The Empire of Gold
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Published by: Harper Voyager
Pages: 766
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
Published by: Harper Voyager
Pages: 766
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
Daevabad has fallen.
After a brutal conquest stripped the City of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.
But the death of his people and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.
Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo face difficult choices of their own. Though Nahri is find peace in the rhythms of her old home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a saviour are at the mercy of a new tyrant.
Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains.
As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved… and take a stand for those they once hurt.
After a brutal conquest stripped the City of its magic, Nahid leader Banu Manizheh and her resurrected commander, Dara, must try to repair their fraying alliance and stabilize a fractious, warring people.
But the death of his people and loss of his beloved Nahri have unleashed the worst demons of Dara’s past. To vanquish them, he must face some ugly truths about his history and put himself at the mercy of those he once considered enemies.
Having narrowly escaped their murderous families and Daevabad’s deadly politics, Nahri and Ali, now safe in Cairo face difficult choices of their own. Though Nahri is find peace in the rhythms of her old home, she is haunted by the knowledge that the loved ones she left behind and the people who considered her a saviour are at the mercy of a new tyrant.
Ali, too, cannot help but look back, and is determined to return to rescue his city and the family that remains.
As peace grows more elusive and old players return, Nahri, Ali, and Dara come to understand that in order to remake the world, they may need to fight those they once loved… and take a stand for those they once hurt.
My thoughts:
It is no secret that I am a big fan of The Daevabad trilogy, so I of course went in with very high expectations. This was the perfect ending to the series. S.A. Chakraborty has succeeded in creating a concluding novel that brings so much new adventure, history and lore to her world.
The Empire of Gold begins immediately after the second book ends: Daevabad has fallen, with Manizheh at its head and Dara standing squarely by her side. Nahri and Alizayd have fled the city with Suleiman’s seal in tow, resulting in a sudden extinguishing of magic. Now, they find themselves attempting to come up with a plan that will save their city, all while preventing more bloodshed.
The strongest thing about the book is its unique, impeccably detailed, layered, well-crafted characterization. S.A. Chakraborty is a master at writing political intrigue as the members of the different djinn and Daeva quarters interact, and the book is divided up into chapters focusing on different key characters.
There are two very different tones to the book: Nahri and Alizayd’s chapters are adventurous, feeling almost Disney-esque at times. In contrast, Dara’s chapters are pretty much entirely grim.
I loved reading about Nahri and Ali as they travel across human lands, meeting magical creatures and getting themselves into dangerous situations. Their chapters have a very clear sense of adventure to them. Despite what they have gone through, I felt their moments were a great deal lighter than Dara’s chapters of the book. I did enjoy these two differing tones of the story though, and the complex world-building is undeniably fantastic throughout all three books.
This is a fairly long read at just under 800 pages, but I really never noticed a dull moment. I was intrigued, gripped and completely entertained by everything happening right from the start. There was so much happening, so much being revealed, so many plans and schemes involved, and they flow seamlessly in a way that makes every single one of those 800 pages fly by. As the story builds, Chakraborty manages to perfectly wrap up the story she had first begun to tell in The City of Brass. And the balance between action and politics is just perfect.
Having loved the first two instalments in this trilogy, it would be an understatement to say I was looking forward to this third and final novel in the series. It certainly didn’t disappoint. I am so happy to have seen this trilogy get such a wonderful conclusion. I recommend this series to anyone who likes a good political heavy fantasy with interesting characters and creative worldbuilding.
It is always a bittersweet feeling when you reach the last sentence of one of your favourite series, but The Empire of Gold really is the perfect ending to this epic historical fantasy trilogy. I am highly looking forward to whatever S.A. Chakraborty writes next!
Overall reaction:
It is no secret that I am a big fan of The Daevabad trilogy, so I of course went in with very high expectations. This was the perfect ending to the series. S.A. Chakraborty has succeeded in creating a concluding novel that brings so much new adventure, history and lore to her world.
The Empire of Gold begins immediately after the second book ends: Daevabad has fallen, with Manizheh at its head and Dara standing squarely by her side. Nahri and Alizayd have fled the city with Suleiman’s seal in tow, resulting in a sudden extinguishing of magic. Now, they find themselves attempting to come up with a plan that will save their city, all while preventing more bloodshed.
The strongest thing about the book is its unique, impeccably detailed, layered, well-crafted characterization. S.A. Chakraborty is a master at writing political intrigue as the members of the different djinn and Daeva quarters interact, and the book is divided up into chapters focusing on different key characters.
There are two very different tones to the book: Nahri and Alizayd’s chapters are adventurous, feeling almost Disney-esque at times. In contrast, Dara’s chapters are pretty much entirely grim.
I loved reading about Nahri and Ali as they travel across human lands, meeting magical creatures and getting themselves into dangerous situations. Their chapters have a very clear sense of adventure to them. Despite what they have gone through, I felt their moments were a great deal lighter than Dara’s chapters of the book. I did enjoy these two differing tones of the story though, and the complex world-building is undeniably fantastic throughout all three books.
This is a fairly long read at just under 800 pages, but I really never noticed a dull moment. I was intrigued, gripped and completely entertained by everything happening right from the start. There was so much happening, so much being revealed, so many plans and schemes involved, and they flow seamlessly in a way that makes every single one of those 800 pages fly by. As the story builds, Chakraborty manages to perfectly wrap up the story she had first begun to tell in The City of Brass. And the balance between action and politics is just perfect.
Having loved the first two instalments in this trilogy, it would be an understatement to say I was looking forward to this third and final novel in the series. It certainly didn’t disappoint. I am so happy to have seen this trilogy get such a wonderful conclusion. I recommend this series to anyone who likes a good political heavy fantasy with interesting characters and creative worldbuilding.
It is always a bittersweet feeling when you reach the last sentence of one of your favourite series, but The Empire of Gold really is the perfect ending to this epic historical fantasy trilogy. I am highly looking forward to whatever S.A. Chakraborty writes next!
Overall reaction: