TLDR; Mages, ancient artifacts, black-market relic dealers, air spirits and ghosts, all in a carefully-crafted fantasy world.

An ancient cataclysm has turned lush oceans into desert wastes, deadly to humans and crawling with venomous creatures. Scattered throughout the wastes are the remnants of an ancient civilisation crafted by mages thousands of years before. Khat, a slightly shady relic dealer, makes these remnants his livelihood.

Charisat is one of the last cities and those who live on the highest tier enjoy manicured gardens and palaces, while those on the 8th struggle to survive the cutthroat streets. When a mysterious visitor from the upper tiers approaches Khat with a job, a series of events unravel which cannot be undone.

The world-building in this story is absolutely first class. What could quite easily be a standard "this city has poor and rich areas" is really well thought out and grounded in the world it's set in. The world building extends to the air-spirits and ghosts that haunt the wastes, and link them neatly to the deep magic system that exists.

The characters are also deep enough and with their own motivations to be interesting and to make the reader want to know more about them. It really feels like everyone, even those we just meet in passing, have their own lives and tales to tell. I would love a spin-off about the warders and the silent market.

What this book does better than many others is bring everything to a thundering climax that feels like it has actual high stakes and a reason for everyone involved in it to be there. This isn't a case of Khat being "the chosen one" - our cast of characters have specific jobs that explain their involvement.

I will say that this book starts off a little slower than I'd expected. But if you stick with it, open your mind to the history and culture, and immerse yourself in this magical setting, you'll enjoy a truly original and creative adventure with a very satisfying ending.

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for this advanced copy.

Martha Wells always creates such amazing worlds that just entrap me. I loved the intrigue, characters and the multilayered world!

4.5 stars

Starting this book I was a bit confused about what was going on, we are thrown right into Khat and Sagai negotiating a trade for a relic and I had no idea what was going on. However, after the first couple of chapters once we get some more background I really started to enjoy the story. I found this world fascinating, and I loved the hunt for the relics and seeing our characters trying to figure out what they are supposed to be for. There are a lot of twists and turns, and the story was engaging and kept me glued to the pages in the last half.

This is the first book I've read by Martha Wells, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more.

Thank you to Tor on NetGalley for the ARC of the revised version that I received. I’d been planning on reading this book earlier this year before I learned that Wells was releasing this new version.

I really like sci-fi/fantasy books where archaeological/historical mysteries are central to the plot. It did take me nearly half the book to really get into it though.
I’m not sure what it is about Wells’ fantasy writing that makes it difficult for me to connect and love in the same way I do Murderbot. And it’s not just because Murderbot is such a relatable character, I tend to like a lot of characters for their own merits that aren’t necessarily relatable to me. Or character that I hated and loved to hate and looked forward to if/when they died. But I had difficulty making any kind of emotional opinion on the majority of the characters for the first half of the book, which might be in part because there isn’t a lot of humour up until Khat kissed Elen just to piss Seul off (I enjoy it when main characters are little shits to assholes like Seul), and although humour isn’t a necessary part to a good story, I tend to enjoy stories more if there’s some kind of humour.

With her worldbuilding, Wells left a lot of potential to explore more if she so chooses, but also gave us enough to feel like we understood it. As the disaster that left the world the way it is integral to the social and racial problems Khat has to deal with, but also the plot, Wells builds on it in a way that honest to humanity in general. The farther away from the disaster these people are, the less they know about it except for what they can find in historical texts. We learn more about it organically, not as an information dump except when they characters also learn something new, and the same applies to their magic. Although with Khat as our primary POV, we don’t get a whole lot of deep understanding as to how the magic in this world works, which I think is good because how the magic works isn’t important and I think would have taken away from the story as a whole.

I always appreciate the outcome of a relationship to be honest to the characterizations established. So the fact that Khat and Elen aren’t involved at by the end, or are planning to be involved, is something I’m glad wasn’t forced. Just because a pairing has potential doesn’t mean it has to become something, especially since in the case of Khat and Elen there were a multitude of racial/social/personal issues already between them that meant that they weren’t necessarily a good pair. I’m glad Wells acknowledged that by having at least Khat be self-aware enough to voice his concerns when Elen brought it up.

