I am now at a point where I think I might have outgrown my love for fantasy and science fiction. However, right when I think that I stumble into something that is just amazing, something like T.J. Klune's newest book: In the Lives of Puppets. I felt I was in for that exact sort of treat when I opened and started reading City of Last Chances. However, in the end, I just never connected with this story. I like the use of different perspectives to tell the story but found that I just didn't like these characters., even when they would show up in later chapters. Tchaikovsky knows how to build a world like few others, filled with monsters and general weirdness that are brought to life with beautiful prose. Because of this, I think my dislike is purely a component of my reading choices changing. This is a book that many will (rightfully so) love, I just find that it is no longer my cup of tea.

That Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of the most relevant scifi and fantasy authors of our time there is no doubt. But in every book he releases the bar gets higher and his quality gets to a new level. It is astounding that he can keep writing so many books, and all of them being so damn good. I was completely in awe with this one, the worldbuilding, the lovely characters and the great pacing. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeus.

This book was wonderful! I loved the characters, deeply flawed and unlikeable as most of them are, and the pacing was perfect. I especially loved watching all of the characters weave through each other's lives so seamlessly. Even with such a huge cast, nothing felt forced. I do wish the magic system was explained more, especially since there seemed to be so many different systems at work. I would love to see more books set in this world - the author has really set up a potential universe here and I really hope this isn't a standalone.

This book really has it all: political intrigue, rebellion, demon summoning, rogues trying to out-rogue each other, complex characters & webs of affiliation, even cranky old gods. I really, really enjoyed this book.

This was long, a lot of book. During the earlier parts I did think it could have been tightened up a lot, to keep the action going at a slightly faster pace, and to keep the reader's attention. Or this reader, anyway, as I do like action.
However, later on in the book I was much more happy with the pace, and as we knew the characters, motivations and surroundings, things seemed to keep my attention better. Good marks for originality - some great ideas - but I thought it could have been 100 pages less and still just as good.
I know this author does often produce long books, which is his right, but some just seem longer than others!

I am sorry to say that this is a rare miss for me from this author. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time you know that I love Tchaikovsky, but I had to DNF this book around 40%. The writing style is just so esoteric, and it lacks the accessibility (albeit complex) that his other works have. It reads very much like 1800s Russian literature, and that is just not my thing. I’m still giving the book 3 stars; just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean I think it’s a bad book.

Thank you to NetGalley & Head of Zeus for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars.
Oppression. Political intrigue. Colonization. Religion. Poverty. Bigotry. Magic. Demons. Worker's rights. Crime. Revolution. Wrongful incarceration. These are all a part of this story by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Ilmar has been under occupation by neighbouring Pallasand. The Palleseen, or Pals as they are colloquially known, have a mania for perfection, and after “perfecting” themselves, feel every other nation needs perfecting, too, and began a crusade, expanding outwards to neighbouring countries. They destroyed Allorwen, sending scores of refugees into Ilmar before rolling into Ilmar itself.

Tchaikovsky kicks off the story with the death of a corrupt Pal official as he and his party are making their way through the Anchorwood, a portal to lands beyond Ilmar that require a magical ward and an Indweller to open the way. At the same time, there is a gathering for a high stakes game in the bar beside the Anchorwood; the game breaks up immediately when it's discovered the corrupt official is murdered in the wood, and that his magical ward was stolen by one of the now fleeing gamblers. The theft, news of the party’s deaths, and subsequent scattering of players sets off the simmering tensions of Ilmar against the occupying Paleseen and existing bigotry against all foreigners and refugees in the city.

The arrest of a professor at the university and the frantic search for the missing ward by both the Palleseen and the various gamblers sets off the simmering tensions in the city: 1) Students in the university want to make stories and rousing words of professors a reality and take an actual stand against their oppressors. 2) The Ilmar factory workers are getting increasingly fed up, while the wealthy families of the city are scared the workers will become violent (after they’ve been oppressing them for years.) All these situations begin snowballing into bigger calamities, haphazard plots, barricades, arrests, shootings and deaths.


