The City of Brass

Wow. The start was great. Then came the middle with loads and loads of court intrigue, lots of names and fractions, and it started meandering. Knowing that this was the first book in a trilogy, a couple of chapters from the end I thought it just won't be finished. You know, just some lame cliff-hanger, a tacked-on ending that makes the book publishable. I've seen it far too many times.

My, was I mistaken. The finale is a whirlwind of activity, and although it raises more questions than it answers, it has a quite final feel. It both makes me satisfied with the novel, and eager to start the next book in the series - and that is a rare occurrence indeed.

However, the real gem of the novel is the characters, especially Dara, Nahri, Ali, and Ghassan. None of them are even close to perfect - and again, none of them are villains. They just are - regular people with their own idiotic ideas and visions and views of the world. Yet, it's obvious that all of them are heroes of their own story.

I have to separate the character of Ghassan Al Qahtani - rarely have I met a character that is so pragmatic and realistic, in book form or in real life.