Well, first of all, I want to thank the people at Tor and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Mordew to read in exchange for an honest review. And also many thanks to Alex Pheby for writing this wonderful novel.
In Mordew we bear witness to the story of Nathan Treeves, a child of the slums that has to earn a living in a harsh environment, with a mortally sick father and a mother who "blacks his eyes", meaning she earns a living by prostitution. Nathan tries to sell himself to the mysterious Master, who rules the entire city from afar. Hundreds of children are sold for him to use as workers, but Nathan has something that distinguishes him from the rest: he can "Spark", he can use magic, albeit in a limited way. The city is built over the corpse of God, and it's constantly under the assault of the Mistress of Malarkoi, who sends thousands of firebirds against its walls.
As a starting point, this seems hardly original. But there is a lot more to it.
The storytelling is superb. The first part of the book is a little slow, but things get definitely interesting in the second, and they blow out in the third, with a finale that will leave you asking for more. The book gives a deliciously gothic vibe, reminiscing of works like Gormenghast, by Peake. Dead Gods, ghosts, talking dogs, secret libraries in the sewers, and a Living Mud that can give life to the inanimate are some of the unbelievable things you will find in it.
The magic system is well defined, though it remains a secret for the reader (unless you read the amazing glossary, which I only did after finishing the story). The characters are well thought out, even the secondaries, and all are morally grey, very like Abercrombie's characters, in fact. No white knights, wise mages and damsels in distress.
The language is beautiful, and very dreamlike, giving the book sometimes the air of a nightmare. Very nice to read, captivating and original. Recommended to all fans of Grimdark and noir fantasy in general. I myself will be looking forward to a second part!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan-Tor Forge for an advanced copy of this fantasy novel.

I dislike hyperbole, especially when discussing books, but I really do hope that people are discussing Alex Pheby's first fantasy novel Mordew, the start of the Cities of Weft series. The work, the care, the style of writing shows an appreciation for the reader that you don't see much of.

Mr. Pheby approaches the story in two ways, the narrative and the Glossary at the end of the book. The narrative sets the tale, a story of a young poor child, who has gifts that he is told to hide, who gradually becomes on of the stronger beings in the city he has always lived in. Yes there are some tropes, but what sounds familiar is much more. The Glossary at the end of the book fills in the facts and, fleshes out even the most minor of characters; a sailor on a boat, a wife of a pharmacist. Plus more about the world the characters find themselves in, how it was created and what might be coming.
The idea sounds odd, but works. Yes there is some Wha? in a few places. Why is this, and what are is going on, but hold on keep reading. The journey is worth it.

Hopefully, like I wrote earlier, this will be a big book, and something that everyone will be talking about. There might be some handselling involved, some sure that book has a big old nasty dragon on it, but Mordew is gonna blow your mind. I look forward to it.

This was a very fun, enjoyable read from an author I've never read from before. I felt that this world was fully developed and, while it did pull some tropes from books we've all come to know and love, I liked Pheby's approach to it. Pick this up if you like a good, no, great fantasy story.

A wonderful fantasy world that feels as gritty as the Hunger Games but as magical as Harry Potter. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it