DNF @ 50%

By all metrics, this book should have worked for me. Tchaikovsky takes an interesting and experimental storytelling approach to The City of Last Chances, passing a baton between character POVs as they become the moving force in Ilmar’s imminent uprising against an oppressive colonizing regime. The characters themselves, on paper at least, are extremely well fleshed out for how little screentime each has, with distinct voices, fascinating backstories, and running the gamut of morality. And finally, the worldbuilding in Ilmar is impeccable. There’s so much to bite into in this story, and not just through the Ilmari history, but the various factions, neighboring lands, opposing authority groups are so well developed I could easily see people reading this book two or three times just to pick up the details missed on the previous readthrough. The technical aspect to Tchaikovsky’s writing is impeccable, in a way I rarely see. However, despite all these factors there was just something that wasn’t clicking for me and I can’t figure out exactly what. The City of Last Chances is definitely a slow book, and it takes about 30-40% to really start grabbing you. It’s also one of those books that dumps you in the middle of the action and says, figure it out, which is something I usually love. I’ll probably give this one another shot later when I have more time to just sit down and read.

A portrait of a city under occupation starts with Yasnic, the sole remaining priest of a frail god. The Pallaseen occupiers have no belief in gods, although they accept the previous state religion as long as it doesn't speak against them. But all the little sects that used to exist have slowly disappeared. Ilmar is a city that was always a little unworldly since it borders the Wood which is a gateway to other worlds. The plot of the book starts with one of the occupiers, Sage-Archivist Ochelby, entering the Wood with his entourage to reach new worlds where the Pallaseen might spread. But the safe conduct that he was carrying has been stolen and he and his companions are killed with only one survivor who flees to a forbidden area of the city. Is this the catalyst that will cause the people of Ilmar to rise up. Will the students, workers, criminal underclass and former aristocracy be able to find enough in common to overthrow the Pallaseen?

This is the first book by Adrian Tchaikovsky that I have read, I have known the name for some years as an author worth checking out, and I′m very pleased this is the book I started with. The story is one that is often a fantasy setting and the characters are the archetypes you might expect to see, but at the same time I found the characters vivid and full of nuance. The book for me was like a many-petalled flower opening, one chapter unfolding to lead on to the next character and chapter. There were characters with only a brief appearance who made an impact, and some background ones like Hellgram who had come through the Wood from another world and was forever searching for his wife, who step into the spotlight in later chapters. And at the end we come back to the gentle, generous Yasnic who has been changed by events and at the same time become even more himself.

The book is standalone and I think a good read for all fantasy lovers.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

City of Last Chances was like anything I'd read previously and, to be completely honest, I felt a little out of my depth at first. This is a book that requires your unadulterated attention. From the beginning, you are thrown into an intricate political and religious ideology. I was constantly going back and forth between the story and the glossary in order to comprehended the many factions of the city and government as we jump between perspectives. However, once I established a foundation of understanding, I was completely submerged in this simply epic fantasy novel.

The city of Ilmar is home to a plethora of lost souls; wanderers, thieves, refugees, scholars and factory workers all of which cower under the rule of a seedy criminal underworld and Palleseen Occupation, a brutal regime imposed by a merciless government that demands order and 'perfection'. The city is on the brink of rebellion and with each character we are introduced to a new spark ignites.

Tchaikovsky creates an immersive world containing so many oddities and details that I simply can't do them justice within this review. The City of Last Chances features a corrupt system of enslaved demons, portals into other worlds fiercely guarded by ferocious monsters, forbidden magical artifacts and disgruntled forgotten God's and their disillusioned priests. It was a wonderful, immersive and, at times, slightly confusing read.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Head of Zeus for an advanced copy of this new fantasy novel about the city on the edge of both forever and revolution.

When people think of the genre of fantasy some unfamiliar with the genre will immediately assume something like Lord of the Rings, with elves, dwarves and dragons vying for thrones or jewelry. Not many can look beyond the curtain and see the richness of plots and the different ways that fantasy can include religion, myth, occult thinking, politics even revolution and a science fiction, reflecting the world around it and trying to make sense out of what doesn't make any sense at all. City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of these kind of fantasy novels, a story that encompasses many worlds and many ideas.