Though it’s been many years since I last read any Russian lit, this story felt like a big, sprawling Russian epic to me. The pervasive sense of futility, and a certain melancholic and fatalistic acceptance of the oppression and accompanying black humour felt so familiar to me.

In this big novel, Tchaikovsky follows the gamblers, students, criminals, a factory foreman, a couple of Palleseen officials, and a priest who literally has a small god plaguing him, showing how their places in the city make them pivotal or puts them in the wrong place at the wrong time, as Ilmar begins fighting back against the Palleseen. In addition to the dark situation all the characters find themselves in, there is also humour, and sudden violent death. I thought I'd find it hard to get through this book when I started, but found myself loving the characters and their many ways to oppose the oppressive regime of the Pals.

I felt like there was much more story that could be told by the time I finished, but also felt that the ending was satisfying,

Thank you to Netgalley and to Head of Zeus for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This story unfolds via multiple viewpoints, with italicised inserts in semi-omniscient point of view. So as the situation within the city steadily deteriorates, while we follow the fortunes of a handful of its citizens from various walks of life, there are also short sections covering a number of characters who only make fleeting appearances and then are gone, not to return. It takes significant technical skill to successfully pull off this type of structure without either losing the reader’s interest or sympathy. Fortunately, Tchaikovsky has that skill – to the extent that I was hooked throughout, even though this is far from my favourite narrative style.

What makes it work is that Ilmar is a fascinating society. In many ways, it’s all too familiar for those of us who studied the likes of Manchester and London during the Industrial Revolution, with the same wretched working conditions for far too many of the population. Then Tchaikovsky adds a twist that demons are also enslaved within factories by the kings of the Underworld, contracted to use their mighty strength and stamina to power the machines that are turning out uniforms for the invading soldiers. For Ilmar is also a city under occupation by a totalitarian regime that is obsessed with bringing Perfection to an imperfect world. And of course, the only way to do that is to conquer all those imperfect states and corral their culture, religion and way of life to the striving for Perfection, right down to altering their language.

In addition to the conquered aristocrats that in theory are running much of the city much of time, despite the occupation – there is also a powerful underclass of criminal gangs that are constantly fighting for supremacy. And one of the places where that battle particularly plays out is in the deserted areas of the city, where not even the occupying Palleseens venture called The Reproach. Ilmar was originally built far too close to a vast forest where vicious, enchanted beings live and the then ruling family made a dynastic pact with the denizens of this wood, which turned them dangerously peculiar. So they were slaughtered in favour of the Duke. But instead of doing the decent thing and fading decorously into the history books, the court of the ruling family is still… alive. And anyone wandering in the wrong part of the woods at the wrong time is apt to be subsumed into their court, to dance until they die, while inhabited by the consciousness of ancient, aristocratic family members.

This could so easily have been a rather charming, fey read. It isn’t. This world is peopled by folks eking out a living in a dangerous society, who have survived by putting themselves first. The powerplays amongst those running the city are all about personal advancement over the wellbeing of those they are responsible for – the Palleseens aren’t too fussy about killing Ilmar’s citizens, anyway. So don’t expect a cast of characters who are either wholly good or bad – everyone is doing the best they can to stay alive, except for a handful carried away by the old stories of glory, who want to see the end of the current occupation. I found it a riveting read, that – despite the grim situation and casual violence – isn’t remotely dreary. I suspect Tchaikovsky’s vivid descriptions, strong control of his narrative drive and flashes of dark humour has a lot to do with that.

As ever when completing one of Tchaikovsky’s books, I came away from this one thinking a lot about the themes of social injustice, the nature of good and evil and what it takes to live a decent life in difficult times. Highly recommended for those who enjoy their fantasy layered with social commentary amidst a vibrantly depicted society. While I obtained an audiobook arc of City of Last Chances from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

If you are in the market for a superbly written, complex and intricately woven standalone fantasy, with a large cast of stand-out characters, world-building that is metered out at a brilliant pace and a plot that will keep you effortlessly intrigued throughout, then this will be one to read.

