This is a very light fantasy set in a world described as 'Medici Florence meets Tony Soprano's New Jersey'. It follows Davico, the young heir to a considerable business empire and a pawn in the plans of others until he isn’t. The story starts out slow and is heavy on detail and feels very literary. It plods along quite the thing with plenty of intrigue, lots of politics and a coming of age story to keep the reader on board until it shifts gear and becomes a whole lot more exciting. I didn't expect the change in pace but it really made the book and completely changed how I felt about it. Ultimately, for me, the intricate politics and world building were worth the investment for the more character driven finale.

Set in a fictional city-state called Navola, an ill-suited and reluctant heir to a merchant-banking empire must learn to covet power before rival families rip it out from under him.

Had I been rating this book solely on the last 25% I would have rated this higher.

At first I was in awe of the extensive world building and level of detail but around the 50 page mark I started to question if it was being built just for the sake of building it? I felt more like I was reading a history textbook than a novel with pages upon pages of info dumping. Overall the world building vastly overshadowed the plot and completely stalled the momentum until that last 25%.

I feel the marketing for this book was incredibly misleading. Readers looking to find the next epic fantasy filled with dragons will likely be left disappointed.

Experiencing this story solely from Davico's point of view felt like experiencing a video game as an NPC with perverted tendencies.

Perhaps the most memorable (not in a positive way) aspects of this book were the pseudo-incest and term 'root' used EXCESSIVELY as a euphemism. The former further highlighted this novel's imitations of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. The inclusion of the latter may require therapy to overcome. Whilst I don't mind sex in books, I did not like it's portrayal in this story which was unfortunate as it was included excessively.

Celia was by far the most interesting character. This book would have been vastly more interesting from her point of view.

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC of this book. Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me.

A lucsious detailed fantasy which takes darker turns... To some of the other reviews, yes it is slow in places, yes the main character is naive, simple, not for his world. That is kind of the point and what makes this novel work.

Davico is heir to a family whose power, fortune and nature becomes evident through the first section of a book, in a fantasy world reminiscent of the older city state power bases of the mediterranean. He is described by another early on as 'soft-hearted', not one most suited to power, and the first two acts of the book explore whether despite his flaws, Davico will take his ordained place. This is someone looking back at life from childhood onward, a mix of his development, character and growing awareness of the world around him in it's nature and exercise of power. This is not a character perhaps destined for greatness and the novel is all the better for that.

Excellent in-depth world building, and despite one perspective a good idea of the different factions, places and character (albeit with intentions often misread) makes for a strong and intense novel. What may be viewed as a traditional fantasy novel changes to a darker, brutal tone in the final part. Possibly the best of the author's titles.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

"He sought to play in politics, where the art of faccioscuro is both sword and shield, and he held neither."

In ruthless Navola, an alternate fantasy Renaissance Italy, we are introduced to the di Regulai, a powerful family of a banking empire with Machiavellian control over politics and power. 'Navola' follows Davico, the young scion of the di Regulai family, groomed throughout his youth to hopefully become a political adept like his father, and as he grows up we explore alongside him what it means to be a power-player in this slippery world of half-truths and duplicity.

It's a slow and meandering book for the majority especially during Davico's childhood - the first 70% is full of interminable teenage angst, hormones, stupidity and self-absorption. Davico's wilful naivety makes him a frustrating protagonist to follow, but surprisingly, Bacigalupi doesn't hold back on the devastating consequences and that's when it becomes a riveting read as Davico's life unravels overnight.

The writing is luscious but frequently becomes languorous, I enjoyed the vivid descriptions but Bacigalupi self-indulges a bit too much for my liking. The archetypes of each nation's people are expounded upon at length and is repeated so often it borders on masturbatory - I get quite early on that the Navolese are dissembling in the service of politics and power so it bogs the story down when this is repeated over and over.

