For reasons I cannot fathom, Martha Wells should be the headliner on all things sci-fi fantasy. Her writing is just that superb. Enthralling plot lines and character arcs! The ending though. My goodness.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of City of Bones by Martha Wells from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley.

This version of City of Bones is an updated and revised edition to reflect what Martha Wells originally wanted the book to be. The first version predates her Murderbot series. If you read that version, you could still read this one and might be interested in the changes. For those who haven't read it and know Wells from the Murderbot series, it is a very different type of book. This is more fantasy than science fiction. The sharp humor is still there although not as plentiful. The great writing and developed characters are there. It is more of a slow burn with plenty of world building. If you like Indiana Jones-type stories, give this one a read.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

I think i just need to admit that Martha Well's writing isnt for me unfortunately.

Earlier this year, I ventured to pick up my first fantasy read by the author after being introduced to her work through her sci-fi, Murderbot Diaries series. Next, I spotted City of Bones and was well-primed to enjoy another fantasy world and the author’s wry writing style.

I was unaware until after I grabbed it that City of Bones is a re-release re-write, and the book was actually among one of her first books ever written. I’m not sure what the older edition of City of Bones read like, but I was no ends of impressed once again with a clever worldbuilding, characters, and twisting intrigue of an exciting plot. This didn’t feel like an early effort, but was a solid fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world.

The star of the book, Khat, is a humanoid called a Krisman, a desert people, but not human. The kris were created by the Ancient mages with some extras that allow them to thrive in the Wastes outside the human cities. I had a Murderbot moment when I realized that this very created set up left his situation precarious with the humans who saw him as disposable, drawing a sarcastic humor out of him, and was the driving factor to work with the mysterious Warder when hired. Khat and his human partner, Sagai are artifact dealers and take on work outside the protection of the city. I loved Khat from the get go and wanted to see him get untangled from the trouble he’s in due to debt and staying out of the eye of certain humans.

While the world is all magic, desert fantasy, ancient artifacts that lead to the Warder and others scrambling to get their hands on certain pieces for a mysterious purpose, this was heist-style adventure, too. It took a bit to get going with a ponderous pace at first, but I was ready for that and eagerly awaited when things really got rolling showing twists and surprises plenty.

By the end, and this was a longer piece, I was disappointed to see it end. Sadly, yes, it’s a standalone, but one can hope for more in this world. I would say this is a good gateway for sci-fi lovers to get into fantasy since the world is post-apocalyptic and the adventures are treasure hunt-style making it have a wider audience appeal.

Having read Murderbot and enjoyed it, I looked forward to reading more by this author. The world building and conflict in this book is beautiful. I agree with others that it started off a little slowly, but overall a great read. I look forward to more.

My thanks to NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first "fantasy" book from Martha Wells and honestly what an impressive brain. To be able to seamlessly write sci-fi and fantasy is quite the talent.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Khat, a Kris relic hunter, was hired by Elen, a Warder to take a group out to a Remnant in the Wasteland to check if a particular relic she had possession of was related. Despite pirates and a mad Warder, they did find their answer. But one mystery solved just kept leading to other mysteries. Then there were the deaths that seemed to be happening connected with particular relics and unrest at the Palace. Khat, Elen and their changing cadre soon found themselves involved in an attempt to save the city and maybe the world from an existential threat. A nicely done fantasy with plenty of interesting characters involved in intrigue, problem solving, and archeology.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title!

I am a huge fan of Murderbot so I was excited to read this earlier work by Martha Wells. Charisat is the greatest city in a post apocalyptic world where food, especially water is the highest commodity. This city is built in tiers and where you live is determined by your social class. There are many interesting layers to this world and society. Especially Khat, who is not human and was made to survive in the desert the world has become. Although the book starts slow it definitely picks up and then you are invested. Thank you #NetGalley for my arc.

I know when I pick up a Martha Wells book that I am about to experience exceptional reading experience and City of Bones fulfilled that expectation. This book had amazing world building and character development, but the beginning was a little slow. Wells did an exceptional job with the post-apocalyptic fantasy world she has created and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great standalone fantasy novel.

City of Bones brought be back to the fantasy story that I really liked a lot. Martha Wells writing was just beautiful. Her world-building is exceptional and really draws you in. The details put into it as well as the crafting of the overall narrative was one of the best that I have read this year.

The power play, mystery and and intrigued that's woven into the story was just right up my alley. The pacing was good and the characters were well-fleshed out. There were moments that can break one's heart, light moments that can make one laugh and some twists and turns that were just done great.