A few years before, as we begin the novel the City of Ilmar has been conquered by the Palleseen, who believe in order and perfection in themselves and others. A perfection that is slowly pushing the population of the city closer and closer to rebellion. Ilmar has never been known for it's peace and many of the people are spending more energy fighting each other than the Palleseen, including criminal, religious and magical groups. The City is also near an are called the Anchorwood, which acts as a bridge to other places, with its own protectors and own dangers lurking inside, adding different sets of wanders and lost people to the city, for good and ill. Slowly events are starting to move to inevitable conclusion. A God wakes up cold and asks his only remaining priest for a blanket. A higher up is killed in the Anchorwood, as a game is played nearby calling in the powerful from all over.

I could go on, but there is a lot going on and my description is not doing service to everything that happens in just the first three chapters. Honestly other writers would make a10 volume series, and probably die about the fourth book in. Each page has ideas, magic, politically thoughts and the reality of living in an oppressive society, be it a fantasy world or the real world. Tchaikovsky is not afraid to throw his readers into the deepest end of the pool, whirlpool might be a better description, and saying here we go follow along. This is a book that will take careful reading and constant flipping to the dramatis personae and factions in Ilmar page just to follow along. Though by the fifth chapter things do start connecting. The writing is deep, lots of descriptions of the world, not a lot of explanation. The constant changes in narrative point of view might not be helpful either. However things do become clearer, and each character is written differently than the others which helps.

Tchaikovsky has real skill in putting this all together, and his built a good rapport with readers who will give this book a chance. I enjoyed it and while it took me longer to read than I thought I really enjoyed the book and where the story took me. Recommended for fans of Adrian Tchaikovsky of course, and for readers who love big books that will envelope them and make readers think, wonder and enjoy. A very good book for the holidays, both to read and to gift.

I didn’t finish this book — I got a quarter of the way through, over a month-long period, before giving up — so take this review with the fact that it could have gotten better later on.

I found this a hard book to get into, mostly because I didn’t find any appeal in the characters and the plot wasn’t interesting enough to provide the motivation to continue reading about characters I didn’t care about. The main reason for this is that the novel contains so many character perspectives, so you can be reading one chapter and almost get to the point of emotional investment, only for the chapter to end and you’re swung to another character’s POV. Additionally, while I’m used to having to put a little more effort into understanding worldbuilding for fantasy and science fiction novels, because I wasn’t enticed by the characters or the plot, having to jump back and forth between the story and the included t: dictionary is incredibly frustrating and pulled me out of the story more often than anything in the content pulled me in.

All in all, I found this book disappointed. I thought it needed more editing with punctuation use, and I couldn’t believe the fact that the author had won a writing award when I came across a scene where eyes were referred to as “orbs” — I thought we left this to bad fanfiction?

This is excellent fantasy with expansive character and world building. It took me a few chapters to settle in to what was happening and to start to get a grip of the many characters introduced at the beginning of the book. But from that point on I was drawn deep into the story. Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

A standalone full of complexity, interest, and political machinations, this book is absolutely fantastic. It begins very, very confusingly - Tchaikovksy has no mercy at all for the reader. You are dropped into the world with no background and no explanation, bouncing from perspective to perspective. However, once you wrap your mind around the dynamics and world, it is more than worth fighting through.

The narration style was a bit jarring, but once I was accustomed to the style it was easier to follow. Each chapter is lead with a paragraph giving you background, which was enormously helpful. The characters are well developed in a very short time, which is beyond impressive.

Revolution, indoctrination, and oppression are themes that weave throughout this tale. It is extremely thought-provoking, so prepare to take your time. But if you do, it will be worth it.

City of Last Chances, by Adrian Tchaikovsky, is one of those novels that I completely admired all the way through but had a hard time connecting to many of the characters, so that while the reading experience was enjoyable, it was more an intellectual pleasure than an immersive, emotional one.

