TL;DR Review: Lightning-fast plot, richly colorful world, and heart-pounding action. Roman/Greek Republic colored with African-inspired culture and magic.
Synopsis:
Only the dead can save the living.
In Albastine, the dead are made into mindless servants known as Attendants, incapable of harming the living unless commanded to by the soldier-necromancer Legates.
Forced into an early retirement, Legate Gaius Cassius Calvus struggles to find purpose in his civilian life—until he is called upon to examine the apparent suicide of one of Albastine’s senators. Cassius’s necromantic powers reveal that the man was murdered—and the weapon used to kill him was an Attendant.
Knowing that only another Legate could command an Attendant to kill, Cassius sets out to discover the truth behind the assassination. His investigation leads him through the foggy streets and brooding towers of Albastine as he slowly uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to shake the Pale City to its very foundations. Should he fail, the Republic he has sworn his life—and death—to serve falls with him.
The Pale City combines the rich worldbuilding of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn novels with the first-person narration and magical mystery of Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files, flavored through with the necromantic horror of Tamsyn Muir’s The Locked Tomb series.
Full Review:
The living dead are everywhere—and I do mean that literally!
In the city of Albastine, corpses magically turned into “Attendants” do everything from cooking to cleaning, sweeping streets to scrubbing toilets, and, of course, fighting in the city’s wars.
Our main character, Gaius Cassius Calvus, has dedicated his life to controlling these Attendants and marching them into battle against Albastine’s enemies. That service has cost him his best friend, his relationships, and the use of his left arm.
In the beginning, we see Calvus trying in vain to regain control of his magical control over the Attendants, but between the guilt and the pain of his injuries, even the smallest exertion of his will is a struggle. But he has known nothing but service and is driven by a deep desire to make the Republic a better place. So when he gets asked by an old friend, and current Magistrate, to help him investigate a murder, he agrees.
Little does he know, he’s going to get swept up into one hell of a conspiracy!
The Pale City begins with a slow, steady pace, taking its time to introduce you to the characters, the magic of the world, and the history of both the Extorani (in my mind, Roman/Greek-flavored) and the Ayu’li (African-inspired) peoples who merged their cultures to found the Republic.
Bit by bit, we’re lured into the mystery behind who assassinated a Senator, but once all the pieces are in place, the story rockets off to a crazy fast pace with all the action I could ask for (and a whole lot more). Never once is character development left by the wayside, though; every time Calvus is faced with a choice, he shows us who he is, digs deeper into his convictions and resolve to stand firm in the face of impossible odds.
The characters around Calvus are equally colorful and complex. His dead best friend’s sister who drags him into the mystery. The Ayu’li High Priestess with whom he shares a complicated past. The Triarchs who head up the republic and the Senators who help them steer. The Imperator who is determined to prove that Calvus is behind the assassination. The cruel former teacher who made young Calvus’ life miserable during his years of training.
Every single one of them gets a chance to shine, and they bring so much depth and humanity to every page.
By the end, we’ve seen the specter of danger looming on the Republic’s horizon, but through everything he’s weathered, we have hope Calvus will be the right one to face it. A spectacular and surprisingly upbeat ending to a story that’s not afraid to go dark at times.
The Pale City surprised me in so many ways, and impressed me with its lightning-fast plot, richly colorful world, and heart-pounding action. I’ve already dived into the next Rites of Resurrection book because I have to find out what lies ahead!
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