WINNER of the Ditmar Awards for Best Novel and Best New Talent, the Norma K Hemming Award, and the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel! Poison. Treachery. Ancient spirits. Sieges. The Poison Wars begin now, with City of Lies, a fabulous epic fantasy debut by Sam Hawke I was seven years old the first time my uncle poisoned me… Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s … Outwardly, Jovan is the lifelong friend of the Chancellor’s charming, irresponsible Heir. Quiet. Forgettable. In secret, he’s a master of poisons and chemicals, trained to protect the Chancellor’s family from treachery. When the Chancellor succumbs to an unknown poison and an army lays siege to the city, Jovan and his sister Kalina must protect the Heir and save their city-state.
But treachery lurks in every corner, and the ancient spirits of the land are rising…and angry.
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If the first line doesn’t make you buy this book, you should turn in your fantasy-lover’s badge. City of Lies got me through sitting seven hours in an airport, and proves that a tale about the one who risks his life to thwart assassins can be as compelling as any assassin’s tale.
A tale of poisoners, deceit, and treachery that will surely keep readers entranced. I don’t read many stories as twisty and unpredictable, especially in the latter chapters, as this one, and I loved what Sam Hawke did.
Absolutely loved this; the world building is brilliant, the mystery and crime elements merge seamlessly into a fantastical world of poisoners, warrior-guilds and ancient magic. But the heart of the story is the central characters, they’re written with such depth, flawed, human and likeable. City of Lies is a wonderful read and one that I’d highly recommend to all lovers of fantasy.
Sibling protagonists anchor this twisty story of old grievances coming to a boil. Hawke writes with nuance about the loves, loyalties, ambitions, and resentments that bind her characters together and threaten to tear them apart.
A captivating and fast-paced story, full of the right sort of political intrigue – and a murder mystery thrown in. It’s been a while since I’ve sunk my teeth into a good high fantasy story, and this one hit the spot. Loved the descriptions of the poisons at the start of each chapter. Looking forward to Sam’s next masterpiece!
City of Lies won the Aurealis Award for best novel. And I am utterly unsurprised by this, because it is excellent in every way. An layered and intricate novel that gives little indication it is a debut, it is complex, political, nuanced and twisty. At one point, I didn’t think there was anyone I could trust – turns out I was almost right.
Alternating between two points of view, we are shown the world of the Credolen – the rich nobles of Silastian society – and their various failings, some far, far worse than others.
Politics and prejudice abound even in a society of refreshing equality among the genders. But of course, there are many other types of prejudice, and the reader is shown them all – class prejudice and xenophobia being two of the biggest.
And aside from all that good stuff wrapped up in a desperate siege and an internal conspiracy and all those delightful poisons, Sam Hawke presents us with flawed heroes who overcome despite their personal demons. A man with an anxiety disorder and elements of OCD; a woman with a hidden, debilitating illness. Brave and original choices for a debut author make, but Sam accomplishes it all with aplomb. I was particularly struck by Jovan’s compulsions taking him over even in the midst of battle or the fight for his Chancellor’s life. Many, many authors – if they even dealt with the subject matter at all – would have neglected them in moments of high stress, or had Jovan ‘heroically’ overcome his illness in the nick of time.
Sam doesn’t do this. She shows her characters as heroes despite and because of their conditions. Jovan still has to obey the dictates of his compulsions even when battle rages around him. She doesn’t gloss over them, and she doesn’t mock or sugarcoat her characters because of them. We don’t pity them; we sympathise, and there’s a world of difference. And we empathise, too.
I could go on and on about this book, about its themes of caste and religion, class and power, but you don’t want to read me – you want to Sam Hawke. And you want to read City of Lies.
Do yourselves a favour and do just that.
P.S. A special shout out to the character of Hadrea and the BRILLIANT dressing-down she gives to Jovan when he makes it all about him instead of the wider picture. It’s a spot on example of how white people often use tears to deflect blame and elicit sympathy when challenged on their behaviour by a person of colour, thereby making themselves the victim instead of the perpetrator, and Hadrea stands for absolutely none of it. I was cheering as I read it.
