The City We Became

„The City we became“ verfolgt das Konzept von lebenden Städten sehr wörtlich:

Städte erwachen zum Leben und finden immer ihre Entsprechung in einem Menschlichen Avatar.

Zu Beginn des Buches erwacht New York zum Leben, allerdings nur unter Schwierigkeiten. Es gibt dann auch nicht einen sondern mehrere Avatare, jeweils einen pro Viertel.

Diese Avatare müssen sich einer Bedrohung entgegensetzen, die der jungen Stadt nach dem Leben trachtet.

Der Roman ist voll von Symbolik und voll von New York. Es hat mir sehr geholfen Zeit in New York verbracht zu haben, um reinzukommen.

Die Avatare spiegeln toll die Viertel und das Bild von New York wieder, es finden sich zahlreiche Spiegelungen wie sich das aktuelle Amerika in New York wiederfindet mit all dem ätzenden Trumpismus, aber auch mit all der bunten und inspirierenden Vielfalt.

Der Handlungsbogen fliest in Summe gut, das Finale bekommt richtig schön die Kurve:

Mir stand einmal der Mund offen, weil es so klar hätte sein müssen und doch so überraschend kam. Und einmal hatte ich eine echte Gänsehaut.

Der Weg dahin ist manchmal etwas repetetiv, weil sich eine Zeitlang die Kapitel in ihrer Struktur zu sehr ähneln.

In Summe ein tolles, lesenswertes Buch.

“The City We Became,” by N.K. Jemisin, reminds me a lot of Neil Gaiman’s works. Not necessarily in prose, but certainly in worldbuilding. The concept of Avatars of cities, the power of stories and belief, and using old myths to spin modern fantasies, all certainly do.

The characters are all very well done, with each having a very distinct personality and perspective, and by extension give an interesting view of New York according to the author - a place I have admittedly never been (drive-through doesn’t count, I think). They also bounce off each other in interesting, dramatic, sometimes charming and sometimes tragic ways. I find the dynamics fascinating when the Characters ARE the setting.

That was aided in how I read this book - the audiobook version - which was an absolutely fantastic experience. The reader was able to give each character a very distinct voice, mannerism, and accent, and the occasional and subtle use of music or sound effects were also perfect. Never so obvious as to take me out of the story - it didn’t suddenly turn into a radio play - but rather just enough to emphasize the effect of the scene.

The plot is relatively straightforward, especially if you’re familiar with common sci-fi/fantasy concepts like multiverses, but it lays the groundwork for a thrilling and tense game of cat and mouse that kept me hooked the whole way through.

Also the messaging about misogyny, white supremacy, and the danger (and sometimes vulnerability) of those who embrace alienation and bigotry, are all on point, if perhaps a touch on the nose. I love how it also took Lovecraftian motifs and themes and turned them around to condemn the very ideology of people like Lovecraft. I love seeing that compelling mythos appropriated for good.

There isn’t any romance in the book, but it was still great to see queer representation, as well as BIPOC representation.

All together, I simply loved the book, and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to start up the sequel!

The City We Became is urban fantasy, in that it features a bunch of magical stuff happening in a modern day city. It's also urban fantasy in that it is about cities. People are cities and cities are people, and not in a metaphorical way, but in a more supernatural and literal way.

N. K. Jemisin manages to channel the spirit of New York City (where the novel's action focuses) through the novel's characters, without resorting to tired and popular stereotypes of the city and its people. While in a way the book is an ode to New York, it also doesn't shy away from some of its more dark and shameful aspects. All of this is wrapped up in writing that manages to be evocative and sufficiency casual to flow well. The book paints an engaging picture of both the real New York, and its fictional, supernatural, embodied New York.

The one complaint to level against the book is against the arc of the plot. The novel feels more like a series of superhero fights, leading up t a bigger superhero fight, with some twists along the way, and a somewhat rushed conclusion. This can, however, probably be chalked up to it being only the first entry in a trilogy, and this being what the genre is.