City of Night (House War Series #2)

by Michelle West

Overview

In this epic fantasy series for fans of George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb, Jewel Markess must contend with deadly court politics, and visions of looming magical threats.

Times are truly desperate within Averalaan’s hundred holdings. Street children are disappearing, theft and violence are increasing, and even Jewel Markess’s den is finding it hard to make ends meet.
Demonic activity has escalated in both the Undercity and the mortal surface level city as the worshipers and servants of the Lord of the Hells strive to complete the rituals that will return their god to the mortal realm. As Rath joins with mages and the Twin Kings' agents to wage a secret battle against this nearly unstoppable foe, he gives Jewel and her den of orphans the opportunity to escape the chaos by providing them with a note of introduction to the head of House Terafin, where Jewel will discover her destiny.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101185063
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	02/02/2010
Series:	House War , #2
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	560
Sales rank:	536,062
File size:	689 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Michelle West is the author of three interconnected series: The Sacred Hunt duology, the six-volume Sun Sword series, and The House War novels. She has published numerous short stories and fantasy novels under her maiden name, Michelle Sagara. She was a two-time nominee for the Campbell Award. She works part-time at BAKKA Books, one of Toronto’s larger bookstores, and writes a column for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. She can be contacted via her website, michellesagara.com or on Twitter at @msagara.

Editorial Reviews

Self-exiled from the powerful House Terafin, the man called Rath rescues Jewel, an orphan girl who, in turn, rescues other children and brings them to Rath and safety. When the disappearances of children in the city of Averalaan hit close to home, Rath sends Jewel to his sister, head of House Terafin, while he joins with mages from the Order of Knowledge to combat a demonic threat to the Essalieyan Empire. The sequel to The Hidden City weaves together many plot threads and expands the cast of characters to include a young man bent on completing his dead father's quest. VERDICT Well written with strong young people taking center stage, this is a good fantasy series for young adults as well as adult readers.

Library Journal

Book two in Michelle West's House War series starts with Angel's quest to complete the mission of his exiled father, and then takes a sharp turn when he meets up with Jewel and her "den"-a self-chosen tribe of street urchins, precocious by necessity. Angel all but fades into the background for the rest of the book while we follow Jewel's efforts to feed her adopted charges and keep them safe even as the undercity where they scavenge for saleable goods becomes a source of supernatural danger. Then Old Rath, Jewel's sometime-mentor, takes center stage with his mission to kill demons and to expose their infiltration of the ranks of the powerful-something he can do only by dying and allowing an impersonator to try to fool his estranged sister, now the head of a powerful clan. He pulls off a posthumous coup to protect Jewel and her visions. West's point-of-view shifts are vertiginous. No doubt over the course of the series all these threads will intertwine, but new readers are likely to be feel frustrated by all the loose ends left hanging in the meantime.
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Publishers Weekly - Library Journal

Praise for The House War Series:

“The magic feels truly magical.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Richly and superbly detailed. Her characters live and sing.” —Examiner 

“This story will go down as one of the best novels in its genre, propelling West into the ranks of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin.” —The Maine Edge 
 
“Some say Michelle West has been propelled into the ranks of George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb—I say that she's been there all along and it's about time she was noticed as such.” —Night Owl Reviews
 
“If you're new to this kind of writing and have read George R.R. Martin's series and enjoyed it, I highly recommend these books.  If you've read neither—what are waiting for?!” —Chaotic Compendiums

“A worthy addition to the fantasy canon, both for its unusual nature, and its deep meanderings into the human psyche on the subjects of pain, loss, and hope in adversity.” —Grasping for the Wind 

“In a richly woven world, and with a cast of characters that ranges from traumatized street kids to the wealthy heads of the most prominent houses in Averalaan, West pulls no punches as she hooks readers in with her bold and descriptive narrative.” —Quill & Quire

“The power and majesty of the series is in the characters, although the world itself is extraordinary.... The House War series is timeless and clearly takes its place at the top of its genre. It is a full-bodied piece of work that is satisfying, intriguing and thought-provoking.” —Bitten by Books

From the Publisher