City of Last Chances (The Tyrant Philosophers)

Let's face it, there has been some absolute rubbish written recently in the fantasy genre, and I've read most of it. We've had excessive verbosity trying to disguise itself as good writing. Overlong, tedious doorstops of book's full of info dumps, and shockingly bad prose. Novels that have been praised to the skies, but are so bad, one wishes one had never started them. I've often been forced to go back to the classic's of the genre, just to get a breath of originality. ( The Gormenghast Trilogy. The Worm Ouroboros).So, it was with a heavy heart, that I approached this book, wondering if it was going to be as bad as Brandon Sanderson, or any one, of the hundreds of fantasy writers, that are currently polluting the publishing waters.I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is full of invention and passable prose, and while it is, by no means, as good as the above mentioned, Peake and Edison books, the author is at least to be commended for taking enough care, with the writing process, to ensure I turned the page with a certain eagerness to discover what came next.I have given "City of Last Chances." five stars, for managing to do this, with a bit of style.Well worth a read.

This is an entertaining tale, though it is also a very weird one. But I would certainly like to visit Ilmar again.

I'm not really into fantasy. I've done Tolkien, Game of Thrones, a little Pratchett, but that's it. I have, however, thoroughly enjoyed many of Tchaikovsky's sci-fi books. So, on that basis, I launched myself into this mighty tome.Some have compared this book to Les Misérables. For myself, it very much reminded me of an account I read of the Peterloo massacre, but with added fantasy elements. The depictions of poverty, inequality, a weary unionised workforce felt very much like a grimy Manchester during the industrial revolution.I've noticed in the comments here that some have complained about the characters not being fleshed out enough. I would have to very much disagree with this, and I feel they're missing the point. This book has an ambitiously wide scope, offering up a grubby, intricate tableaux of a down-trodden city inhabiting some form of 19th century fantasy realm. While some books are purely character driven, this book is more about the interaction and motivations of the various factions under the jackboot of Fascism. True, the first thing you'll encounter is an appendix of characters and factions, plus a map, so don't expect a simple linear read. Something like the first ten chapters are written from the perspective of ten different characters, so it feels like it's taking a while for the narrative to kick off. But so what? Just enjoy the ride.As with every other Tchaikovsky book I've read, the quality of the writing throughout is top notch. It's a real joy just to soak up the vivid imagination on offer, and as ever the wit is razor sharp.Fortunately for me, this book's successor is already available, so will be eagerly read. And hopefully, there's more to come. Tchaikovsky is an astonishingly prolific author, averaging at least two full length books a year.

Not quite sure how to review this, I enjoyed it- I loved the idea of Ilmar and the existential threat of the Pels (which one can quite easily view as certain tendencies of certain of todays societies;-) ). In fact the whole book may be seen as a warning story.Funny thing is, despite enjoying it I also found I was unable to read it in long sittings. It needed to be sipped rather than taken in long draughts but, if there more books I’ll certainly read them!

The book this reminds me of most is Moorcock & Constantines "Silverheart".Set within the city of Ilmar the story progresses through the eyes of the main characters, one per chapter with a few overviews thrown in.Under occupation from an invading power, the city and it many factions seethe in a magical cauldron that appears to be about to boil over.An ill executed attempt to plumb the depths of the magical Anchorwood by the occupiers ends in disaster and the loss of a powerful magic passport to the unknown lands accessible through the wood.From this pebble the ripples spread outwards setting into motion a chain of actions and over reactions that threaten to break the stranglehold of the occupation.The characters are engaging and believable, we get a good insight into most of their motivations and desires and share in their horror as events cascade inexorably from bad to worse.Yasnic, the last priest of a God with no worshippers and his miniature, bad tempered, God of Healing are our introduction to Ilmar. I advise taking your first steps with them and their argument over a blanket and giving this book a good few days to ride the roller coaster through to what is the, probably inevitable, conclusion.

Truly magnificent, good fleshed out and most importantly,morally ambiguous characters with the city as the perfect backdrop.Truly magnificent, his best work to date. Looking forward to book 2!

Ilmar: a city of magic, revolution, gods, superstition, oppression, gang warfare, music, hope, and violence. The city of bad decisions and last chances.Enter our cast: Yasnic, the reluctant last priest of God, struggling to make rent and keep sane; Blackmane, a pawnbroker, magician, and collector of rare and magical items; Ruslav, a gangster with a bone to pick with the world and a fist to throw at it; Lemya, a student and an idealist yearning for a free Ilmar; Langrice, the keeper of the Anchorage and the warden of the Port to Nowhere.Together and apart, they’ll traverse a city in the grips of occupation and on the edge of uprising, encounter strange monsters and even stranger curses, thwart the clutches of the Reproach (a corner of the city no one dares enter, and few ever truly leave), make questionable pacts with gods, and rise up against the Palleseen Occupiers who rule with the iron fist of logic and reason.I loved this. Like, it’s not quite what I’d normally go for in terms of enjoyment, but there are so many characters and they’re all so fun and their lives are woven together so beautifully. The writing style is so confident and funny and dark and emotional, and I could not wait to see what happened next. My favourite part was probably all the stuff with the Reproach; it reminds me of faerieland, where nothing is as it seems and the air itself wants to keep you there, dancing to music only you can hear long after you’re dead and gone.I highly recommend this, especially if you like slower fantasy that’s funny and dark and complex and all together a wild ride.

Somewhat more involved than most of his other works, to the point of tediousness but nobody is perfect. But what an imagination, and vocabulary. For me, kept the dictionary open almost as much as the story.

A great style of writing that took some getting used to. But ultimately not enough pay off for the effort of reading

The plot is that the city of Ilmar has been occupied by the Palleseen for 3 years and it chafes under the occupation. There are factions of resistance - the old aristocrats, the scholars, the thugs, the killers and the unions. And outside the city is the grove - the Port of Nowhere and the reason Ilmar has the nickname, the City of Last Chances. When things have gone wrong and there's nowhere to turn, you can flee through the grove to other worlds, not without risks and dangers.This is one I really enjoyed - it was a slow starter, but by the end, it was tearing along at a break neck pace. All the story threads come together at speed in a revolutionary conspiracy collision and it goes well for no one - resistance or occupier.Then there are the characters. They all come alive and good and bad things happen to all of them. And one minor one - Hellgram - oh Lordy. His story really shades into horror and brings Tchaikovsky's love of the multilegged to the fore.I liked it a lot.