where do i even begin? there’s two sides to everything, right?
want enough and it will be?
it’s up to us to shape the future; and the past…?
BAH!!! so much about this tale had me reflecting on real life. hey yaroslav, what inspired you? have you read stephen king’s the dark tower series? parts had me imagining this as an expansion on what we didn’t get to read more about… there.

can we wish for talking dogs, please
rather than fueling war and loss and destruction

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+


“I hope you don't suffer from vertigo."
"No, but I do suffer from this stupid wish to live."




"Come on!" She laughed, throwing up her arms, and he unclenched his fingers and thought, How beautiful people can be when they're happy.



I’m sorry, he wanted to say, but then thought, I’ll say sorry by making it right.



"We're doing a fine job matching each other in matters of war. I wish we were as good at peace."

Time moves in a circle just to mock us.


She tapped her temples. "It's all in here. Our desires, our fears. Communal madness."
Things he'd never known the names of, and things he thought he didn't need names for.
Layers upon layers of denial, ignorance becoming a habit, habit becoming the way of life.

Ich habe mich über das Buch sehr gefreut. Es ist nicht nur fließend zum lesen sondern auch sehr spannend.

“There are so many stories I wish I could tell you, simple and funny and said ones. I find myself remembering jokes because they might’ve made you laugh. And even though time is sand, when I am not looking closely, I still get these brief bursts of hope: I’ll come home, and I’ll tell you a story.”

I liked Tower of Mud and Straw, so I was interested in reading a novel version of it. Part I here is an extended version of the novella, and my memory tells me that there has been more editing, with the text tightened up, the characters made more vivid.

Shea Ashcroft is a disgraced minister, after he refused to massacre a rioting crowd. He is sent away from the court to oversee the building of the largest and highest tower in the world. It’s supposed to be an airship defense project, but it’s just a monstrosity of human hubris. When Shea arrives, he is not welcome.

There will be intrigues, assassination attempts, ancient legends come true, and a lot of tragedy.

I had a much better feel for the characters here than in the novella. I did not remember Brielle at all, and now I will not forget – so much poignancy, so much hurt, so much courage. She would be awesome in a book all her own.

I liked Shea and Lena together, their conversations, the small humane things that in the end meant both so little and so much. I don’t remember liking the romance as much in the novella version.

Shea’s character arc is about guilt and responsibility, about finally finding the right things to do.

The intermission between parts one and two, telling Aidan’s story, was extremely well done. I like having more insight into side characters.

The writing is so vivid, so beautiful, so evocative. It made me want to lose myself in this world. The book kept calling to me while I was doing other things. The more I read, the more I descended into a dream, a fever dream, a nightmare. It was eerie. Ghostly. At the same time, there is a lot of plot (a lot!), and action keeps you on your toes.

I might have wished for slightly better world building, but it was a minor thought, quick and fleeting. In the dreamy landscape I was in, perhaps it did not matter. Some things were very obvious parallels, but I understand why they were there.

“Evil wasn’t even in the crown prince: it hid in the silent consent, in every nod of approval and every “yes”.

About 84%, I began to read slower, pushing on the brakes. Suddenly, I was afraid to be let down. How was everything to be wrapped up? Well, the book did not let me down.

The ending was satisfying, with a sudden touch of the ridiculous that worked, amazingly enough.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thanks a lot to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. I already sent a blurb along to Yaroslav, but here it is again:

Eloquent, moody, poetic: Barsukov’s Nebula Award finalist novella was incredible, but this continuation is masterful. It is action-packed and emotionally rich, delightfully grim and unsettling at times. At the end, I could only sit back and say, “Wow.”