This isn’t a book you get into only because you liked Murderbot. It has a different style, a different feel, but if you’re willing to explore the range of an author, and you like the type of books this one falls under, then I definitely recommend giving it a read.

Title: City of Bones
Author: Martha Wells
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Publishing Date: Sept 5, 2023
Pages: 416
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

An enjoyable, fun, and adventurous read for sci fi lovers!
The characters were very enjoyable and their development was great. I don’t usually like books that make romance a part of the plot, so this book really made me happy! There were hints of romance but not enough to make it very significant in the story, which I really like. Especially in a sci-fi book.
I didn’t actually know that this was a revision of a book from the 90’s! How super cool! Although I can’t compare the two, since I haven’t read the original, I did really love this version and the plot flowed well and was very well written. I love that it’s being brought back into the light for more readers to enjoy!
The world building wasn’t all there for me… I am a huge lover of good world building, especially because I heavily read fantasy, sci fi and dystopia- and imo, those need good world building to immerse the reader. It was well written and gets the point across, but was just a little lacking and I felt it could have pulled me in more.
I would recommend to sci fi readers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

City of Bones by Martha Wells

As I have said before, Murderbot is one of the absolute best characters to come out of SF in years. I remember when I read the description of Martha Wells’s All Systems Red and thought to myself “I’ve got to put that on hold at the library!” And I was right - it was excellent. I have eagerly awaited each new Murderbot book and also read some of the Rakusa series when it was nominated for the Best Series Hugo, it I have not made the time to dive into Ms. Wells's back catalog. So I was excited when NetGalley and the publisher gave me an eARC of the reprint of City of Bones, one of Martha Wells’s earlier works, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel. We follow an unscrupulous relic dealer and a more naive trainee wizard as they work together to track down some ancient secrets. The world building was very interesting in the novel - the striated society made sense and felt real. Khat was an interesting protagonist - selfish but not unlikable. The book was a little long, it nonetheless enjoyable. A satisfying early work by this author.

This was a wonderful read, though I was, unfortunately unable to finish it, as my phone lost my place and I was unable to find the correct page. When I say lost, I mean LOST! I have loved all of the Murderbot series and was thoroughly enjoying this one as well. I will definitely read the rest of it once I get my hands on a hard copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for this advanced copy.

A classic with some revisions, it was perfect, enjoyable, and adventurous. I always love how Martha Wells' s style.

3.5/5⭐️

The first half of this book really took me out. I’m used to world building and appreciated the detail that went into this, which isn’t my issue. My issue was that the world building occurred with little to no plot which made it very difficult to read. This was my first book by Martha and I went in knowing nothing. Didn’t read the synopsis or anything. I had to go read the synopsis to figure out what was the point because it was all world building. I stuck through with it because this was an ARC and I wanted to give a fair review, but if I was reading this any other way I would have DNF’d due to the slow start. The second half however was great, but I feel like half of the internal thoughts for the first half could have been cut to get to the better stuff without sacrificing the world building.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Khat and his partner Sagai are artifact hunters, combing through the desert for rare treasures from an ancient civilization. Khat is krisman, a humanoid species considered debased and lesser by the general human population, so when a mysterious and powerful Warder wants to buy his services as a guide, he doesn’t have much of a choice. But when the trek goes awry and Khat returns to his home base in the Imperial city of Charisat, danger follows. In Charisat, one can find both unimaginable wealth and poverty… and as Khat discovers, age-old magic.

In addition to the beloved Murderbot books, I’ve read most of Martha Wells’ Raksura books and enjoyed them. Consequently, I was excited to see news of this being released in late 2023. I initially thought it was brand new, but it’s a re-release of a 1990s novel with revisions, making this the author’s preferred text.

I enjoyed it immensely. When I reread the first quarter of the original version, I didn’t notice a lot of changes other than a tightening up of prose. I usually approach 1990s and earlier sci-fi and fantasy with some caution, expecting some level of out-of-date mores and worldbuilding only a mother could love, but this once again shows Martha was ahead of her time. The krismens’ place in society– both lowerclass and oversexualized– and Khat’s reactions to how he’s treated and how he reacts are nuanced. Elen’s position as a female Warder rings true now.