Navola (the city) itself often steals the spotlight from Davico - it's history, the various city-state factions and the political tussle between mercantile, state and nobility are so lovingly built by Bacigalupi that I don't think the protagonist ever had a fighting chance. It's a shame and I'm likely biased here but the women in Davico's story have always been the most interesting aspect. I would've happily wallowed in this world if we were reading their stories instead. The tension in Celia regarding Davico's family who adopted and educated her well beyond her station and their role in her family's destruction converges in a tantalising conflict in the climax. Lady Furia, by all accounts a horrible person but someone who has not only survived but thrived in this patriarchal world with her merciless cynicism. Ashia, a slave owned by the Davico's father, (who is criminally underutilised) manoeuvres her situation to her advantage and becomes one of Davico's father's closest confidantes. They all understand their world and how quickly their fortunes can rise and fall all by virtue of their gender

I often enjoy stories where the protagonist retrospectively reflects on their life, in particular the many regrets and lost opportunities (case in point: Fitzchivalry Farseer) but just a little more maturity and self awareness from the protagonist would've made this story compelling from start to end.

I had a mixed experience with this book. Overall I acknowledge that it was a good book but I can't honestly say I enjoyed it. Here's the thing - this is literary fiction focusing on one specific and very myopic view of humanity dressed in the borrowed plumage of fantasy fiction - and very little fantasy at that. I really enjoyed the slow burn reveal of a meticulously built quasi- Italian city state world circa Renaissance era. But this had very little plot. The MC refuses the call not once but for the entirety of the book. He refuses to grow up or to make a choice so choices are made for him. Ultimately the last quarter of the book is him being punished for this. I am not a squeamish reader but when a character gets shoved on his face every time he tries to rise, I get bored. I very nearly DNFed this for that reason especially with Celia's out of left field actions that were over explained in the moment to compensate for not being set up properly. It's left open ended but I can't honestly say that I'm keen to continue.

Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi is a skillful blend of history and fantasy that was a very imersive read.

The Regulai Bank dominates the city of Navola, it is a dynasty borne of cunning and intrigue. Davico di Regulai is the heir to the dynasty, yet he is an unwilling heir, not sure if he is made to continue the line. Armies, Assassins, Enemies, all want a piece of the Navola Pie. Who will prevail?

Beautifully written, this is very much setting the pace for what will be a belter of a saga - I am looking forward to seeing where it goes!

Thank you to NetGalley, Head of Zeus | Head of Zeus -- an AdAstra Book and Paolo Bacigalupi for this compelling ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Having never read anything by the author, I was drawn in by the description of Navola, both the place where the book is set, and the book in general. While this was a slower read for me than others due to personal circumstances, I felt like I was able to slip in and out of the political machinations of the di Regulai household with ease, and am already on my reread of this!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the digital ARC it has not affected my honest review.

Initially I thought I would love this book but upon reading it I found very little fantasy and more of an in depth retelling of the Medici family of bankers from Florence.

This book is something for sure. But I am not so sure about what this “something” is. I have so many conflicting thoughts about this one and the fact that what I think of as the strengths of this book are at the same time, its weaknesses (for me, obviously) does not help, at all. It is hard to write a review for such a book, so I decided to go with a bullet list and see how things go!

1)The Worldbuilding. This is a book with strong world-building. Maybe too strong. I love a world well-developed, for sure, but here I think that the book could have been way shorter (and more enjoyable) with a bit less. I mean, this is totally a personal taste kind of thing, but this is a long book, mostly slow-paced, and on a couple of occasions we get some interludes with the lore of the world. On a purely theoretical level, this is interesting and makes for a really well-thought-out world, sure, but I was not interested in them. I just wanted to go on with the story (I mean, it is slow, and we are taking forever to go where we are going, dear author, show some mercy on us and get things going, do not go into a tangent about ancient gods and things like that, please!!)

2)The Worldbuilding. Part 2. This book takes a lot of inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, and it is fascinating and good. Sure. It is a really strong inspiration, and for the most part, I enjoyed it, but the book is full of words that sound almost Italian. Some of them are Italian (and about that, the copy I read is an ARC so it’s not the “real deal”, but there is a sentence in there that is in Italian and it has a grammatical error that would make any Italian cry in horror and despair, so I hope they changed it in the final edition). But back to the point, some of these words and sentences are Italians, others sound like ancient Italian and a mix of Italian and Latin, and some inventions by the author. They add weight to this World, but they are also too much. In the beginning, it was intriguing, but after a point, it all became too much!

