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Search tags: City-of-Stairs
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text 2019-07-31 05:33
Reading progress update: I've read 452 out of 452 pages.
City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett

I suspect I'll forget large chunks of this book relatively soon, but that doesn't mean I disliked it. I'd like to read the next book at some point. That said, I'm annoyed at what happened to one particular character. I didn't actually like him very much, but he didn't deserve what happened to him.

 

And with this I earn another $5 in Booklikesopoly and get what will probably be my last chance to roll.

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text 2019-07-28 00:42
Reading progress update: I've read 264 out of 452 pages.
City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett

"I am gentle with you, my children, for I love you."

 

The words of Kolkan, a god who made up thousands of arbitrary rules for his followers, along with many, many punishments for those who were not able to follow every single one of those rules.

 

"But love and gentleness do not breed purity: purity is earned through hardship and punishment and edification. So I have made these holy beings to help you find your way, and teach you the lessons I cannot bear to"

 

This is followed by brief descriptions of three different divine monsters, at least one of which I'm sure will be making an appearance sometime soon.

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text 2019-07-26 14:24
Reading progress update: I've read 155 out of 452 pages.
City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett

"Once historians started mapping out the recorded histories, they found the borders were shockingly distinct: you could see almost exactly where one Divinity's influence stopped and another's began. And, the historians were forced to assume, if you were within that sphere or penumbra of influence, you essentially existed in a different reality where everything that specific Divinity claimed was true was indisputably true."

 

Excellent encouragement never to move or travel much, I'd think, since you'd risk ending up in a completely different afterlife if you accidentally died outside your chosen Divinity's influence.

 

This bit makes me think of Ann Leckie's The Raven Tower, although in that book, the things gods said were true affected the whole of reality, not just reality within particular geographic boundaries.

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text 2019-07-23 12:49
Reading progress update: I've read 92 out of 452 pages.
City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett

I'm still not tired of the "That is my secretary" scenes. Sigrud, the unlikely comic relief. Sigrud and Shara are at a fancy party, by the way:

 

"A small hubbub breaks out before one of the hearths. 'What could that be?' says Ivanya, but Shara can already see: Sigrud stands with one foot up on the hearth, reaching into the fire to pull out a small, flaming coal. Even from here she can hear it sizzle as it touches his fingertips, but his face registers no pain as he lifts it to his pipe, sucks twice, exhales a plume of smoke, and tosses the coal back. Then he skulks away to a shadowed corner where he crosses his arms, leans against a wall, and glowers.

 

'Who is that creature?' asks Ivanya.

 

Shara coughs. 'That is my secretary, Sigrud.'

 

'You have a Dreyling as your secretary?'

 

'Yes.'

 

'But aren't they savages?'

 

'We are all products of our circumstances.'"

 

 

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text 2019-07-23 03:30
Reading progress update: I've read 50 out of 452 pages.
City of Stairs - Robert Jackson Bennett

The only part of my week that seems to be going well so far is this book. Although I haven't gotten through a lot of it yet, it's interesting. I'm not sure why the author opted for present tense, though.

 

I don't have a good grasp on the world yet, but there's been a murder, and most of the city's residents could be considered suspects.

 

Shara and Sigrud are an interesting pair. The idea of Sigrud being introduced to people as Shara's secretary amuses me. He's massive and battle-scarred, and his very first appearance in the book involves him snatching some paperwork and burning it.

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