Seriously, just give this book a try.

5 stars out of 5.

City of Bones is a standalone fantasy that Martha Wells first published in 1995. In september the revised and updated version was released with Tor. Martha Wells has quite the list of books that she has written before Murderbot. And I did love her more recent Witch King. However this one didn't quite live up to what I have priorly read of her. Its not a bad book. But it was not memorable.

Khat is hired by warders (magic users) to find a relic in one of the arcane engines that the last ancients left behind. When this expedition goes wrong, he is pulled into a much bigger plot that might take everyone a step back into history.

When a fantasy has a rich history and ancients to be discovered about, that always excites me. And I do think that was one of the better things about this book. The pull, the mystery of that. However this book has quite a slow build and doesn't leave much room at the end for the pay off. Of the actual discovery of ancients. It was: here is one. Now its gone. That was absolutely not enough. I could have dealt with that had this been a series and if we would have had to chance to dive in deeper. But this is a standalone.

Slow builds in fantasy is not unusual. Things have to be set up. Unfortunately I did not care enough about the characters. Khat should have been interesting for who he was and his background, but it didn't move me. I cared even less about the warder. They just were not compelling to me. Not memorable.

Adding on to that, the plot had little surprises. It trudged on in the slow build up where my mind kept yelling; can't you see?

Having said that, I did find the history and the magic/science surrounding the relics and the ancient engines really interesting. It is not a bad book. But because of the above mentioned, just not very memorable.

It was a long extra few weeks before I finished this standalone sci-fi and fantasy, but I finished and it was both super technical and somehow dramatic yet fun throughout. The audiobok definitely helped get me more invested with how this story is told. In particular to grasp the main characters voices and lifestyles in this dystopic city. They were chaotic but logical somehow for a setting that underestimates them for there positions. Which I automatically resonate with the complicated role they have to balance each are put in that's always nicely done in these genres and more so I ones with political infighting.

Sad to say I’m dnfing this for now. Love her sci fi books but this one isn’t catching my interest at the moment

Sometimes a book comes along to give you all kinds of things you didn't know you were craving, from epic settings and brilliant characters to complex world-building and excellent pacing. City of Bones was all of that for me and I'm so very glad to have had a chance to discover it. Thanks to Tordotcom and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been an avid Fantasy reader for decades now and sometimes it is easy to think that you're up to date on what is happening in a genre, who its major players are, and how the genre is developing. And then you're proven completely and utterly wrong. Martha Wells had not been on my radar whatsoever and this rerelease of City of Bones came at just the right time to show my how incomplete my radar has been all these years. City of Bones was first released in 1996 and I just have no idea how I did not stumble across it earlier. It is an actual mystery to me because it has everything I wanted. This edition is updated and revised from the original text, so I can't comment on the previous edition, but City of Bones quickly marked itself out as a Fantasy classic for me and I am so very grateful to Tordotcom for bringing it (along with some of Wells' other updated texts) to my attention and that of other readers.

Charisat, the capital of the Trade Empire, sits on the edge of the Waste and houses much of what is left of humanity. After an apocalyptic period, in which the seas disappeared and the Waste arose, society has gone through a major shift which has seen new power structures arise and new crises emerge. At the heart of City of Bones is Khat, a Kris man. The Kris are a race created by the Ancients to survive the Waste, so while Khat has all kinds of skills and abilities, most of the population of Charisat considers him something of an abomination. He is making a living through the relic trade though, along with his partner Sagai, and manages to survive the various hardships of the lower tiers. It is in this way that he becomes entangled with Elen, a Warder of the First Tier, who seems to share his interest in the relics of the Ancients and the power and knowledge they may reveal. The two quickly become caught up in games being played at the highest echelons of power. City of Bones is told from both Khat and Elen's perspectives, which gives the reader a great introduction to the world of Charisat from both the lowest and highest position. Both characters are also delightful and their connection is built up in a very natural way. I found myself becoming genuinely fond of not just them, but also the supporting characters, especially Sagai and his family. City of Bones also manages to combine post-apocalyptic and Fantasy themes and motifs seamlessly and consistently surprised me with where it went.