The novel is set in the titular city of Ilmar, suffering under the heavy boot of an occupation force left over from the city’s conquest three years earlier by the Palleseen, a people who seek “perfection” in themselves and others via “correct principles of law and thought.” While the city seems stable on the surface, it seethes with anger, resentment, greed, and ambition as various factions have their own view of what resistance looks like and who should lead any eventual rebellion should one occur, as well as who should benefit from it. These factions are not new-born from the conquest, but are long-standing opposed forces in the city: the criminal underworld, who have found little difference in the scorn with which they are treated by the overthrown duke and his aristocracy or the victorious Palleseen; the Armigers, the old families more concerned with a return to power rather than a return to independence; and the Siblingries, the factory workers who toil for the conquerors as they did for the upper classes before and feel oppressed by both. In the mix are the idealistic students of Gownhall University; the Allorwen, a downtrodden and mistrusted group of refugees from a land conquered earlier by the Palleseen; and most mysterious of all, the Indwellers, the enigmatic people who control the ways in and out of the Anchorwood, an ancient grove that acts as a portal through to other worlds for those who can pay the price of safe transport.

Soon into the novel, someone steals an important artifact, and the theft acts as a catalyst, throwing a match into the gasoline-soaked kindling of the city and sparking an outburst of violence that surprises everyone. The protagonists in this complex stew include, but aren’t limited to:
• Blackmane: An Allorwen conjurer and pawnbroker of ancient and sometimes magical items
• Yasnic: Last priest of his particular god, whom only he can see
• Langrice: owner/barkeep of the Anchorage, the tavern with some sort of connection to the Anchorwood
• Hellgram: the bouncer at the Anchorage, a magic-user, and a foreigner come via the Anchorwood accidentally
• Lemya: a student of Gownhall and idealistic patriot
• Maestro Ivarn Ostravar: a teacher at Gownhall
• Father Orvechin: leader of the Siblingries
• Aullaime: Allorwen conjurer who works for the Siblingries
• Carella and Evene (the “Bitter Sisters”): the powerful pair of criminal overlords
• Ruslav: enforcer for the Bitter Sisters
• Fleance: a thief

As you can see from that only partial list, we’re working with a lot of characters here. And rarely are more than two or three together at a time, which means a number of sub-plots peppering the over-arching dual narrative of the search for the stolen item and the possible rebellion against the Palleseen.

The world Tchaikovsky presents is absolutely fascinating. Despite its tight focus geographically, because the characters come from different regions, cultures, and even worlds/dimensions, the novel offers up a rich stew of highly original elements: different types of magic, belief systems, governing systems, along with other basic magical tropes such as portals and curses, etc. We get tantalizing glimpses of all these without a lot of info dumps or an unnecessary amount of detail, and while I don’t mind exhaustive world-building, there’s something to be said for this method as well, which offers up a bit of mystery to nicely complement the fantastical.

Those different cultures and beliefs also create a good foundation for the tension that underlies the whole novel beyond the obviously occupiers-occupied conflict as the various factions battle for power and long-standing mistrust of “the other” (of which there are many) rises up again and again. The “underdog uprising” always lies on the horizon of promise, but the way in which everyone has their own agenda here — as groups and/or as individuals — constantly interferes with any attempt at serious revolution, as well as allowing room for thoughtful exploration of serious topics such as labor-owner conflict, the refugee experience, fascism, colonialism, the desperation of poverty, and more.

Besides these overt prejudices, the resistance also has its blind spots. One of my favorite moments is when we learn that the laborers, whom we’ve been conditioned to root for, are themselves oppressors, as what runs their mills are magically enslaved demons. And so we get sharply moving passages like this:

Not that there wasn’t a part of him that wouldn’t have shaken that demon’s taloned hand like a brother, but that would have been a step too far. And so he watched the beast being enslaved to them ills again and knew that even as he fought every day for a better life for his people, he was a collaborator in a larger war. And he hated it.

Nor does Tchaikovsky shirk his villains, the Palleseen, in terms of complexity, as we see factions and competition amongst the occupiers as well — people jockeying for position, people trying to move up in the ranks or having differing views toward the “taboo” local customs.