The book focuses on the city of Ilmar, where there's always been a darkness. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse. Something, some bad decision or poor chance, will lead to the downfall of Ilmar.

Unlike Tchaikovsky's sci-fi offerings, it took me a little while get fully invested with the happenings in City of Last Chances. There are a few odd happenings, and the city is full of strange and often unlikable characters in a decidedly unpleasant city. All waiting for a tiny spark that'll set off a chain of disasters. Despite that, it's a nice change of pace to a lot of fantasy books, as there's no hero. No one to really root for. You're waiting for a disaster thinking that it's not undeserved.

The story touches on a lot of subjects. Colonialism and oppression. Exploitation and subjugation. Naive youths and calculating greedy adults. You aren't going to get the well-deserved feel-good moments or comeuppance for all the bad people. It's fantasy, but there's a touch of realism in knowing that not everything will turn out okay. There's not always a good guy. Sometimes, there are just bad people making bad choices, and it'll all come crashing down.

If you're a fan of books having big payoffs, then City of Last Chances probably isn't the book for you. You're right in the middle of it people looking out for their own interests or going for the lesser of evils when it comes to choices. They're not all flawed characters, but they're certainly not good. Greyish, I suppose you'd say. Characters are often shown in unflattering ways, and the constantly changing POVs make the story a hard follow at times. But the further you're dragged into the world, the more you're taken in and can weave the POVs together.

City of Last Chances is an ambitious book epic fantasy book that contains many quality elements and memorable characters. Some aren't memorable, but I'm not entirely sure that they are all meant to be memorable. It's not all about the characters, so not all the attention should be on them. It's about the city, too. The ending is satisfying, and as this is a standalone epic fantasy, it all wraps up in a rewarding manner. I'm not sure I need more, so I'm happy to see it wrapped up as it was.

The City of Last Chances is Ilmar and it's currently under Palleseen occupation, which the majority of the city's inhabitants are unimpressed with. To assist with keeping the city in order the Palleseen use many organisations such as The School of Correct Speech and The School of Correct Conduct. Individuals and groups that have opposing attitudes or who act in a manner that doesn't align with the guidance presented by the occupiers are dealt with promptly. Equally unnerving is the Anchorwood on the city's outskirts, which contains magics, indwellers, monstrous beings, and portals to distant places.

We witness happenings that relate to the criminal underworld, academia, workers and demons, refugees and outsiders, forgotten gods, and magical artefacts from a wide range of perspectives. Ilmar is the novel's main character though, and this includes distinct and atmospheric areas such as The Reproach, The Hammer Districts, and The Anchorage. I found The Reproach to be a haunting and intensely interesting part of the city and I adored my time reading about that area and its inhabitants most of all.

Approximately every 8-10 chapters, there is a Mosaic chapter, which I would describe as a city-eyed view of happenings: summarising what is taking place throughout many areas of the city at the given time. As City of Last Chances progresses, we're updated regarding the potential revolution that is stirring underneath the surface: who will light the fuse, will the Palleseen military be prepared, what will the consequences be and what part will the supernatural elements of the city play?

The characters presented, their dialogues, interactions, and motives are close to perfection for a grimdark audience. Personally, my favourite characters here were Blackmane, a pawnbroker who deals in magical items, Lemya, a wide-eyed student, Ruslav, a thug who becomes surprisingly infatuated with a painting, Ivarn Ostravar, a senior lecturer, and Yasnic, a priest and the only believer of an old god. Although the above stood out to me, many great moments belonged to other, fine creations. Tchaikovsky presents some fine and memorable set pieces that are peppered throughout the book. The finest involves a group hanging and when I witnessed it, my initial thoughts were "That that's an excellent future Netflix cliffhanger right there!"

