“A memorably surreal urbanscape…readers seeking a truly refreshing fantasy milieu should travel to Bulikov, and welcome its conquest.”
—New York Times Book Review
“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
“A delightful urban fantasy that travels through a city full of Escher-like staircases and alternate realities.”
—Washington Post
“[An] incredible journey through a wondrously weird and surprising world…I found myself both delighted and fascinated as every layer was slowly unpacked.”
—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.”
—NPR.org
“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)
“Does everything a really good sequel should…if anything, it’s a better book than its predecessor. I was worried that by interrupting a run of superlative standalone stories to finesse a follow-up, Robert Jackson Bennett risked repeating himself. Being wrong has never felt so right.”
—Tor.com
“Does [City of Blades] live up to the Locus, World Fantasy, British Fantasy and GoodReads Choice Award nominated City of Stairs? Allow me to answer with an emphatic yes….Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the most talented authors writing in SFF today and this is his finest work to date.”
—Fantasy Faction
“City of Stairs worked, primarily, for one big reason: The world Bennett had created was just awesome. [City of Blades] feels no less rich, no less realized….Read this first and then, if you fall just as hard for the world as I have, go back and read Stairs to get your fill of all the strangeness and wonderment.”
—NPR.org
“Just as powerful as the first, and even stronger in significant ways…among the best novels of 2016.”
—SF Signal
“Hooked me from the first chapter and kept me reading at a frantic pace. I can honestly say I enjoyed it even more than the first.”
—The Speculative Herald
“Not only recaptures the flame of the first book, but also maybe burns a little brighter…I sincerely hope this will be a landmark trilogy that, like the deathblow to a Divinity, will have a rippling effect on the epic fantasy genre for years to come.”
—SFF World
“Astonishingly good…a deep, powerful novel that’s worth reading and rereading.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Building beautifully upon the richly detailed world introduced in the first book of the series, Bennett serves a stew of fantasy and adventure with a healthy dose of humor and a ladle full of violence.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“Richly detailed and expertly plotted. A grand entertainment.”
—Kirkus
“Like the very best speculative fiction, City of Blades immerses readers in a made-up world, only to force us to take a harder look at the real one.”
—Booklist