Reviews and Comments

This is the sequel to [b:City of Stairs|20174424|City of Stairs (The Divine Cities, #1)|Robert Jackson Bennett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394545220s/20174424.jpg|28030792] and I liked this one at least as much, maybe more.

I have a bunch of books out from the library that I should have read sooner because they are due back earlier. But I once I started this one, I just had to keep going.

Technically, this is fantasy, but the magical part is so real and consistent that it is practically science fiction.

I think what really hooked me were the compelling characters. The protagonist in City of Blades was a minor character in City of Stairs. A highly competent general with a traumatic past that she needs to redeem.

It looks like there will be a third volume, [b:City of Miracles|28784121|City of Miracles (The Divine Cities, #3)|Robert Jackson Bennett|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|48992784] and I am looking forward to it. Even though there is not a hint of a talking cat or talking rodent.

If you are a science fiction fan, you have no choice but to read this book because it is full of authors that are on any must-read list.

The thing is that these are mostly stories about how science and technology can improve various problems we have today. This is probably why many of the stories are either not exciting or don't have characters that I cared about.

However, it's worth plowing through because the second last story has a talking rat. He's more comic relief than a main character, but still...

If you are a science fiction fan, you have no choice but to read this book because it is full of authors that are on any must-read list.

The thing is that these are mostly stories about how science and technology can improve various problems we have today. This is probably why many of the stories are either not exciting or don't have characters that I cared about.

However, it's worth plowing through because the second last story has a talking rat. He's more comic relief than a main character, but still...

Look at that! I read a mystery. And I liked it. Inspector Gamache reminds me of Inspector Foyle. Which is a good thing.

I'm looking forward to reading more of these even though I'm unlikely to come across any talking cats.

I loved this book. It's got the realistic feel of a Guy Vanderhaege western novel. Where you can feel the dry dust everywhere. And then it's got monsters. Vampires, chupacabras, harpies...

And characters you care about from the beginning.

I'm glad there's going to be a sequel. Just wish it was out now so that I could spend more time there.

Oh, no talking cats, but I didn't mind at all.

Clever and funny short stories. The TV series Man Seeking Women has a credit that says it is based on this book. But it's more like the these stories inspired the TV series.

I like the TV series more. It is somehow wackier and the characters are delightful.

This would be a good book for when you are too distracted to read a complicated novel.

It has magical creatures like trolls and Santa Claus, but no talking cats or rodents.

Clever and funny short stories. The TV series Man Seeking Women has a credit that says it is based on this book. But it's more like the these stories inspired the TV series.

I like the TV series more. It is somehow wackier and the characters are delightful.

This would be a good book for when you are too distracted to read a complicated novel.

It has magical creatures like trolls and Santa Claus, but no talking cats or rodents.

This is supposed to be magic meets sci-fi, but the sci-fi is pretty magical, really.

There are a lot of talking birds and even two talking cats. But don't get your hopes up, the birds and cats are really kind of marginal and they kind of leave it that you don't find out what happened to one of the cats.

Still it was a fun read.

This was a pretty good engaging read. More fun than the previous book [b:The Forbidden Library|17987501|The Forbidden Library (The Forbidden Library, #1)|Django Wexler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372045701s/17987501.jpg|25223481].

But I have two complaints:

1) There's a talking cat, but he's barely involved in the story.

2) There's obviously going to be another book in the series, but we might have to wait a long time and it's not like this is Wexler's only series that needs another volume.

Pretty good space opera sci-fi. It's got spaceships and space stations and the trillion people who live in space actually have different cultures.

Also, there's robots and post-human intelligence that is explored in an interesting way. If there's a sequel, I'll read it.

And I'm going back and reading the books that appear to be set in the same universe but earlier.

Spoiler: No talking cats or rodents even though you'd think the technology to create them would exist.

Pros: The story moves along, Alice is a likable heroine. And there is a talking cat.

Cons: This book does not really stop at an ending. I'm going to have to read the next book in the series, [b:The Mad Apprentice|22504700|The Mad Apprentice (The Forbidden Library, #2)|Django Wexler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404963612s/22504700.jpg|41951491], very soon. And the talking cat is stereotypical. Hates water, that kind of thing.

Amusing short stories. I read this because I really like the TV comedy Man Seeking Woman which is apparently based on [b:The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories|14781494|The Last Girlfriend on Earth And Other Love Stories|Simon Rich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349014283s/14781494.jpg|20434559]. The TV show is particularly fun because it gets totally wacky with dating - when the protagonist goes to a destination wedding, the destination is hell. Literally.

These stories have some of that wackiness, but there's an underlying theme that young people today are shallow.

On the plus side, the first story features an articulate guinea pig.

Amusing short stories. I read this because I really like the TV comedy Man Seeking Woman which is apparently based on [b:The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories|14781494|The Last Girlfriend on Earth And Other Love Stories|Simon Rich|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349014283s/14781494.jpg|20434559]. The TV show is particularly fun because it gets totally wacky with dating - when the protagonist goes to a destination wedding, the destination is hell. Literally.

These stories have some of that wackiness, but there's an underlying theme that young people today are shallow.

On the plus side, the first story features an articulate guinea pig.