Lots of other good things too– the plot moves along quickly and is enjoyable. The world-building is extraordinary-- this is a kind of dystopian fantasy with a now absent advanced civilization, leaving lots to reveal. Highly recommended! I’m so glad this is getting released again so more folks will read it.

💙🧡 City of Bones Review 🧡💙

Thank you so much to Martha Wells and Tor Dot Com for the opportunity to read and review this book!

City of Bones is a fantasy standalone novel. In the city of Charisat, life is hard, but the surrounding wastes are harder. Khat is part a humanoid race created by the Ancients and he works with his business partner Sagai as a black market relic dealer. When Khat is hired to find relics, nothing goes as expected and he soon finds himself on the run in the wastes and trying to defend the city against an evil they never expected

This was an interesting read. I really enjoyed the fantasy world that was built. It had political intrigue and a caste system that was very interesting. The characters were fun and unique as well. There was an implied romance subplot, but I found myself wanting more of that because I felt there was some lore surrounding the characters races that could have been explained better, and less politics - but that’s a “me” issue and not a book issue

Overall this was a solid three star read for me. I enjoyed the fantasy world and the characters, but I selfishly just wanted a little more from them. As there was a small romance subplot, but no on page spice - one flame for smut

If you’re a fan of complex fantasy worlds, political drama, unique characters and secret cults, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please Note: Review will be posted to Amazon upon publication

AHHH such a beautiful revision of this book!!! i loved every page and got so swept up in the world. i read it ages ago and it was so nice to reread. m

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: The Warders in the Waste
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: Khat
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Delayed
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Novel
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Fantasy + sci-fi elements (High Fantasy)
3.8/𝟱

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Alien beings
~ New world & world order
~ Fun & well conceived description of city, currency & social interactions
~ Khat & Constans
~ Well tied-up ending

We’re in Charisat, where there are Warders, circles of unhappiness (living locations), the Kris ppl & arcane machines. Enter Khat, a relic dealer & his companion Sagai, two foreigners who will stumble over the intrigue of the enforcers of the Elector (king) & the great plan the arcane devices created by the ancients was destined to do. BUT only after they have killed a few ppl, incriminated some others, been followed by ghosts that freeze people to death & rip apart their minds & a mad-man who may be saner than anyone assumes.

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ Elen 🙄 grow a spine & some confidence - you’ve had the WHOLE book to do so

♡🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲 ;)

—
🎁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 @𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁.

This story was so engaging. I was Khat, in my mind, living thru him. Khat is one of the main characters. He is different, weird, risk taker, the loveable savior in this story. Martha Wells writes great characters. All of them are so engrained in my mind because she knows how to develop and write fantastic characters. Even the secondary ones are so good, they should all have their own books!

A long epic tale, It’s about a world after something/someone destroyed what we know about earth. No more oceans, water is scarce, the Industrial Revolution is nowhere to be seen. Life is by trade, magic and maybe thievery! Life is hard, the classes or tiers represent the struggle and poverty of it’s people. But family and friendships are still the guiding force. We are introduced to Khat who is strange and his life is as a relic dealer at the lowest tier of life and poverty. The story takes us on a journey of saving this world and the people and lifestyle that is current. Adventures, murders, fights and intrigue. Mystery, artifacts, magical realism, monsters, ghosts and the dead from beyond. What more could we want. Epic.
I couldn’t put it down and wished it didn’t end. I think and hope there will be a sequel. Pick this one up soon! Front of the TBR for sure.

Like many of Wells's other books that I've tried to read after the Murderbot books, this one lacks the same magic. CITY OF BONES is a solid standalone fantasy--the characters are likable, the worldbuilding is detailed, and the pacing is solid. I just didn't fall in love with this book.