As alluded to above, I found City of Last Chances to be an ambitious epic fantasy read that contains many quality elements and memorable characters. Unfortunately, certain sections of the novel didn't quite work for me and at times I had to force myself to plod through the 500 pages. Tchaikovsky's presentation of the city throughout is admirable and detailed, yet after about the halfway point, even as events were heating up, I found that I didn't care about certain chapters or characters at all. It's possible that I was drifting away from certain events or members of the dramatis personae because the city itself was more important than them in the grand scheme of things. I purchased (and enjoyed) the audiobook during these harder chapters when I found myself disinterested, to help keep me focused and push forwards to the excellent scenes and exchanges that I knew would come. Having completed the novel, I'm content as the highs outweigh the lows, the ending is satisfying and this standalone epic fantasy all wraps up in a rewarding manner.

I'm rating City of Last Chances 6/10 as it features moments of Tchaikovsky's brilliance but was hard work in places too. That being said, it was a unique reading experience that I would recommend mostly because I'd be interested to see what other people think of this intriguing book. I’d especially recommend City of Last Chances to readers who enjoyed the sweeping scale, industry, revolution and political turmoil of Joe Abercrombie’s Age of Madness.

I received a review copy of City of Last Chances in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Adrian Tchaikovsky and Head of Zeus.

This book reads like a collection of interconnected short stories. Each chapter, we are jumping POV to a different denizen of the city with fingers in different pies. As the book continues, the stories become more interconnected and we get repeats of the same characters.

My youtube review: https://youtube.com/watch?v=g4sV2O7Iw7M&feature=shares&t=41

(Yes, I know that what I'm describing is just a multi-POV novel. However, it really does feel like each chapter is a short story, and I think that's the correct expectation to have. If you're expecting a novel, you're probably going to be disappointed. If you're expecting a collecting of highly interconnected short stories, you might just have a great time.)
I would expect fans of Malazan to have a blast with this book.

City of Last Chances is a portrait of a magical and political city. It's a melting pot of cultures, including freshly-arrived invaders. There are districts under different curses, and bars that have portals to other realms in the back. It's a story about impossible quests, cultural identity, duty, and faith.

This book made me laugh several times. It's delightfully witty.

In the beginning, I really struggled with this book. The disconnect between each chapter/short story made it impossible for me to engage with the plot. However, I then made a decision that changed it all around. I chose a character, and searched the ebook for chapters featuring that character. I read those chapters, following a somewhat cohesive plotline that circled that character. And then I chose another character, until I had crossed all of the chapters off the list. If you're not loving the book, I would recommend trying out this reading order.

Here's some of my suggested characters to follow. Just start with whomever you're most intrigued by.
HELLGRAM (Jem's Reasons for Leaving, The Hospitality of the Varatsins, Ruslav in the Teeth, Breaking Things, Hellgram's War, Unity and Division, Resurrections).
YASNIC (Yasnic's Relationship With God, Nihilostes Loses A Convert, Conservations About God, Price of Rope, Drinking Alone, The Apostate, Port to Nowhere, Another Round).
RUSLAV (Ruslav in Love Again, Ruslav's Master's Voice, Jem's Reasons for Leaving, Hospitality of the Varatsins, Ruslav in the Teeth, Nihilostes Loses A Convert, Chains, Price of Rope, Wings, The Bitter Sisters, The Dousing, Resurrections, Another Round).

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy this, although not quite as much as his Sci Fi. This book followed different characters at what felt like important yet seperate times. I found the individual stories and the overall story enjoyable, however I would be curious to go and read through by character instead of by chapter.

Fantasy fans and fans of dystopians such as 1984 will enjoy this for sure!

Unique, fantastical and complex story! My only critique was the book did get a little too intricate at times and hard to keep up with all the characters. I wish the story was broken into two novels. This epic fantasy is incredible though - and I would highly recommend for all high fantasy fans.

Slow start couldn’t grab ,y attention. World felt clunky and hard to understand. Writing style just wasn’t for me.

Intricate and beautifully written insight into a dark and complex city:
City of Last Chances is chewy, grown up fantasy writing at its best. There is little background or scene setting, a large cast, and a fully textured and complex world. The city of Ilmar is populated with a range of flawed and compelling characters, including: the last priest of a jaded god; a love struck bravo; a guardian of a gateway between worlds; and a pompous academic. Each chapter explores the petty aspirations of individuals, but also shines a light on the storied history of Ilmar, and the dangers and blood that soaks its streets. The book explores the growing tension in the city following the loss of a powerful artefact. Different factions decide what part they will play, and the book highlights the chance nature of pivotal historic moments, and how seismic shifts can emerge from personal decisions.

