The success of Martha Wells Murderbot stories has reopened the window for well-supported publication for some of her earlier books!
One of my favorites of her earlier stories is City of Bones. Wells has a different (excellent) book that uses the word necromancer in the title, but City of Bones isn’t part of that series and it’s not about undead. It’s about post-fall archeology, marginalized heroes who scrape by, and forerunner tech that may as well be magic.
I haven’t read the newly revised edition yet. The original version started slowly but right about the spot I wondered if I would keep reading it blossomed into something special, so if you’re a reader like me who sometimes just quits, don’t.
One thing I loved about City of Bones was its evocation of place. I felt I’d been there, in its dry high desert and multi-tiered city, and for a couple years after reading it, while traveling, I would get flashes of thinking “Hey, this place reminds me of City of Bones.” If there’s a good word for this type of memory impression from a place you’ve never been, in whatever language, I’d like to hear it.
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ReplyDeleteI've loved wells since Death of the Necromancer came out. It's great to see more people talking about her. I recommend Wheel of the Infinite, but they are all great.
ReplyDeleteI'll try reading Wheel of the Infinite again now that it has a revised version. I give it a prize for "Most Cinematic Killer Puppet Scene" in modern literature!
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