Watch out for Martha Wells–I get the feeling she is playing with a different Dungeons and Dragons set than the rest of the world. Rarely has someone in fantasy so consistently impressed me with inventiveness. In City of Bones, she does it again.**

City of Bones is set in the city of Charisat, one of the few major cities remaining after an apocalypse has nearly destroyed humanity. Cities are surrounded by a hostile, desert Waste, and survivors rely on the roads of the Ancients to travel from one city to another. In Charisat, Khat, a krisman, and Sagai, a foreign scholar, are bargaining with a relic trader when they are approached by the entourage of a heavily robed but obviously wealthy individual. The group wants guidance to a nearby Ancient Remnant. Of course, Khat has skills as a local expert in Ancient artifacts–but he is all too aware that a kris, he is also expendable. However, there is a debt he’d like to clear and both the guide money and the wealthy patronage could buy him a way out. When the caravan is attacked by pirates in the Waste outside the city, it sets off a chain of complex events that result in Khat working with the mystery person to ‘collect’ two more relics from inside the city of Charisat. The anonymous aristocrat is revealed early on, so I hesitate to say more at the risk of spoilers, but bone prophecies, thievery, the underground market, the academy, ghost spirits–so many elements make this intriguing.

****************************

2018 update: Yep, still good. I tend to wonder when I read a book and love it, what all is playing into it on the first read? Time? Distraction? You get the picture. This remains extremely good, satisfying, as I recently noted on another review. This is despite a lackluster interest in fantasy in general lately. I think because Wells is so damn smart. Highly competent writing, enough description to answer some questions (which only leads to more) and then follows with a solid plot. This is one of her earliest books, published in 1995. Despite that, it is by no means a sophomore slump, and remains one of my favorites.

Notes from this read: the protagonist, Khat, is quite a bit like the sardonic noble-thief in The Death of the Necromancer. I don't mind. He's a great hero. Two, fight scenes seemed a little weak. Three, it deserves concentration. While the pace initially seems slow, it's because she won't hold your hand later when the plotting escalates. Second read still gave me book-hangover. Fourth, if she ever comes back to this world, I'm there in a flash.

**Wells' release of a 2023 updated version means I have to rework my 2018 review, as GR has inconveniently lumped the two editions together (sigh).

I was extremely interested to discover what choices might be made, decades after it was first published. I'm happy to report that I believe the changes worked very well. In a personal nod to my long-term memory, I think I noticed quite a few of those changes, but that's because this has long been one of my go-to stand-alone fantasy novels. I'll note that it is very tailored to the type of fantasy and sci-fi I grew up with; very much what I think of as 'head voice,' and one-person perspective (okay, she sneaks in another, but not often). If you like the fast pace of Murderbot, or a dialogue-based book or multiple narratives, this might not work. Then again, give it a try. She just might help you develop that long, deep attention span because it's hard to pull away.

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy of the 2023 edition.

Thank you so much to the publishers and author for giving me the chance to review this book!

This story reminds me of a mix between Indiana Jones and National Treasure, as these characters search for magical artifacts from an ancient civilization.

I enjoyed reading this but overall felt as though the story was missing something. I struggled to care about the characters and their pursuits. The world-building felt a bit lacking, it was all very surface level in my opinion. Most of the emphasis surrounded the relics and the trade within the city. I would have loved to see a deeper dive into the characters, the history of the city and the krismen. I feel as if this story should have offered so much more but it just didn’t quite get there.

This was my first read by Martha Wells after hearing so many great things about the Murderbot series I had high expectations that just weren’t quite met with this story, unfortunately. I do think that this story would appeal to newcomers to the fantasy and sci-fi genre.

In the beginning I had a hard time getting to into the first 25%. After that thing started to pick up as I got to know the characters and world better. A commentary on class, a hunt for relics (Indians Jones-y?) it was enjoyable, just needed to give myself a chance to become invested in the characters. Looking forward to read more of Martha Wells’ backlist!

Like much of Wells's work, this is a tale of class, gender, and exploitation wrapped up in a thrilling adventure. I had not read the original version, so I can't compare it to this new release. I will say that it's much less spooky than the blurb might lead you to believe. It's an enjoyable book, but lacks the zip and humor that makes Murderbot such an effortless read. Wells's worldbuilding is as inventive and impeccable as always, though.

Another great work by Martha Wells. Terrific worldbuilding and characters. I really enjoyed the relationship between Khat and Sagai - along with Khat's relationships with Sagai's family. While Murderbot is still my favorite of Wells' works (as well as one of my favorite all time works), I find myself impressed by everything Wells writes.