City of Stairs: A Novel

Front Cover
Random House Worlds, Sep 9, 2014 - Fiction - 464 pages
An atmospheric and intrigue-filled novel of dead gods, buried histories, and a mysterious, protean city--from one of America's most acclaimed young fantasy writers.

The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions—until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself—first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it—stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy.

Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani. Officially, the unassuming young woman is just another junior diplomat sent by Bulikov's oppressors. Unofficially, she is one of her country's most accomplished spies, dispatched to catch a murderer. But as Shara pursues the killer, she starts to suspect that the beings who ruled this terrible place may not be as dead as they seem—and that Bulikov's cruel reign may not yet be over.

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Contents

Section 1
1
Section 2
19
Section 3
41
Section 4
67
Section 5
69
Section 6
87
Section 7
88
Section 8
119
Section 14
198
Section 15
213
Section 16
240
Section 17
264
Section 18
299
Section 19
301
Section 20
329
Section 21
341

Section 9
143
Section 10
145
Section 11
164
Section 12
180
Section 13
181
Section 22
370
Section 23
389
Section 24
419
Copyright

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About the author (2014)

ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT is the author of American Elsewhere, The Troupe, The Company Man, and Mr. Shivers. His books have been awarded the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson, and the Philip K. Dick Citation of Excellence. He lives in Austin with his wife and son.

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