City of Stairs Review: A Unique Fantasy World That’s Good, Not Great

City of Stairs is the first book in Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Divine Cities trilogy. It’s a genre mashup that combines fantasy with mystery and politics.

The greatest strength of the novel is likely the urban fantasy world that Bennett has built. The story is set in the city of Bulikov, which was once the most powerful city on the Continent and was ruled over by a group of gods who blessed its citizens. Said citizens enslaved and ruled over others, including the nation of Saypur. Roughly a century prior to the start of the novel, Saypur was able to kill the gods and become the new ultimate world power. Now, it is Saypur that exerts its influence over Bulikov.

City of Stairs focuses on the murder of a Saypuri historian who’d been in Bulikov. Shara, a high-ranking Saypuri agent, along with her secretary, a massive brute named Sigrud, arrive in Bulikov with the hopes of solving the murder. As one expects, the plot thickens and there’s more afoot than initially meets the eye.

While cracking the case at first takes center stage, City of Stairs has just as much to do with being a political intrigue story. A strong interest in urban fantasy, as the city is a character in itself, is a necessary prerequisite to potentially enjoy this book.

Personally, I found City of Stairs to be an enjoyable and easy read. It’s definitely a page-turner and I was curious to see what was going to happen next. Still, nothing in the story ever really blew me away. Every aspect of the book, including its characters, plot, and pacing, fall firmly in the good but not great or outstanding categories. I was also never surprised by any of the revelations later in the story.

While this is the first book in a trilogy, it does stand on its own as a solid, complete story. I felt fulfilled after completing the novel, but not necessarily excited to read the next two books.

Grade: 7.5/10