The plot is complicated but not overly so, and takes some unexpected twists and turns even beyond the way you’re never sure what someone will do thanks to the aforementioned tensions and ambitions. It does move slowly, especially during the first half or so of the novel, partially because so many characters need to be introduced, and the structure — multiple points of view moving serially one to the other — slows pace a bit as well thanks to the sheer number. I confess at times I felt I was making little forward progress, though I never considered giving up. Finally for the positives, the prose is sharp and vivid and a good match for the fertile creativity of the plot and world-building.

My single issue with City of Last Chances was, as noted in the intro above, my inability to really connect with the characters beyond one or two. Don’t get me wrong; they were all interesting. Rich, complex, well-characterized. But something — possibly the number of them, possibly the structure which had me shifting from one to the other, maybe their own often guarded nature — created a sense of distance. The exception for me was Yasnic, who won me over pretty immediately and for whom I had a soft spot all the way through to the end.

How well one engages with characters is of course a classic YMMV element, so my inability to do so is more an observation than a criticism, and, since as I said above, I both enjoyed and admired City of Last Chances, it’s an easy book to recommend.

Epic fantasy with amazing world building. Couldn’t ask for better. Thank you for letting me read your work. Loved it.

The worldbuilding in this is some of the best I have ever seen. It is beautiful, thoughtfully written. Every character that is introduced is fully rounded out; we learn their whole history and motivations. You will have empathy for *everyone* that is getting a POV chapter. The flip side of this, the story moves slowly. You are in this for the beauty, not the action.

I couldn’t get into this, unfortunately . So I DNF. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC,

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early! This book was pure fun and I would recommend it to anyone looking to fill the void that the completion of the Mistborn books have left. You can argue that the main character of this book is Ilmar, a city on the brink of revolution. Magic running wild, a brutal government, and primordial forces encroaching creates an utterly claustrophobic read in all the best ways. The synopsis of this book is purposely vague and its effect is the reader being surprised at every turn and never quite knowing who is going to survive the story to come. Absolutely fantastic new fantasy.

Having read a fair few books by Adrian Tchaikovsky, I think this is my favourite.
The story is tight and well written as ever and the format of the story limiting everything into just one city is a marked change from the author's usual ambition and favour for the expansive nature and it just works brilliantly.

The characters are as vibrant and dazzling as always, holding and moving the story backwards and forwards with precision. The story itself is not anything new, but just told with such style and panache. For me, the inclusion of a little bit of horror and supernatural characters to the plot was great to read and very well done, as I could just feel the unsettling element and it added an additional layer of depth and intrigue to the story.

This is a stand alone book, not part of a trilogy, but substantial and engaging enough to love and treasure. One of the author's very best.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ebook advanced reading copy. This review is my honest opinion.

City of Last Chances is the first book I’ve read by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I’ve heard several people hype his science-fiction novels and, while this work is fantasy, I now understand why he is such a well-loved author. This book stands out as grand epic fantasy. Be prepared to take some notes to help you keep track of the characters and situations, but if you’re a fan of large stories with lots of characters, then this book will likely be a story you really enjoy.

I’m happy to highly recommend this novel to fantasy fans.

Ilmar is a city under occupation, and the smallest tinder strike will send the city into revolution against its Palleseen occupiers. Amidst this chaos, we meet a priest who's the last believer in his god, a pawnbroker who specializes in magical objects, a student who believes in what her teacher lectures more than he does, a tavern owner with unexpected depths, a lackey with mysterious origins, a street ruffian with an idealist's heart, and on top of all that (and more; I know I'm forgetting some), an alien, mysterious portal to another realm.

As you might guess from the list of characters, there's A LOT going on here. That complexity is both one of the books assets and one of its downfalls. Ilmar is a motley city besieged from within by its occupiers but also modernizing (relying on demonic labor, no less). This verge-of-industrial fantasy city is a really interesting setting, and we see it from many points of view. Unfortunately, too many for me to get my sealegs and feel immersed in this world. For example, our first point of entry is Yasnic, the priest referenced above. We get his POV for one chapter, and don't return to his POV until 40% through. Similarly, the mysterious curse/portal mentioned above and in the official book copy is tantilizing, but I feel like I never saw enough of it to even speculate about it.

