Critics' Opinion:
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Published Jun 2011
448 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
In the frozen north of a far-flung world lies Villiren, a city plagued by violent gangs and monstrous human/animal hybrids, stalked by a serial killer, and targeted by an otherworldly army.
Brynd Lathraea has brought his elite Night Guard to help Villiren build a fighting force against the invaders. But success will mean dealing with the half-vampyre leader of the savage Bloods gang. Meanwhile, reptilian rumel investigator Rumex Jeryd has come seeking refuge from Villjamurs vindictive emperor - only to find a city riddled with intolerance between species, indifference to a murderer's reign of terror, and the powerful influence of criminals. As the enemy prepares to strike, and Villiren's defenders turn on each other, three refugees - deposed empress Jamur Rika, her sister Eir, and the scholar Randur Estevu - approach the city. And with them they bring a last, desperate hope for survival... and a shocking revelation that will change everything.
"While the novel's reach may exceed its grasp, the expanded world and its inhabitants are consistently compelling." - Publishers Weekly
"Strong storytelling, vivid cityscapes, and admirably flawed characters make this a solid addition to noir fantasy." - Library Journal
"There's a lot to digest here as Newton tackles big themes like racism, institutional homophobia, and criminal morality. But these questions season the story's broth, rather than overwhelm it, and Newton's fantasy-with-a-touch-of-mystery could win him fans outside of the sf/fantasy faithful." - Booklist
"Knowledge of the previous book is neither assumed nor required... Less weird than some, with fairly orthodox plotting, characters and narrative that build to a satisfying conclusion while promising still more." - Kirkus Reviews
This information about City of Ruin was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mark Charan Newton is also the author of Nights of Villjamur and The Book of Transformations. You can visit his website at www.markcnewton.com.
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