Overall I loved the city of Ilmar, though found the book dense to begin with and the cast of characters slightly daunting. However the writing was imaginative and the momentum of the story built with each chapter - recommended.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

3.5 stars

I love this author. This book is incredibly dense and intricate, a lot of things to learn and remember and digest. I will always read what Tchaikovsky puts forth bc even when it's difficult, I enjoy the ride (even I have to confess to not always knowing what is going on).

After a promising start, I bounced off of this and had to DNF. I think others will enjoy this, but it just didn't connect with me.

9 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/01/07/city-of-last-chances-by-adrian-tchaikovsky-review/

<i>” You’re a learned man. Please tell me where the word ‘negotiate’ can be found within ‘unconditional surrender’. “</i>

Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of the more frustrating authors I can think of, as I’m constantly thinking “I need to read more of his stuff”, only to go and acquire some and then give up halfway through. You see, he has an issue of letting his politics and personal beliefs bleed too heavily into his fiction. From there the book just becomes one gigantic rant—which is not something I need more of in my life. It’s not that I disagree with his opinion; it’s that I don’t need to hear it constantly justified in a supposed escapist fantasy.

Enter City of Last Chances, a dark fantasy set in a city of the brink of revolution.

Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world. A city swollen with refugees, the once-great metropolis has fallen on hard times, even before it fell to the Palleseen Empire. With the heavy-handed occupation now in its third year, the populace

Ilmar,
City of Long Shadows;
City of Bad Decisions;
City of Last Chances.

An industrial city swollen with refugees, Ilmar is truly a melting pot. Or, it was—before the war. Three years prior, Ilmar fell to the Palleseen Sway. Since then, their heavy-handed occupation has begun to chafe. Religion of any kind is forbidden in the Sway, and all priests and clerics are rounded up and summarily executed. Only after their faith is decanted and used to eliminate their deities.

Language is censored as well, with Palleseen officially replacing all other tongues as the staple in businesses, schools, and streets. The Pals seek perfection in all things, and under their rule all the messy differences of the world shall become one.

There are two exceptions, however, problems that the Pals are desperate to snuff out. The first, is the Anchorwood: a once great forest now reduced to but a single grove. This copse holds the secret of another place, for when the moon is full and the shadow of the trees stretches to its greatest point the boscage becomes a portal to another place—an escape for those desperate, or an opportunity for those ambitious enough to take it. Somewhere, on the other side of this portal, lies a city. A realm set at the edge of the world. Or maybe, set on an entirely different world entirely. This place is the home of the Indwellers—and it’s a place the Sway will do anything to reach. Except the path is not an easy one, and is inhabited by monsters—which can only be held at bay through the use of highly specialized wards, which are both rare and expensive.

When a Palleseen higher-up dies in the Anchorwood, there’s more than enough blame to go around. Specifically the whereabouts of his stolen ward and the thief that took it. Also, there is the issue of his assistant—who fled the Wood, followed by a certain kind of monster only found in nightmares. The two were last seen headed towards the Reproach: the second of Ilmar’s dirty secrets.

Where the Anchorwood is a portal to another place full of monsters, the Reproach is a homegrown monstrosity. A borough of Ilmar corrupted and cursed, a place even the Pals fear enough to avoid so much as mentioning it. But now an expedition is assembled to rescue the assistant and (hopefully) retrieve the wards. Only these two acts can hope to right the ship before the city boils over. But only a fool, a wretch, or a madman would venture willingly into the Reproach. Luckily, If it’s one thing that Ilmar has a surplus of, it’s the desperate.

—

<i>There has always been a darkness in Ilmar. You cannot live with those neighbors without taking something of the dark between the trees into you.</i>

—

At some point in the middle of this, I had to stop and try to remember what the heck the plot was. In general, this isn’t a good thing, but in this case it was. Or rather… it wasn’t bad. Especially because I couldn’t recall and just had to go back to reading. City of Last Chances is a thoroughly immersive and enjoyable fantasy escape—no matter what’s going on. And there’s a lot.

