Named one of the best science-fiction & fantasy books of the year by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Library Journal, SyFy Wire and Vulture, and short-listed for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards
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Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars and a mysterious gift for healing—are all tricks; both the means to the delightful end of swindling unwitting Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.
But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass—a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries. Spurning Dara's warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father's corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for... |
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"The best adult fantasy I've read since The Name of the Wind. It's stunning and complex and consuming and fantastic." - Sabaa Tahir
"Even a few pages will enmesh you in its magic." - Robin Hobb
"I raced to the end of City of Brass and can’t wait to see what happens next. I’m eager for more adventures in Daevabad" - Peter V. Brett
"Highly impressive and exceptionally promising." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Available now...return to Daevabad in The Kingdom of Copper
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Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad—and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there.
Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family—and one misstep will doom her tribe. Meanwhile, Ali has been exiled for daring to defy his father. Hunted by assassins, adrift on the unforgiving copper sands of his ancestral land, he is forced to rely on the frightening abilities the marid—the unpredictable water spirits—have gifted him. But in doing so, he threatens to unearth a terrible secret his family has long kept buried. And as a new century approaches and the djinn gather within Daevabad's towering brass walls for celebrations, a threat brews unseen in the desolate north. It’s a force that would bring a storm of fire straight to the city’s gates . . . and one that seeks the aid of a warrior trapped between worlds, torn between a violent duty he can never escape and a peace he fears he will never deserve. |
"Promise impressively delivered." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Chakraborty raises the tension and the stakes with emotional dilemmas that bring out the best and worst in these conflicted characters." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Lush and magical." - Library Journal (starred review)
"With gorgeous world building, compelling characters, and clashing schemes, the second in Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy will thrill her many fans." - Booklist (starred review)
“No series since George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire has quite captured both palace intrigue and the way that tribal infighting and war hurt the vulnerable the most.” - Paste Magazine
“Chakraborty manages what many epic fantasy writers have never achieved: a world where everyone can see themselves not only mirrored, but powerful.” - New York Journal of Books
"Chakraborty raises the tension and the stakes with emotional dilemmas that bring out the best and worst in these conflicted characters." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Lush and magical." - Library Journal (starred review)
"With gorgeous world building, compelling characters, and clashing schemes, the second in Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy will thrill her many fans." - Booklist (starred review)
“No series since George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire has quite captured both palace intrigue and the way that tribal infighting and war hurt the vulnerable the most.” - Paste Magazine
“Chakraborty manages what many epic fantasy writers have never achieved: a world where everyone can see themselves not only mirrored, but powerful.” - New York Journal of Books
And coming in 2020, the Daevabad Trilogy concludes in The Empire of Gold
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Eager for more adventures? Don't fear, we might be leaving Daevabad for a bit, but I promise further tales of magic aren't far away! |
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Praise for THE CITY OF BRASS:
"Compelling and complex...Chakraborty writes a winning heroine in Nahri." - Washington Post
“It's hard to describe how gorgeous and intricate this fantasy novel is." - SYFY Wire
"The City of Brass reads like an invitation for readers from Baghdad to Fairbanks to meet across impossibly divergent worlds through the shared language and images of the fantastical." - New York Times book review
"Lyrical...Chakraborty's grasp of Middle Eastern history, folklore, and culture inspires a swiftly moving plot, richly drawn characters, and a beautifully constructed world that will entrance." - Library Journal (starred review)
"A gorgeous epic as rich in its language as it is in its characterization...Simply one of the best debuts I've read." - Kevin Hearne
“An opulent masterpiece." – Roshani Chokshi
"I particularly love a story of twisty, complex, dangerous, and character-driven family and palace politics, steeped in hidden history, cruel betrayals, and desires that can’t be admitted. The City of Brass delivers on all counts." - Kate Elliott
“An extravagant feast of a book—spicy and bloody, dizzyingly magical, and still, somehow, utterly believable.” - Laini Taylor
“Each page reveals a new wonder.” – Fran Wilde
"Compelling and complex...Chakraborty writes a winning heroine in Nahri." - Washington Post
“It's hard to describe how gorgeous and intricate this fantasy novel is." - SYFY Wire
"The City of Brass reads like an invitation for readers from Baghdad to Fairbanks to meet across impossibly divergent worlds through the shared language and images of the fantastical." - New York Times book review
"Lyrical...Chakraborty's grasp of Middle Eastern history, folklore, and culture inspires a swiftly moving plot, richly drawn characters, and a beautifully constructed world that will entrance." - Library Journal (starred review)
"A gorgeous epic as rich in its language as it is in its characterization...Simply one of the best debuts I've read." - Kevin Hearne
“An opulent masterpiece." – Roshani Chokshi
"I particularly love a story of twisty, complex, dangerous, and character-driven family and palace politics, steeped in hidden history, cruel betrayals, and desires that can’t be admitted. The City of Brass delivers on all counts." - Kate Elliott
“An extravagant feast of a book—spicy and bloody, dizzyingly magical, and still, somehow, utterly believable.” - Laini Taylor
“Each page reveals a new wonder.” – Fran Wilde
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S. A. Chakraborty is a speculative fiction writer and history buff from New York. Find her on Twitter at @SAChakrabooks
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