[Abyss]

so, my peoples, we have conferred and we have discussed, Polishgenius and I have thrown gloves and challenges and wedgies around and now a bunch of us have bought begged borrowed or otherwise acquired copies of Davinia Evans THE BURNISHED CITY, at the very least book 1....

NOTORIOUS SORCEROR

....and now we're going to read it. Some of us. Others are just going to trade veiled looks and poorly hidden smirks and stop that PG i know where you live.

And just to complicate life, for all the same reasons a bunch of us are in parallel going to be reading Rachel Aaron's THE LEGEND OF ELI MONPRESS bk 1 THE SPIRIT THIEF ... as we seem to think the two series have similar themes and tones and oh i dunno, i was drunk when PG suggested it and a bunch of you thought it was a good idea and here we are look don't blame me for this stuff i'm making it up as i go....

....thus i have no idea how this is supposed to work so just mark/block SPOILERS clearly so people know where you're at in the books and have fun!

[Tiste Simeon]

The first book is currently £3.99 on Kindle: https://amzn.eu/d/0hQThnmP

I think I'm going to do this one over the other but aim to get both read in good time.

[Abyss]

....AND SO IT BEGINS....

Chapter 1 -

Spoiler

credit where due, the author drops a tiny fraction of the action shortly to come as a teaser ahead of the start. There's a bit of a YA vibe here, the young thief dude planning a caper, meets his slightly younger possible romantic interest sidekick. I like the Indian/Middle-East vibe, am hoping it's a little deeper than just names and titles, will see. I was worried for a moment that the author was going overboard with colourful metaphors but it seems she was just setting the stage a bit, then pulled it back to focus on the action.

I get a bit of a fun Malazan warren vibe from Siyon's venture into the elemental space and Zagiri's role, and i liked their very brief clash with the 'Angel', suitably alien and weird without trying too hard to show the reader too much.

I very much liked how a burned rope is suddenly the most valuable thing he owns and what it tells us about the setting and magic, again without revealing too much.

The characters themselves aren't wildly original yet, but the world the author is setting up has my interest and i like her 'show don't tell' and 'don't show too much' style.

...so far so good, i'm in.

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 27 March 2026 - 04:01 PM, said:

The first book is currently £3.99 on Kindle: https://amzn.eu/d/0hQThnmP

I think I'm going to do this one over the other but aim to get both read in good time.

If useful it's also on Spotify in the '17hrs of free earbook per month because we like you and hate amazon' category.

[polishgenius]

The first knowing smirk has arrived.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

I already love the myriad of characters with significantly competing motivations and drives. This world immediately feels expansive and lived in!

[Tiste Simeon]

I'm two chapters in and this works is certainly intriguing. I love the idea of having to steal materials for alchemy and the whole thing about it being illegal because it literally caused half the city to slip into the ocean. I imagine the trauma from that will play a part in how characters react to each other etc. Also, clearly a class system in place that's going to blow up somehow (ie the main guy is going to upend it or something)

[Abyss]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 28 March 2026 - 01:36 AM, said:

I already love the myriad of characters with significantly competing motivations and drives. This world immediately feels expansive and lived in!

Very much this, and the author does a nice job of introducing a fairly wide cast without forcing the reader to feel as tho they need to remember who everyone is. Some of the names are a bit tricky... Zagiri, Nabiri, Ismarili... possibly an earbook issue, but i'm rolling wit.

Tiste Simeon, on 29 March 2026 - 01:48 PM, said:

I'm two chapters in and this works is certainly intriguing. I love the idea of having to steal materials for alchemy and the whole thing about it being illegal because it literally caused half the city to slip into the ocean. I imagine the trauma from that will play a part in how characters react to each other etc. Also, clearly a class system in place that's going to blow up somehow (ie the main guy is going to upend it or something)

Agreed on all points.

[Abyss]

Chapters 2-3-4

Spoiler

I liked every aspect of Siyon and Zagiri's visit to the CLub, their dealings w the alchemists, and all the myriad little hints about the world dropped in along the way.i especially enjoyed Siyon negotiating for the rope and how he was maneuvering for tools to further his career, not wealth.

The market and bars were a nice pause, and then the moment when Siyon has to stretch and , i suspect, everything goes sideways.

It's particularly telling how he never hesitates to intervene, she was his assistant, he is going to save her whatever it takes, and then BOOM. Magic.

Anahid is interesting as a foil to the other characters. I didn't care for her much until she was dealing w Zagiri and Siyon but that really increased my like for her.

I adore Geryss and i love that her reaction is 'he's joining the club!'.


I'm particularly enjoying the high stakes / low stakes blend here.... the city has issues, the elemental planes have issues, and Siyon's just trying to get by

So far so good.

[Tiste Simeon]

Chapters 3-5:

Spoiler

Ooh I love the concept of "magic is silly fantasy, alchemy is reason and science" and then "hey this kid over here did actual magic?"

Love the Inqs who can somehow detect alchemy happening (or maybe magic?) and that the azatani (whatever they actually are) can sort of get away with it.

I also really like this cast of characters. Geryss is great, Anahid is a good foil to Zagiri, as Abyss has said, and getting a POV from Iz was great.

What happened in the club? I assume it's that son of the Prefect that's somehow disappeared. And the feather is something to do with it.

This is a fabulous book so far.