This book was FANTASTIC! It started as a murder mystery that soon morphed into an all out war. Every time I thought I knew who the bad guys were, the story flipped it all around. The world building was fantastic, and the character relationships were great. I loved everything about this book <3
Ohhhh so good! I read Robin Hobb’s blurb about the first sentence, then went and read the first sentence…and I was hooked as everyone should be! This is a super first fantasy novel from a new writer and, since there is the title modifier of ‘book 1 of the Poison Wars’, I am chafing at the wait for volume 2 due out at the end of 2019. One thing I really like is that the main characters are not teens which seems to have become the *thing* since the Hunger Games took off. These 3 points of view are adults…young, developing ones, but adults with adult skills. The political intrigues and layers under layers of plots and alliances keeps the reader’s interest right up to the final twist. There is magic, but it is not pervasive – this is not a wizards and warlocks kind of story – so it will be interesting to see what part that plays in the future, since it is tied to the mythology of the setting along with some of the populations. Who to trust and what ethical standards to hold to are issues examined, forged, broken down and reforged throughout the book. The inner demons of the main characters make them even more interesting as they struggle to make the best choices possible in impossible situations. A really enjoyable read that is highly recommended!
From the very first line, I knew I would like this book, and I did. I really liked it! It had everything I could want in a book; mystery, intrigue, murder, assassins, love, relatable characters… I could go on.
I loved both the main characters, Jovan and Kalina, and enjoyed how the story was told from their POV in alternating chapters. I also loved the short notes on poisons, the affects and the proofing tells at the start of each chapter. That was a master touch.
The world Sam Hawke created was fascinating, especially the different rules that shaped every aspect of the characters lives and drove the plot of the story. I loved how the reader is often as in the dark as the characters about who to trust, constantly thinking you’ve solved who the big enemy is only to be led in another direction completely.
Towards the end the stakes were so high, the characters in such peril it felt like it couldn’t get any worse, but it did, again and again. This book felt like a masterclass on how to ramp up the tension and hook your reader, and I loved it.
I can’t believe this was a debut book; it was just so well told. This is definitely a book I wish I had written and I cannot wait for the next book to come out later in the year.
FYI – I won a first edition signed hardback book from the publisher.
In a nutshell, this book is “A Song of Ice and Fire” in miniature with a less brutal, less history based, more inventive world and better writing.
Now, the first thing you should know is the story features two POV characters with both being written in first person. But if you hate first person as much as I do, don’t let that discourage you. Throughout most of the book, I barely noticed.
The audiobook has two narrators, one male and one female. Both are very good, though names were difficult to understand through the heavy British accents. And the female narrator’s voices were a bit more varied.
The two main characters are both brilliantly fleshed out, though there is some redundant information in the early chapters of the book.
The story starts with an exciting scene that, while it doesn’t feel vital to the story as it happens, is a major plot point in the sequence of the story.
The toxin writeups at the start of each chapter are an awesome touch that adds I huge level of depth to the story and the world.
The story takes place in a fascinating world with a ton of depth. Though magic appears to be a myth at the start, especially to the “civilized” city dwellers, we eventually find that to be false.
The story itself is a wonderful combination of spy thriller, murder mystery, political intrigue, personal drama, loss, love, and hope. All of which is combined into this huge, complex story that has me hooked almost from the first page.
No matter if you read historical fiction, mysteries, or any flavor of fantasy, this is a wonderful book that you don’t want to miss!
City of Lies is a well designed fantasy where successive layers of truth lies are revealed like peeling an onion one skin at a time. Sure knowledge becomes doubts, trusted mentors become fallen, then heroic, then human. The protagonists reel from revelation to reversal, losing and regaining trust during unpredictable events. Three young people struggle to save their failing culture and falling city. Is it worthy of salvation?
City of Lies is Sam Hawke’s debut novel, and it’s a strong one with hefty doses of battle and intrigue blended with murder mystery. Told in the dual points of view of brother and sister, Jovan and Kalina, both of whom are very intelligent, strong personalities, flawed yet sympathetic. Jovan, who battles obsessive-compulsive disorder, is trained to detect poisons so he can protect his best friend, the future leader of Silasta. Kalina has a weak constitution, probably from birth, but worsened by the ordeals of being poisoned to increase her immunity.
I particularly enjoyed the emphasis on poisons and the creatively made-up plants, symptoms, and ways to diagnose and detect them. Equally impressive was Hawke’s use of class distinctions and the manipulation of most of the population by the upper classes to maintain their upper hand and to grow progressively more wealthy—a literary example of what is happening around the world today.
An enormously enjoyable read, one of the best new fantasies I’ve seen in a long time.