Following on from The City of Dreams and Nightmare, Whates' second novel in the series has an equally dualistic title, mirroring the first novel; but also more abstracted.  Oddly, this story is much less focused on the city, and the title doesn't have the same degree of resonance to the plot as that of the former - though it does sum up the various strands better.

The characters of City of... are mixed in a way reminiscent of the first book, in part because many of them are the same - Dewar, Kat, Tom, Mildra; Dewar's new role allows for a good deal of further character development with his background being revealed, brilliant as it is; and Kat becomes a more interesting figure as well, as she developes and her relationship with the Tattooed Men and her sister Chavver comes more to the fore.  Equally, Tom, a bit of a plain-Messiah in the first novel, with an innocent naivete, is much more fully rounded here; he's much less innocent and much more human.  The new characters introduced, or fleshed out and brought to the foreground, are also better than in the first novel, presumably because the background needs less establishment; the Prime Master and Seth are both brilliant characters, really individual and well drawn.

The two (three?) plots of the novel, which seem utterly unrelated in virtually every way, are really well done; Kat's plot, with the Soul Thief, an interesting figure and idea with some brilliant mixed motivations on the part of Kat and the Tattooed Men, has the sort of twists which really take one's breath away.  However, there is also an extent to which too many of them are foreshadowed and telescoped; not much comes as a surprise - although that's not to say that none does, especially towards the end.  Tom's plot, the standard adventure-quest, is also a little formulaic and straightforward; though the complex role of Seth adds a brilliant element, and the really well done Mud Slinger episode is wonderful, humourous, and absolutely brilliant, with two fantastic characters appearing and disappearing rapidly but forming a wonderful little part of the book.

Overall, then, this novel is one I would heartily recommend; City of Hope and Despair is a fantastic book, full of emotional ups and downs, turmoil and adventure, drawn with a steady, deft hand by Whates, whose authorial control is magnificent. I really want to see where this series is going.


Out in March in the UK and Australia, April elsewhere in the world. Review based on an eARC provided by Angry Robot Press.