3)The Characters. Davico and Celia are the MCs and, to be honest, they are not bad characters. This is a coming-of-age story, and we follow these two growing into some formidable adults. And they are good characters, they are fascinating, and they are intriguing. But they are also teens so we have to deal with teen dramas and tantrums that do not go anywhere, and I was not a fan of it.
Even more so because the adults here are amazing characters! I don’t really care about Davico and Celia when we have characters like Cazzetta, Ashia, and Davico’s father around! They all are characters that sound bigger than life, they are amazing and almost supernatural because they can’t be that good and still be humans. I don’t want a book about Davico! I want a book about Cazzetta and Lugo! About Ashia and Lady Furia! I want to know how the beautiful mind of Devonaci works in all its magnificent splendor!

4)The Politics. Okay, here I don’t have anything bad to say. The politics in this book are superb. They are complex and we have so many twists and turns. It is epic and it is really well developed.

5)The Plot. This is one of those books where things happen but it doesn’t really feel like it. I had the impression that nothing was happening for so long! And I get that it helps set the context for it all, and usually, I am not against authors taking their sweet time to get somewhere, really, but here it just takes forever to get to the point, with so many detours and tangents. It was a bit maddening.
And what’s more is that when something big happens, it always happens in the same way. So, it takes forever and it is also boring? Not good!!

6)The Pace. It is a slow-going book, and I would have loved something a bit shorter because we could do without some of the descriptions and scenes that the author offers us, but that’s not all. It is that the book is unbalanced. After the first half, we have a lot of things happening, (always in this “a lot is happening, but nothing is happening” kind of way), and the tone becomes darker (it is a dark book on the whole, but the second half is more so than the first one). Also, I thought this was a standalone but nope… the story is not ending here, so we have a last spurt of happenings and a bit of flow and then the book ends so we don’t get an ending to all of this.

All in all, it wasn’t the right fit for me, but if you are interested in politics and complex worldbuilding, this could be the right book for you!

Thank you for an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher Head of Zeus

Well... This was really interesting story full of twists and turns, however, tha pacing was killing me.
Sometimes I could not put the book down, sometimes I could not read more than three pages because it was so painfully slow. I was interested in the story and plot, though the main character was a naive, childish even as an young adult, or adult. I dont want to spoil anything lets just say it did get better at the end, but the book could be shorter and definetely without so many dirty talks and the sexual hints. The word root was used so many times, that I have lost count. Definetely an adult book. But this is just my point of view.
The atmosphere was great and the Italian like cities were a fresh change to a mostly feudal middle age England settings of fantasy books (I do not mind them).
Overall I did enjoy this book and I am curious enough to continue, but I can understand the critique.
3,5 stars

3.5 stars rounded up

This is a very hard book to rate. The prose is excellent, and the world incredibly fascinating. I loved the mythology and the politics, but I found the protagonist terribly frustrating. He's extremely passive, to the point where this didn't even feel like his story. I would have liked this much more if we'd followed Celia instead, of even his father.

I recommend checking this book out if you're a fan of political fantasy, and have a strong stomach, as it's very violent in places.

Italian inspired political fantasy that you can really get your teeth into? Yes please - a superb read!

I was looking for a meaty political fantasy, and this did not disappoint (even if this is just book one, we shall see how the rest goes ...).
As a fluent italian speaker I must admit to have has some trouble with the italian sounding (yet not quite there) terminology, I am honestly curious to see how this will look like in the Italian adaptation because I really struggle to see how the translators will make this work preserving the atmosphere. Language aside, Navola gave me pretty much what I was looking for - a close to GoT experience with the hope of a completion in sight. Jokes aside, I am planning to have an immersion reading session of this book when the audiobook comes out and my SE is delivered, I wouldn't be surprised if my rating after that would turn into a 5 stars.