All that said, there are some utterly gorgeous passages later in the book, especially Ruslav's subplot, that capture something so ineffable and human, both dark and hilarious, that I was left speechless and make be consider another read to see what I missed in the first half. Your mileage may differ, but I think the book is well-worth the read if you have the patience for the first 50% or so.

So, all the 3 star reviews of this book make me sad, especially since they seem to consist of a lot of 'this premise and writing is really interesting but the book is slow'.

This is true, it is a slow burn for sure, but this is a special and different book. The city of Ilmar is a character of itself and the worldbuilding that is revealed layer by layer is just extraordinary. Tchaikovsky's prose is beautiful without dragging and the birds-eye distance we get, as if an omniscient narrator were telling the tale, in my opinon, improves this particular story rather than detracts from it.

A city under the oppressive rule of an empire forcing perfection upon its inhabitants, those who struggle under and in the regime, the spark that can ignite revolution, and how similar those within and without can be, just wanting to get by within the framework they've been given. While the style of the book does keep us from the deep dive character explorations, the characters are varied and interesting, and the section of the city called The Reproach gives us some of the creepiest scenes I've read in fantasy.

Full review to come, but I loved this book.

*Thank you NetGalley for an ebook copy in exchange for a review*

This book was an epic fantasy that sounded right up my alley. Dark fantasy, portals to different world, political commentary... If you are looking for excellent world building, a large cast of characters, and an interesting plot it truly delivers. Ultimately though I had a hard time connecting to the characters because with so many differing perspectives it became difficult to connect with any of them as I tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

I ended up reading this in small chunks over weeks at a time because, while interesting, it never fully pulled my interest to where I could not put it down. Overall I still think Tchaikovsky is an excellent writer and I do think that some people will love this and I would still be interested to read other novels he writes.

This is an interesting book, but ultimately it’s just not really for me. The blurb is interesting and that drew me to pick this in the first place. I did love the writing and the world building. It’s very rich and detailed. The story is told through many different characters.

My main issue was I just really struggled to connect with the characters. That was the let down for me.

The world and storytelling were great though. I’m sure others will love this book, it’s just not really my thing.

I tried to start this book multiple times, but I couldn’t get past the first few chapters. Never got me hooked, too many characters and the language was too unwieldy. Maybe I’ll try again some other time, the concept sounds interesting!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Ilmar, a city under the Palleseen occupation. A presence that aims to uproot the indigenous culture, leading the locals to strictly defined ‘perfection’. Meanwhile, in the dark alleyways, docks, pubs, corridors of the academy and salons of aristocracy, the conspirators meet, dreaming of the revolution. Moreover, they all have their own, often contradictory visions...

City of Last Chances is one of the most complex fantasy books I have ever read. It portrays the city on the verge of revolution. Ilmar is a wonderful place with a long history, traditions and customs crumbling under the solid ideological presence of the Palleseen. Still, the city remains a maddening mixture of the locals, the emigrants, the occupiers, the ghosts of the past and the mystic Indwellers, that can move between mysterious places through the mist that gathers in the most ancient part of the town— the Anchorwood. It seems impossible not to get lost in the constant flood of stories, characters and places. There are many nationalities, cultures, religions and fractions at play here and getting a hold of the basic rules might take a while. Especially since the narration switches between the broad scope of characters almost randomly.

This novel is not a quick and easy read. I almost gave up on it because it seemed too complicated. I continued, and I am glad of it because, after the initial confusion, I started to appreciate the intricacy of the plot. It presents the revolution on all the social levels of the city, from the criminals and the poorest, through the aspiring students to the old noble families. It includes men and women, the young and the old, simple thugs and sophisticated noblewomen; even demon slaves are given a voice. Apart from that, all those characters have distinctive personalities, histories, beliefs and goals. There is much to unpick in the novel, but it is worth the time and effort.