City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

City of Last Chances is a novel about a city on the edge of a crisis. Ilmar, occupied by invaders, and home to half a dozen rebellious factions with their own aims and vision for a city freed. Also Ilmar, home to the Anchorwood, a dangerous nexus to other realms and home to the Reproach, which holds a different danger entirely.

This is a mosaic of a novel, refusing to focus on one character for too long before jumping to the next one. Some characters get more focus than others, like the pacifist priest of a god worshipped and seen by only himself, or the street tough finding new depths in the art of a rebellious student, but I found all the characters to have that spark that makes them compelling to read. The narrative darts smoothly from character to character, following the arc of events that lead the city to revolution.

I loved the subtle merging of magic and industry – like how the factory owners have commodified the ancient art of demon summoning to power their machines, or how the Palleseen occupiers appropriate and break down unique magics to create standardised power sources for their weapons and other devices. This is a cynical story, where the selfishness of factions and individuals threatens to break the rebellion before it even starts. But there are glimmers of hope. Individual choices of selflessness that seem small in the face of larger events can do more good than you’d expect.

It’s a denser novel than some of Tchaikovsky’s other works, but I found it a rewarding read, and would love to see more in the setting. I highly recommend this book to those who love books where the city feels like a character.

Thanks to Head of Zeus for the advanced review copy and Adam for his guest review!