The City of Brass (Daevabad Trilogy)

Product Information

But if you are not inclined to Google the world-building of your new favorite fantasy novel, the Daevabad trilogy offers a hugely entertaining story, filled with memorable characters, great twists, and an intricate setting to get lost in. Master Archer: Dara, full stop. No one else is in his league, though Jamshid also deserves mention as a skilled archer. ACTUALLY I feel like THE ISLAMIC aspect wasn’t EVEN NECESSARY to the story bc personally, it fell really flat and I can see how it would be confusing and maybe even counter-productive for people who aren’t well read in the faith. If it was just kept as a Middle Eastern rep, I probably would have liked it better. The City of Brass is an American science fiction and fantasy novel written by S. A. Chakraborty. It is the first of The Daevabad Trilogy, followed by The Kingdom of Copper in 2019 and The Empire of Gold in 2020.

The Daevabad Trilogy is a trilogy of fantasy novels by S.A. Chakraborty, based on Middle Eastern folklore and legend. It begins with Nahri, a young con-woman living in 18th-century Cairo, who possesses a mysterious ability to sense illness and injury. While conducting what she believes is a sham zar to "exorcise" a mentally-disabled girl, Nahri accidentally summons a real djinn named Darayavahoush. She learns that she is actually the lost scion of the Nahids, the rightful rulers of the world of djinn—which is real, and ruled from the city of Daevabad. After a perilous journey, Nahri has to navigate a complex web of political intrigue. Daevabad is no longer ruled by her family but the Qatahnis, and the city is maintained in a state of tense, very technical peace that is constantly undermined by tribal rivalries and the oppression of the part-human shafit. The king's second son, Alizayd, conducts what he thinks is a secret life trying to help the shafit. He and Nahri form a tense, tentative friendship at the behest of his manipulative father, Ghassan. AFSHIN: The name of the Daeva warrior family who once served the Nahid Council. Also used as a title. Faking the Dead: Turns out Banu Manizheh, one of the last Nahids, did not die with her brother Rustam. Before the six tribes of djinn woke to their new reality marked by Suleiman’s curse, daevas lived in a vastly different world. Loose tribes that followed one of the seven kings roamed the desert sands, carried on scorching winds, and vanished into the unseen realms. Worshiped as vengeful or merciful gods among humankind, there was little for which to want. Anything that was wanted could be taken. Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Manizheh crafts a biochemical weapon to kill Geziris, but doesn't have time to refine it from an uncontrollable fog into a short-range weapon before retaking Daevabad. Dara begs her not to use it and tells her explicitly that she'll be no better than Ghassan if she unleashes it, but she responds that she doesn't care.

Customer reviews

Ifrit are those daevas who refused to submit to Suleiman's judgment. They're all quite ancient at this point, not to mention vindictive and crafty. Laser-Guided Karma: Dara's excuse for his multiple war crimes is that as an Afshin, he is a weapon for the Nahid. In the third book, Manizheh re-enslaves him, making him the perfectly obedient weapon he'd always claimed to be. After a brutal conquest stripped the city of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people. This could and would have been a 5-star read for me had it not been for that incredibly slow start all the way through almost the end of the book. Anti-Magic: One of the basic powers of Suleiman's Seal is shutting down the magic of everyone but the holder, which Ghassan is only too happy to demonstrate.

Slave Market: During the second book, Ali is outraged and disgusted to find shafit being auctioned off in public under the paper-thin excuse of helping djinn find their shafit relatives.One-Hit Kill: A single cut from a zulfiqar is enough to kill due to the poisoned blade. Not even the Nahids can heal zulfiqar wounds.

The Empire of Gold is an amazing book, and a brilliant end to this fantastic trilogy; I guess you realise by now I love this series. It is fast paced, has colourful and origional characters, and one of the most rich and detailed fantasy worlds I have come across. My only complaint is that I have finished the book and there will be no more adventures in Daevabad, I really feel bereft. I am fairly new to this genre and highly recommend this trilogy if you are looking to dip your toe into the fantasy genre, or if you are a seasoned fantasy reader but haven’t read these books yet. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what S.A Chakraborty writes next. Xanatos Speed Chess: Ghassan is a master of it. Near the end of the first book, he comes up with two possible cover-up stories for the incident at the lake, implicating completely different people. Deliberate Values Dissonance: Sobek , the crocodilian god of the Nile, appears in Empire of Gold and horrifies Nahri and Ali by reminiscing about how his followers used to practice Human Sacrifice for him. Ali reflects a couple of times that it's a good thing his ancestors ended that kind of worship. Healing Hands: The Nahids are known for powerful healing magic and advanced medical knowledge. Nahids themselves even have a Healing Factor.It was a STRAW. A straw was more entertaining this book. I bet I could’ve swallowed that straw and it would still hurt less than reading this, jesus christ!!! Invisible to Normals: Ali isn't totally invisible to humans, but they don't notice him unless he makes an effort to get their attention, and it only lasts a moment before they forget he's there. Our Zombies Are Different: They're called ghouls here, and they're of a pre-Romero variety, primarily being dried out corpses of people who made contracts with the Ifrit in death. They can be very fast, however. Among other awards and nominations which will be added here soon, the Daevabad series was nominated for a Hugo Award, a 2021 Best Series finalist. [2] DARAYAVAHOUSH, the last descendent of the Afshins, a Daeva military caste family which served at the right hand of the Nahid Council, known as the Scourge of Qui-zi for his violent acts during the war and later revolt against Zaydi al Qahtani