In Navola, Paolo Bacigalupi (who also delivered the excellent clifi thriller The Water Knife) changes gears to produce a heady medieval fantasy for those needing Game of Thrones-style fix. Navola, the first of a series, is based around a city in an alternative medieval Italy. There are hints of fantasy (they come in the first page but these ingredients are used sparingly) but, much like Game of Thrones, the bulk of the novel is concerned with deep and complex political manipulation, violent power plays, interpersonal conflict and, in this case, the intricacies of medieval trade.
Navola centres around Davico, a young man growing up in a powerful banking family. His father is a ruthless businessman who controls the politics of the Italianate city/state of Navola which is split between traditional noble families and newly minted merchant powers. Davico is marked to take over the family business but does not feel that he has the temperament or the devious nature required. The novel follows Davico as he comes of age in this milieu, as his father tries to prepare him to take over the business and as the family’s enemies circle.
There is a lot of world building in Navola. Readers looking for a pulsing plot or constant action are likely to be disappointed. But for those looking to dive into a fully realised, dangerous alternative medieval world there is plenty to enjoy. Bacigalupi immerses readers in his world – the sights, sounds, characters and culture – all of which pays off when the plot shifts and twists. And when those shifts come they hit hard - this is a brutal world and there is plenty of physical, sexual and psychological violence to go round.
Unlike the multi-point of view approach of Game of Thrones, Navola is narrated by Davico from sometime in the future. Davico is in some ways a naïve and annoying character and this would be more frustrating if he was not so honest in his telling about his naivete and its implications. This approach makes the twists land harder as the manoeuvres are all happening outside of Davico’s knowledge but readers will also know that despite everything that happens to him, Davico will survive to tell the tale.
As noted, the fantasy element is flagged on page one. Davico’s father has the human-head sized eye of a dead dragon, although that eye is not quite as dead as it seems. There is also some implication that there is some influence of the gods in the affairs of men. Bacigalupi includes tales of the gods, and it feels like their influence may come to play a little more in later volumes. While the dragon eye does eventually come to play a part in the narrative, the focus of this tale (again like Game of Thrones) is on the fraught human struggle for power within the milieu that Bacigalupi has created.
Navola is a rich medieval fantasy and ultimately brutal coming of age story. While it is a slow build up, Bacigalupi pays off the investment and after 600 pages still manages to leave the whole enterprise on a tantalising cliffhanger. But for those who have found themselves drawn into this world and its characters, the cliffhanger is more of a promise of more to come. And they will definitely be back for more.

This is a placeholder review as I'm only about 25% through the book due to being a bit behind my reading schedule at the moment. I will update once finished. I just wanted to make sure it was done on publication day.

First of all, let me say I've been looking forward to reading this book for a long time, but I've also been dreading it, as I really didn't want it to disappoint. A quarter of the way through, and I'm having to force myself to stop reading so that I can go to sleep. I can say that it seems to be shaping up to be one of the best books that I've read this year. So, I'm going to rate it at 4 stars for now, but I imagine it will be 5 stars by the time I have finished.

Edit:

I was right. This book was outstanding. Updated to give five stars.

I loved the politics, the betrayals, the intrigue. Just everything and how it was written. At 3/4 of the way in, there's such a moment that I had to actually stop and take 5 minutes to decompress before I could continue. It just me that hard.

I love the characters. Celia. Wow. Davico... Just... Yes, it gets annoying when he acts like a child, but at the same time, my heart breaks for him.

This is just a suberb book. It really is outstanding, and I can't wait until the next one.

"Navola" tells the compelling story of Davico, a young heir to the influential Regulai clan, who navigates the wealth and intrigues of his family's merchant banking empire. Written entirely from Davico’s first-person perspective, the novel immerses you in his internal struggles with the heavy expectations placed upon him. His father, a clever, wise, and politically astute man, casts a long shadow, making Davico question his identity and place within the family.

Set in an alternate Renaissance Italy reminiscent of Guy Gavriel Kay’s works, "Navola" is a political and historical fantasy. The initial third of the book features a slow build-up, rewarding patient readers with a deeper immersion into the world. Despite the deliberate pacing, the early chapters are rich with political maneuvering and backstabbing.

The familiar trope of a young person growing up to defy expectations is present, but it is intricately woven with descriptions of Machiavellian intrigue and manipulations. From the middle of the book, the plot accelerates, plunging both Davico and the reader into a whirlwind of intrigue, betrayal, and suspense.