Between the impending revolution and the dead bigwig there’s actually a lot. The missing wards and the resulting search plays a large role, but there’s tension in Ilmar that has nothing to do with either. Distrust and resentment abound between the factions of the city; the factory workers, the students, the various faithful, those that have given in to the Sway, the gangs and underworld, the refugees, and more. Then there’s the Anchorwood—a nice little twist, that. That on its own makes this a great story, but when you add the Reproach—that’s a wrinkle that helps turn this from a good story to a great one. There’s just so much chaos, so much going on, so many desperate and so much desperation to go around that you never know what’s going to happen next. Indeed, it’s like that with the characters too; for a while I assumed we’d never have the same POV twice, but it’s not like that. It’s just Tchaikovsky establishing that anyone can die at anytime, so don’t get too attached to anyone.

This book is so well written, and there are so many good quotes—so many!

While City of Last Chances is a standalone at the moment, there’s so much here that Tchaikovsky could very easily churn out a couple of sequels—either direct or set in the same world—based on the Reproach or the Anchorwood, or even the Sway and its efforts. That said, if you’re new to the author maybe don’t expect it to come to this. I mean, it might, but he writes so much standalone stuff that I wouldn’t expect it. So try to take this novel as it is: a tremendous tale set in an illustrious and darkly imagined world, full of interesting and relatable characters—…who might all perish at a moment’s notice.

It’s true, there’s very little that feels certain in this novel. The characters, the setting, the events; with everything liable to change at a moment’s notice, it lends a real sense of impermanence to everything, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. While it certainly distracts from the getting invested in any one particular character’s story, what it does is provides a feeling of desperation to every action, every move. As if it were really the character’s last chance. Maybe not ideal for a fun adventure, but just the kind of thing for a dark fantasy set in a desperate city.

TL;DR

From its characters to its setting, its plot to its setup, its events to its darkness, to all its amazing quotes—City of Last Chances is Adrian Tchaikovsky at his best. A tense, immersive, and often political fantasy that doesn’t get too political, nor too fantastical—though it certainly has its moments, such as the copse of trees that becomes a portal when the moon is full, or the section of the city possessed by an unknown entity from the city’s past. It’s a dark, industrial fantasy done right; the right amount of fantasy, the right amount of realism, and certainly enough escapism to get truly lost in—even if you lose track of what exactly is going on. I can’t recommend this one enough, and can only hope that this signals a turn for the coming future Tchaikovsky novels.

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC ebook for an unbiased review.

I have previously loved much of Adrian Tchaikovsky's writing, so was excited to delve into this book. While much of what he writes is sci-fi, this is much more epic fantasy, also a genre I love.

To begin with, I loved the whole thing. Sadly though I began to sag under the weight of all that was going on. While there are glossaries for factions plus a list of characters involved, I landed up having to refer to them much too often to make what was good about the book enjoyable enough, to mark 2 stars for me. A difficult decision for me to decide on this rating. So perhaps I can explain a little more as to what I loved and what I found disappointing.

One of Adrian's great strengths is the way the prose brings landscapes and characters alive. That is evident here. Sadly though the way they have the book laid out makes it a confusing mass of characters. I feel that it needed either less characters so you don't lose sight of who is who, or the stories of each are more bunched together, so aspects of their story don't get lost in the midst of the others.

If I felt the story flowed more, that was less convoluted on characters, then it would easily be a full star rating. The lore and overall world building were as good as I've come to expect from Adrian Tchaikovsky. There was plenty of intrigue, and I was able to keep reading because I wanted to know more about Ilmar and Anchorwood etc.

So conflicting emotions for me here. It undoubtedly had aspects of Adrian Tchaikovsky that I love, and as much as I wanted to love this book, characters were too convoluted for me to truly enjoy it all.
Others of course may be able to enjoy more from this. I sincerely hope that is the case, but sadly I wasn't able to be one of those people.

2/5 stars 🌟