Reviews with content warning for Violence - City of Last Chances

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

9 reviews

allcapspyrex's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Tchaikovsky is very good at writing in ways you've never seen before, and that comes to the fore here. City of Last Chances is a story told through a dozen different perspectives, which still manages to keep a plot running which is not only cohesive, but enthralling. There's all sorts of magic and fantasy elements in the world that's beautifully built up throughout this book, but all of it works, and the reader always gets just enough to satisfy without removing the desire to know more. I could see this book not being for everyone, but personally I loved it, and I highly recommend it.

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j_the_human's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book deserves to be talked about more because it is such a masterful examination of a city under occupation. Is it better to keep your head down and do what you need to in order to survive, or to risk rebellion and all the bloodshed that entails? When a city is built on the bones of a forest that has its own magic and people, was the city always an occupation, even before it changed hands? And does a city that treats refugees with disgust, distaste, and prejudice deserve to be saved? There are no clear answers here, but a wonderfully built fantasy world, a really unique method of fleshing out a whole city of people, and a story that keeps you wanting more.

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nightsong0123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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ecster's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

This book could have been half as long, and the first half was a slog, and it all ended very inconclusively.

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o_romeo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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afion's review against another edition

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4.25

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lvl52_grant's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A wonderfully inventive story about a hive of scum and villainy. It imagines a magical world trying to industrialized, but it doesn't pit magic against technology, but uses magic to fuel the changes in society. There are no heroes and there are no winners, some just don't lose as badly as the rest. The setting feels ripe for a TTRPG setting, with old castles filled with ghosts, factories with rampant demons, and good old-fashioned class struggle. The worldbuilding is fascinating and not overbearing, feeding you just under enough to satisfy your curiosity. This book was my first read of Tchaikovsky, but it won't be my last.

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laurareads87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

This is my fourth book by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and my first of his fantasy books. I thoroughly enjoyed it! City of Last Chances has a lot I love in fantasy: multiple POVs, compelling world-building with complex political dynamics, characters who are ethically ambiguous at best, and and a significant element of strangeness. Tchaikovsky has created a great ensemble case of characters, perhaps none of whom are straightforwardly likeable but many of whom I was really interested in. This is absolutely a fantasy book, with elements of magic, fantastical technologies, and mysterious portals between worlds, but the institutions and factions moving against each other were what interested me most. The dynamics between the regime established by the colonizing Palleseen in Illmar — including, to name a few, the School of Correct Erudition, School of Correct Appreciation, and School of Correct Speech — as well as the resistance groups (Shrikes, Vultures, Herons) and workers’ organizations (the Siblingries) were the most compelling aspect of the story for me. Illmar itself also comes alive on the page, and the plot contained enough twists to keep my interest while unfolding gradually. Tchaikovsky has helpfully provided a list of characters and factions at the beginning of the book — this is the kind of fantasy that warrants this inclusion, with many characters and factions to keep track of. Definitely recommend.

Content warnings: murder, violence, death, gore (though not especially graphic), execution by hanging, colonization, police brutality, war, injury detail

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus / AdAstra for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.

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rubyhosh's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

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