[Abyss]

Tiste Simeon, on 31 March 2026 - 01:36 PM, said:

Chapters 3-5:

Spoiler

Ooh I love the concept of "magic is silly fantasy, alchemy is reason and science" and then "hey this kid over here did actual magic?"

Love the Inqs who can somehow detect alchemy happening (or maybe magic?) and that the azatani (whatever they actually are) can sort of get away with it.

I also really like this cast of characters. Geryss is great, Anahid is a good foil to Zagiri, as Abyss has said, and getting a POV from Iz was great.

What happened in the club? I assume it's that son of the Prefect that's somehow disappeared. And the feather is something to do with it.

This is a fabulous book so far.

Agreed on all points,

Spoiler

the interplay between the alchemists, the nobles, the city government, the idea that the city is unique for how alchemy works there for som reason and now 'the planes are out of alignment'... and compounding that how things just keep going almost right and then wrong and wronger for Siyon.... i'm enjoying the high stakes/low stakes approach here and how the two levels keep weaving.

[Abyss]

And thus, Chapters 5-6-7

Spoiler

i feel for Siyon how he hovers on the cusp of getting ahead and crap just keeps going wrong and most of it isn't his fault... Zagiri on the clock, the rich kid forcing him to sell the phoenix feather then using it to implode, the Inqs singling him out because he has no patron.... and the way it all leads to him finally saying fuckit and trying to do what Izmarlian is requesting at the worse time and place w zero prep aaaaaaand shocker to no one that went bad quickly!

Anahid is growing on me again as we learn more about her situation and relationship w Zagiri, and i kind of love how the Bravi accept Zagiri as one of them despite her noble status.

I am VERY curious where this 'planes are out of balance' thing is going, given the allusions to the time someone alchemically destroyed a chunk of the city.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Finished all the books, quite enjoyable! The finale of the final book felt sort of meh, but overall the books were fun.

Push comes to shove, I prefer Eli Monpress, but did enjoy The Burnished City books!

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 02 April 2026 - 09:02 AM

[Tiste Simeon]

Abyss, on 01 April 2026 - 01:37 PM, said:

And thus, Chapters 5-6-7

Spoiler

i feel for Siyon how he hovers on the cusp of getting ahead and crap just keeps going wrong and most of it isn't his fault... Zagiri on the clock, the rich kid forcing him to sell the phoenix feather then using it to implode, the Inqs singling him out because he has no patron.... and the way it all leads to him finally saying fuckit and trying to do what Izmarlian is requesting at the worse time and place w zero prep aaaaaaand shocker to no one that went bad quickly!

Anahid is growing on me again as we learn more about her situation and relationship w Zagiri, and i kind of love how the Bravi accept Zagiri as one of them despite her noble status.

I am VERY curious where this 'planes are out of balance' thing is going, given the allusions to the time someone alchemically destroyed a chunk of the city.

I agree with all of this. Really got me engaged... I downloaded the second book today because I'm definitely going to read the whole thing.

Chapters 8-10:-

Spoiler

So things are getting more chaotic while the friendship of sorts between Siyon and Iz has been developing quite nicely, a meeting of minds to some extent. I also really loved the scene between Siyon and Anahid playing cards. She's desperately lonely and he's likewise quite by himself and the scene was gentle and I think the beginning of something solid for the both of them.

I continue to be impressed by the structure and background of the world, the city, the alchemy vs magic stuff. The more lore I get the more full the world feels.

And the last part I read with Geryss trying to summon the Perfects son was incredible. Harvesting belief to turn into manifestation? Love it. No idea what went wrong there but man it was thrilling.

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 02 April 2026 - 12:41 PM

[Abyss]

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 02 April 2026 - 09:02 AM, said:

Finished all the books, quite enjoyable! The finale of the final book felt sort of meh, but overall the books were fun.

Push comes to shove, I prefer Eli Monpress, but did enjoy The Burnished City books!

dammit Whisp when do you sleep????

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Abyss, on 02 April 2026 - 02:32 PM, said:

Whisperzzzzzzz, on 02 April 2026 - 09:02 AM, said:

Finished all the books, quite enjoyable! The finale of the final book felt sort of meh, but overall the books were fun.

Push comes to shove, I prefer Eli Monpress, but did enjoy The Burnished City books!

dammit Whisp when do you sleep????

I had a 16 hour flight back from Australia...during which I did not sleep.

[Tsundoku]

Dammit Whisp - where were you over here and when?

I feel slighted.

[Tiste Simeon]

Tsundoku, on 03 April 2026 - 10:47 PM, said:

Dammit Whisp - where were you over here and when?

I feel slighted.

It was part of the "Avoid Sombra Tour 2026"

[Tsundoku]

Tiste Simeon, on 04 April 2026 - 07:54 AM, said:

Tsundoku, on 03 April 2026 - 10:47 PM, said:

Dammit Whisp - where were you over here and when?

I feel slighted.

It was part of the "Avoid Sombra Tour 2026"

That's not quite the flex you think it is.

silly corpse-botherer

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Oh darn! I didn't realize we had any AUazans! I was down under in Melbourne and Sydney the second to last week in March for work.

If I return, I will definitely reach out for a meetup! I had a wonderful time and would definitely like to swing another trip, though it probably wouldn't be this year.

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 07 April 2026 - 09:50 AM