dismember her for the magical artifacts they can make from her breath, blood, skin, and bones.
One of the gang, going by the name Philippe, is his own kind of strange, neither Fallen, nor ordinary, mortal human with no magic but what he can steal from angels. He's not comfortable cutting pieces off the injured and not yet fully awake Fallen, but he knows that if he doesn't make himself useful to the gang willingly, they'd be just as happy to dismember him.
This doesn't mean he's happy when Selene and her bodyguards show up in time to stop major damage. Other gang members flee, but Philippe, for reasons he doesn't understand, can't leave the young Fallen.
It's a fateful choice, one that draws him, Selene, the new Fallen, and the members of Silverspires and two other Houses into a dangerous struggle and a buried curse. Philippe, the new Fallen (soon named Isabelle), Selene's lover Emmanuelle, Silverspires' human alchemist Madeleine, find themselves caught in dilemmas of conflicting loyalties and duty.
I found myself completely drawn in from almost the first paragraph. This world is not our world, and its history is not our history, though many of the place names are recognizable provided you did not sleep through geography in a school system that actually taught it. There's a claustrophobic feeling to Paris, yet there are reminders of the wider world, and the Houses have had their own colonial adventures, even if not exactly the ones that happened in our world. Every important character here is complex, flawed, and interesting--and possessed of strengths sometimes unexpected even by themselves.
I love this world and this story, and these characters. Highly recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via Penguin's First to Read program.
But Morningstar vanished without warning twenty years ago, and his
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last apprentice, Selene, has led Silverspires since then. She's not as hard and ruthless as Morningstar, and that may not be a strength. The House is having problems, and its allies are perhaps becoming unreliable.Meanwhile, a new Fallen has just fallen to Earth, in a bad section of the city, and a few members of a gang reaches her just before Selene does. Selene wants the Fallen alive and in Silverspires' care and service; the gang wants to dismember her for the magical artifacts they can make from her breath, blood, skin, and bones.
One of the gang, going by the name Philippe, is his own kind of strange, neither Fallen, nor ordinary, mortal human with no magic but what he can steal from angels. He's not comfortable cutting pieces off the injured and not yet fully awake Fallen, but he knows that if he doesn't make himself useful to the gang willingly, they'd be just as happy to dismember him.
This doesn't mean he's happy when Selene and her bodyguards show up in time to stop major damage. Other gang members flee, but Philippe, for reasons he doesn't understand, can't leave the young Fallen.
It's a fateful choice, one that draws him, Selene, the new Fallen, and the members of Silverspires and two other Houses into a dangerous struggle and a buried curse. Philippe, the new Fallen (soon named Isabelle), Selene's lover Emmanuelle, Silverspires' human alchemist Madeleine, find themselves caught in dilemmas of conflicting loyalties and duty.
I found myself completely drawn in from almost the first paragraph. This world is not our world, and its history is not our history, though many of the place names are recognizable provided you did not sleep through geography in a school system that actually taught it. There's a claustrophobic feeling to Paris, yet there are reminders of the wider world, and the Houses have had their own colonial adventures, even if not exactly the ones that happened in our world. Every important character here is complex, flawed, and interesting--and possessed of strengths sometimes unexpected even by themselves.
I love this world and this story, and these characters. Highly recommended.
I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via Penguin's First to Read program.
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LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
Set in an alternate Paris, this book deals with a world ruled by Houses usually headed by Fallen angels. Angels fall from the sky and are easy prey for humans to try and harvest them for their magic while they are weak. Philippe is found by Selene starting to work on a newly Fallen. Selene is the
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
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head of House Silverspires and manages to rescue the Fallen and also bind Philippe to her house. But Philippe isn’t quite what he seems to be. A former soldier from the colonies unable to return home after the war, he has a magic that isn’t something that the Selene hasn’t seen. Against the backdrop of trying to escape from being bound, a revenge plot against Silverspires is going on. By the end of the book you have a better idea who Philippe is and the history of Silverspires. Even against the backdrop of houses warring for power this is a story of choices and dealing with the consequences. Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
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LibraryThing member vickimarie2002
This was a great book! Quite different from what I usually read but I thought the it was so interesting learning about the Fallen and all the different houses. It kept me pretty intrigued.
LibraryThing member allison_s
GAH. I don't even know where to begin. What IS THIS BOOK? Part mystery, part alternate history, part urban fantasy, part gorgeous mythic fantasy. As in her Obsidian & Blood series, de Bodard manages to steep a solid mystery in layers of myth and magic. Here, she pulls out all the stops: Christian
Every character was so well-drawn, and even when I didn't like them (or almost hated them, in Selene's case), I understood their motives. Philippe has the distinction of being the first heartfelt and strongly sympathetic (AND COMPELLING AND BADASS) male fantasy character I've read in a long time. Madeleine frustrated and saddened me, but I LOVED her story arc, and the brand of alchemy presented in this book was...beautiful. Isabelle was another frustrating one (I found everyone frustrating in some of their interactions with Philippe because imperialism, and the condescension, lack of understanding, etc) but I ultimately found her interesting. And of course, the novel was populated by a host of amazing secondary characters as well, both human and Fallen (and dragon).
And the ruined Paris setting was SUMPTUOUS.
***A side note: I can't help thinking of this as a lowkey RPG. Start off choosing between playing as human or Fallen, and pick one of the 4 main Houses for certain skillsets, etc. ANYWAYS, random thought. The setting would certainly be mesmerizing as a video game.