The cast of characters is well-developed, each operating with hidden motivations and agendas. The dynamics of power, family loyalty, and ambition are explored with nuance, adding depth to the narrative. "Navola" is a remarkable literary fantasy, offering a captivating blend of world-building, character development, plot complexity, politics, passion, poison, blood, and betrayal. It is deeply engaging and thought-provoking, making it a must-read.

My thanks to both the publisher Head of Zeus and NetGalley for a free e-arc and an honest opinion.

Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi transports readers to a richly imagined city reminiscent of Renaissance Florence, where political intrigue and familial power struggles abound. The protagonist, Davico di Regulai, is born into a powerful banking dynasty but harbors a love for nature that starkly contrasts with his family's ambitions. Bacigalupi skillfully brings the city and its complex inhabitants to life, weaving a tale of twisty politics and personal conflict that is both engaging and thought-provoking.

Davico's journey from a reluctant heir to a pivotal figure in Navola's future is marked by unexpected twists and turns, making his story a compelling read. The absence of overt fantastical elements until a critical moment enhances the impact of these rare occurrences, adding a layer of surprise and depth to the story.

Bacigalupi's world-building is meticulous, with every detail of Navola feeling tangible and real. The story's progression from Davico's personal struggles to broader political upheavals keeps readers on edge, culminating in a conclusion that is both harrowing and satisfying. Navola is a masterful blend of historical richness and intense drama, making it a must-read for fans of intricate fantasy narratives.

I struggled with this, and gave up at 30%. I don't normally mind a slow-paced book, but for a long time there didn't seem to be any action, only world building. I also found the fake Italian incredibly annoying, I didn't think it served any purpose. This wouldn't have mattered if the narrator/lead character had been less ineffectual, but he came across as an onlooker and I didn't feel any conection with him or any of the other characters. This is a highly personal opinion, as i notice other reviewers have praised the book highly. I feel sure it will appeal to other readers, but it wasn't for me. I should point out that I enjoyed 'The wind up girl', but that is very different.

They say that the true sons of Navola have twisty minds, which makes them amazing negotiators and traders. And Bankers. Davico di Regulai is born into one of the most powerful banking families in the land. They have their fingers in untold pies and control the city of Navola itself. But Davico does not think he is a true son of this city, he does not think like everyone else, and he prefers nature to contracts and power. But one day, the power of the di Regulai Bank will be his, and everyone worries about what will happen when it is.

This was an amazingly political twisty book, following the life of Davico and all the things that occur to him. Set in a city close to RL Florance, the writing is rich and full, bringing the city and its inhabitants to life. Not one to miss.

Obviously lots of fantasy is set in thinly veiled versions of mediaeval Europe, but more than anything Navola reminded me of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel trilogy, except riffing on Italy not France, and driven by power instead of sex. Which, yes, both authors know full well are deeply entangled, but I stand by the distinction all the same. The narrator here is Davico di Regulai, heir to a great banking dynasty, whose father wants to raise him as a fitting heir. But Davico has no gift for the twisty games (literal and figurative) or hidden motives which have made the city of Navola both powerful and notorious, and would really much rather be a herbalist instead. Even before the overt foreshadowing surfaced, those Kushiel parallels (not to mention basic tendencies in genre narrative) had me suspecting a reversal of fortune was coming, and we weren't just going to get the extended saga of a privileged son gradually being coaxed into the family business; nevertheless, I tended to be as surprised as Davico by exactly what happened and when, even as hindsight always showed it to have made perfect sense. Then too, it feels odd worrying about spoiler warnings when something is on the cover and mentioned in the opening sentence, but the near-absence of the outright fantastical is precisely what makes that dragon's eye so effective when it does come into play. I've not read any Bacigalupi since The Wind-Up Girl - which was excellent, but I can't face that strain of near-future plausible dystopia while I'm in one. So to some extent I'd forgotten how fully realised his worlds are, every flavour and faction feeling entirely tangible on the page. Which is precisely what makes this so seductive when it's a near-historical coming of age saga, and so utterly horrible when things go from bad to worse and then, as is so often the way, still somehow manage to get even worse. By the end it's a pretty gruelling read, yet one that never quite tipped over into gratuitous, and it ends in that rare spot which could be satisfying as a springboard into a sequel, or equally as a conclusion.

(Netgalley ARC)