"A memorably surreal urbanscape...readers seeking a truly refreshing fantasy milieu should travel to Bulikov, and welcome its conquest.”
—New York Times Book Review
"A delightful urban fantasy that travels through a city full of Escher-like staircases and alternate realities...A diverse and entertaining cast of old gods fleshes out the ruins of this mysterious city, and Shara’s hit-man secretary delivers nonstop action."
—Washington Post
"Entertaining yet thought-provoking...Entrancing characters, exciting descriptions and piercingly clear action keep the story moving swiftly and surely to a satisfying conclusion.”
—Seattle Times
[An] incredible journey through a wondrously weird and surprising world...I found myself both delighted and fascinated as every layer was slowly unpacked. Just the right mix of awesome."
—Tor.com
“Suddenly, the pages are whipping by, 50 at a clip as mysteries are uncovered, miracles happen and assassins begin scaling the walls. … Bennett is plainly a writer in love with the world he has built — and with good cause. It's a great world, original and unique, with a scent and a texture, a sense of deep, bloody history, and a naturally-blended magic living in the stones.”
—NPR.org
"Robert Jackson Bennett deserves a huge audience. This is the book that will earn it for him. A story that draws you in, brilliant world building, and oh my God, Sigrud. You guys are going to love Sigrud."
—Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Way of Shadows
"Smart and sardonic, with wry echoes from classic tales mixed up in an inventive, winning narrative. [Bennett is] a master of the genre."
—Kirkus
"An excellent spy story wrapped in a vivid imaginary world."
—Library Journal (starred)
A rich, layered, thoughtful story, full of gods and magic and characters that feel unflinchingly true…every once in a while I read a book that’s so well done, I find myself wanting to punch the author in the face out of pure envy. Congratulations, Mr. Bennett – you just made the face-punching list!
—Jim C. Hines, Hugo Award winning author of Libriomancer
"Alien and human at the same time, Bennett's world is engrossing and fascinating. The pacing kept me reading far later than was healthy."
—Mur Lafferty, Campbell Award winning author of Playing for Keeps
Across five published novels, Robert Jackson Bennett has made it a point to never write the same book twice. His debut, Mr. Shivers, won the 2010 Shirley Jackson Award for best horror novel. A year later, The Company Man picked up the Philip K. Dick Award for best sci-fi novel and the Edgar Award for […]
We’re launching a new feature: a monthly roundup chronicling the best books our stable of bloggers has read over the previous month. Old or new, it doesn’t matter—these are the ones that will stick with us.
It’s a busy time for SF/F fans. Between the tsunami of superhero movies and TV shows, the revival of old-school classics like Twin Peaks and The X-Files, and the infinite supply of fantastic books hitting the shelves (physical and digital) every week, we’re living through a Golden Age of speculative fiction. But there’s an unfortunate side […]
As if from the head of Zeus, Wesley Chu sprung forth fully formed onto the genre scene in 2013 with the release of his debut novel The Lives of Tao, and it’s hard to believe it’s only been two years. He’s a convention mainstay, a non-stop tweeter, and he’s just released his third book, The Rebirths […]
Golden Princess: A Novel of The Change, by S.M. Stirling Stirling has now written 11 novels in the Emberverse, his sci-fi/fantasy mashup series that explores an alternate timeline in which a mysterious event in 1998 caused all electricity, gunpowder, and advanced machinery to simply stop working, leaving the U.S. as we know it in shambles. The books focus […]