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mythology (FALLEN ANGELS), Vietnamese folklore (DRAGONS), and even some GREEK MYTHOLOGY (no spoilers, teehee). Every character was so well-drawn, and even when I didn't like them (or almost hated them, in Selene's case), I understood their motives. Philippe has the distinction of being the first heartfelt and strongly sympathetic (AND COMPELLING AND BADASS) male fantasy character I've read in a long time. Madeleine frustrated and saddened me, but I LOVED her story arc, and the brand of alchemy presented in this book was...beautiful. Isabelle was another frustrating one (I found everyone frustrating in some of their interactions with Philippe because imperialism, and the condescension, lack of understanding, etc) but I ultimately found her interesting. And of course, the novel was populated by a host of amazing secondary characters as well, both human and Fallen (and dragon).
And the ruined Paris setting was SUMPTUOUS.
***A side note: I can't help thinking of this as a lowkey RPG. Start off choosing between playing as human or Fallen, and pick one of the 4 main Houses for certain skillsets, etc. ANYWAYS, random thought. The setting would certainly be mesmerizing as a video game.
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LibraryThing member hatpin
This is a disappointing book. The author has had enough press that I persevered to the end despite not finding any of the characters or action interesting. There was a moment halfway in where I thought it was going to turn a corner into something worth reading, but unfortunately it was a false
I have no issue with 'grimdark' style fiction, but it does tend to involve some jokes or at least things that make me snigger or think. This had no humour, no ideas and nothing to hold my attention. It was not actively irritating, like All the Birds in the Sky, for example.
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alarm. I have no issue with 'grimdark' style fiction, but it does tend to involve some jokes or at least things that make me snigger or think. This had no humour, no ideas and nothing to hold my attention. It was not actively irritating, like All the Birds in the Sky, for example.
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LibraryThing member jakecasella
I didn't quite connect with this novel, and I'm kind of scratching my head as to why not. On a sentence-level, I like the writing, the premise is grabbing enough (fallen angels in interwar Paris), and I've generally quite liked De Bodard's SF.
The novel doesn't quite do enough world-building for me:
Also, did astonishingly little with the theological or mythological--given that both seemingly-modern Christianity and actual walking talking angels coexist (including Lucifer), that seems an odd oversight at best.
The novel doesn't quite do enough world-building for me:
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I'm not clear on how "alternate" this Paris/Earth is, and I'm not familiar enough with the time & place to fill in the details. The plot had kind of random-feeling jags and loose ends, and none of the primary characters had much relationship.Also, did astonishingly little with the theological or mythological--given that both seemingly-modern Christianity and actual walking talking angels coexist (including Lucifer), that seems an odd oversight at best.
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LibraryThing member Shrike58
This is probably going to be one of the most tepid 4-star reviews that I have ever offered up. On one hand, I'm not totally in love with the notion of fallen angels as a story concept, in as much as they have the threat of being the next sparkly vampires. On the other hand, Mme de Bodard is someone
So, the good: I could relate to the POV characters, the plot does ramp up in an appropriate way with a satisfying payoff and there is no shortage of grim-dark atmosphere. If you're looking for a gothic story verging on horror you could do a lot worse than this novel.
As for the less-than-good, well, I came away thinking that I really wanted some more world-building. There is much to be said for just throwing the reader into a given milieu and letting them sink or swim, but I found myself thinking that there was a real "Potemkin Village" flavor to the world on offer and I didn't find enough meat on the bones to allow me to really suspend disbelief; call it logistics rearing its ugly head. Also, maybe this is just me being a semi-lapsed Catholic, but since one is dealing with an at least para-Catholic reality, complete with priests, I'd have expected a lot more theology as to why the rebellious angels were sent to Earth. Maybe I just think about this stuff too much.
In any case, I will be continuing with the trilogy.
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whose work I knew I should be reading, particularly after I made her acquaintance at the 2018 World Fantasy Convention in Baltimore.So, the good: I could relate to the POV characters, the plot does ramp up in an appropriate way with a satisfying payoff and there is no shortage of grim-dark atmosphere. If you're looking for a gothic story verging on horror you could do a lot worse than this novel.
As for the less-than-good, well, I came away thinking that I really wanted some more world-building. There is much to be said for just throwing the reader into a given milieu and letting them sink or swim, but I found myself thinking that there was a real "Potemkin Village" flavor to the world on offer and I didn't find enough meat on the bones to allow me to really suspend disbelief; call it logistics rearing its ugly head. Also, maybe this is just me being a semi-lapsed Catholic, but since one is dealing with an at least para-Catholic reality, complete with priests, I'd have expected a lot more theology as to why the rebellious angels were sent to Earth. Maybe I just think about this stuff too much.
In any case, I will be continuing with the trilogy.
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LibraryThing member SChant
I've tried twice to read this and found it so soporific and lifeless gave up both times.
LibraryThing member yeschaton
A friend recommended the author and I want to read more fantasy/sci-fi by those with different backgrounds than mine. I was disappointed by the lack of any resonance with the Paris I know and love. I was unable to detect any particular flavor of unknown origin in this wannabe high fantasy. What
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were the Annamite elements I was curious about? What was dragony about the dragons? All the characters exhibited the same tedious sniping in every exchange. There was no grand world-building and only the blandest hints of different orders of being promised by a book packed with fallen angels, immortal beings and magical humans. A hodgepodge of elements that never snapped into focus for me. The narration by Peter Kenny was excellent, but that could not save the experience. Some may find her work delightful, but I'm cutting my losses and moving on. Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Fantasy Novel — 2016)
British Science Fiction Association Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2015)
Language
Original publication date
2015-08
ISBN
9780451477385
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF de Bodard |