Review by Booklist Review
The metropolis of Guerdon is a chaotic mesh of new on top of old. Built and rebuilt over the ages, it is a place where alchemist workshops breed arcane experiments, candle-wax golems police the streets, and lupine humanoids called ghouls crawl the tunnels below. Enter Carillon, an outsider who finds herself tasked to steal an artifact from the city's Tower of Law with Rat, a ghoul, and Spar, one of those afflicted with a curse that slowly petrifies its victims. During the theft, the tower is left in ruins, and the botched job pulls the trio into a conflict that stretches back into the city's ancient history. Hanrahan's confluence of bizarre races and monsters is the highlight of this first entry of the Black Iron Legacy series. The narrative's fast pace and multiple concurrent story lines leave little room for moments of reflection by the characters, but fans of dark fantasies like Brandon Sanderson's Elantris (2005) and Robert Jackson Bennett's City of Stairs (2014) will feel right at home in Guerdon's twisting cityscape. An inventive debut.--Kenneth Otani Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Interesting monsters and a steady pace carry Hanrahan's epic fantasy debut. As an unholy war between mad deities and divinely powered saints sweeps across the land, the city of Guerdon is a bastion for hundreds of refugees, including Carillon Thay, a new member of the Thieves' Brotherhood. In the aftermath of a disastrous heist, Carillon is plagued by mysterious visions as shape-shifting Ravellers, servants of the ancient and evil Black Iron Gods, take to the streets for the first time in decades. Along with Rat, a corpse-eating ghoul, and Spar, whose flesh is slowly calcifying into rock, Carillon must navigate a city of monsters and powerful guilds to protect her friends from full-scale apocalypse. Hanrahan brings the sights, sounds, and smells of Guerdon to life with crisp, lyrical prose that moves swiftly between thrilling action sequences and imaginative worldbuilding. Equal parts grim and entertaining, this series launch balances fresh ideas with familiar tropes to create a satisfying story. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
