Hi, my name is Matt and I am cover junkie. Hi Matt.
When Felix Gilman’s Gears of the City was released I instantly fell in love with the cover art. Yes, I freely admit that I do buy books with cool cover art. When I got home I actually realized that it was a sequel. So back to the store I went to pick up a copy of Thunderer, which, by the way, has cover art I do not like that much.
This was a frustrating read for me. At times, this is brilliant novel and at other times I had to force myself to continue to read it. I can really see flashes of brilliance in Mr. Gilman’s work but he makes you work for it. The strength of this novel is definitely in the world building as it is exceptional. But the story suffers under excessive plotting. The novel is saved by a strong third act that pulls the story together in a very enjoyable way.
The novel essentially follows two characters, Arjun and Jack Silk. In my opinion, Arjun is the more enjoyable of the two. Arjun is on a mission from his home city to locate their lost God, The Voice. He decides to search the vast city of Ararat where there is numerous Gods and it possible that The Voice is hidden somewhere in the city.
Jack Silk is young man forced to work in a warehouse. One day, with arrival of the God known as the Bird, Jack plans his escape. As the giant Bird flys over Ararat it imparts the gift of flight to all who come into it’s range. Jack is able use this partial flight gift to help leap over the building’s defenses and escape. Unbeknownst to Jack some of this abilities become permanent.
The most important character in the novel is the city itself, Ararat. It is called the city that cannot mapped because the Gods are constantly changing the streets, canals, etc at their own whim. The reader explores a very small portion of the city but what a wondrous place it is. Other portions are mentioned but I like that Mr. Gilman had the restraint from describing every portion of the city and will this leave to other novels. The city is also lousy with Gods. There is the Spider, Canal, Ball, Chain, etc. Gods play a important roll in peoples lives. But the Gods motivations are never clear, which makes life more of a mystery. As I said, the City is the true star of the book.
I haven’t mentioned the name behind the title. The Thuderer is a warship which steals a portion of the Birds flight capability and can attack any in the city unmolested. Believe or not, the ship only plays a minor role in the story.
What I liked: The world building is incredible and the real strength of this novel. Mr. Gilman makes a good a choice in having a non-native, Arjun, explore the city. So, as he explores, you explore.
What I didn’t like: I really did not like the character Jack Silk. His story takes up about 30% of the novel and I found myself reading fast to get back to Arjun and his adventures.
Last word: This novel was a struggle for me but in the end I am glad I stuck it out. I will be reading Felix Gilman’s follow up novel, Gears of the City (you know, the one with the cool cover). This novel will not appeal to everyone as the slow plotting will aggravate some readers, but if you can stick it out until the third act then you will be rewarded with a great story.
When Felix Gilman’s Gears of the City was released I instantly fell in love with the cover art. Yes, I freely admit that I do buy books with cool cover art. When I got home I actually realized that it was a sequel. So back to the store I went to pick up a copy of Thunderer, which, by the way, has cover art I do not like that much.
This was a frustrating read for me. At times, this is brilliant novel and at other times I had to force myself to continue to read it. I can really see flashes of brilliance in Mr. Gilman’s work but he makes you work for it. The strength of this novel is definitely in the world building as it is exceptional. But the story suffers under excessive plotting. The novel is saved by a strong third act that pulls the story together in a very enjoyable way.
The novel essentially follows two characters, Arjun and Jack Silk. In my opinion, Arjun is the more enjoyable of the two. Arjun is on a mission from his home city to locate their lost God, The Voice. He decides to search the vast city of Ararat where there is numerous Gods and it possible that The Voice is hidden somewhere in the city.
Jack Silk is young man forced to work in a warehouse. One day, with arrival of the God known as the Bird, Jack plans his escape. As the giant Bird flys over Ararat it imparts the gift of flight to all who come into it’s range. Jack is able use this partial flight gift to help leap over the building’s defenses and escape. Unbeknownst to Jack some of this abilities become permanent.
The most important character in the novel is the city itself, Ararat. It is called the city that cannot mapped because the Gods are constantly changing the streets, canals, etc at their own whim. The reader explores a very small portion of the city but what a wondrous place it is. Other portions are mentioned but I like that Mr. Gilman had the restraint from describing every portion of the city and will this leave to other novels. The city is also lousy with Gods. There is the Spider, Canal, Ball, Chain, etc. Gods play a important roll in peoples lives. But the Gods motivations are never clear, which makes life more of a mystery. As I said, the City is the true star of the book.
I haven’t mentioned the name behind the title. The Thuderer is a warship which steals a portion of the Birds flight capability and can attack any in the city unmolested. Believe or not, the ship only plays a minor role in the story.
What I liked: The world building is incredible and the real strength of this novel. Mr. Gilman makes a good a choice in having a non-native, Arjun, explore the city. So, as he explores, you explore.
What I didn’t like: I really did not like the character Jack Silk. His story takes up about 30% of the novel and I found myself reading fast to get back to Arjun and his adventures.
Last word: This novel was a struggle for me but in the end I am glad I stuck it out. I will be reading Felix Gilman’s follow up novel, Gears of the City (you know, the one with the cool cover). This novel will not appeal to everyone as the slow plotting will aggravate some readers, but if you can stick it out until the third act then you will be rewarded with a great story.
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