Martha Wells has been writing for decades and yet her writing felt incredibly fresh to me, as if she is playing a familiar game in a wholly new way. What really astounded me about City of Bones was how it at once felt incredibly unrushed and how it yet achieved so much. The characters, for example, are built up in a very natural way, and so is their connection to each other. You can see how they grow in each other's estimation, how they come to recognise little quirks about each other, without Wells having to impress upon you that they are getting to know each other. And this also extends to the world-building, which is simply astounding. I thought about it, after finishing the novel, and I can't fault this world in any way. Wells manages to somehow explain the smallest details about how this complex, tiered city and society of Charisat works without it feeling like she'd exposition-dumping. Each aspect of this world made sense and contributed to the plot in some way. It is just wholly contained in a way that makes sense and doesn't bleed over into anything I've read before. Some aspects, especially the Kris as a separate race, did kind of remind me of Ursula K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness, but more because both play with race, gender, identity, class, etc. in very interesting ways through their characters. Wells employs these themes in really interesting ways which at once solidify the world to the reader, but also allow it to be relevant to our own, modern world. I can't really overstate the way in which City of Bones surprised me. Rather than race through it, I really took my time with this novel and kind of let it wash over me slowly. I also love that this is a stand-alone. While I adored the characters and would not complain about seeing more of them, I love a good self-contained story that has an ending. I am very glad, however, that I have Wells' The Book of Ile-Rien to look forward to next so I'm not without good Fantasy any time soon!

Martha Wells worked her way up my list of Fantasy authors very quickly once I dove into City of Bones. A stunningly crafted world, filled with history, myth, and crisis, and peopled with fascinating characters, City of Bones is bound to give Fantasy readers everything they could want.

I don't think I can read a Martha Wells book as an ebook - The writing style was really nice but it was hard to read it as an ebook, would have had a better time with a physical copy
This was my first Martha Wells book though so I would like to read more since I've heard a lot about the murderbot diaries
3.5 STARs

City of Bones by Martha Wells is a captivating and imaginative science fiction novel that transports readers to a unique and intriguing universe. Set in a world where vast, ancient cityscapes float among the clouds, the story introduces readers to a complex and meticulously crafted world.

The novel follows the character of Lieutenant Touraine, a soldier from an occupied colony, and her journey as she becomes embroiled in political intrigue and a fight for freedom. Touraine is a compelling protagonist, and her inner conflict as she navigates loyalty to her homeland and her growing empathy for the people she's supposed to oppress adds depth to the narrative.

City of Bones is a thought-provoking and beautifully crafted science fiction novel that combines rich world-building, complex characters, and political intrigue. Biggest thanks to netgalley for this earc, I really enjoyed this world and the characters.

I’m so glad to have to opportunity to read this! Martha wells has the remarkable talent of dropping one into the story, completely lost, but completely willing to stay the course. Her world building in City of Bones is slow and layered, leaving the reader sure there is more to be learned. In this wonderful story of knowledge and the power of things left behind, that is the exact feeling one wants to have by the end. Khat has the feeling of a deep backstory without the necessity of sharing all of it. The characters around him are rich and interesting but always clearly seen from his point of view, obscured by his experiences and prejudices. The reader is never sure who is on which side, right up until the end. But through it all, we’re rooting for Khat. Wells is so good at character that one forgets one hasn’t read a hundred other stories about this one person.

After reading The Witch King, I was expecting another wild adventure with high fantasy worldbuilding, and this did not disappoint!

City of Bones was originally released in 1995, but recently was re-released with updated text. What I read was a classic quest story with phenomenal storytelling and characters.

The story follows Khat, a backwoods antique dealer hailing from a superhuman race who finds himself in the Waste - a fearsome desert wasteland in the ruins of an old city of the Ancients - at the request of a band of magicians. On his journey, he unveils political turmoil and conspiracies that put the entire civilization in peril.

Wells’ ability to develop such wonderful characters that you empathize with is beyond belief in the best way possible. Like in The Witch King, the protagonists are multi-dimensional and empathetic, making for an excellent fantasy read.

The plot itself keeps you invested throughout, and the worldbuilding is interesting and captivating. Its introduction to the reader is a lot more eased into than The Witch King, so I would definitely recommend for anyone wanting a great high fantasy read that isn’t too overwhelming - its perfect for all readers!

3.5 stars!
This is my first book by Martha and I thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to receive an e-ARC for this book. The world building amazes me and the details and the depth of the story was wow. I think what made me rate it 3.5 stars was the connection to the characters and I didn't feel that much connection but the storyline and the writing style was fantastic.

ARC received by Tor Publishing Group, Tordotcom via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT!