In Review: Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Note: I loved this book, but I also listened to the audio version. As such many of my spellings are guesses since there isn't a wiki for me to reference. Sorry guys. If you want to buy me a physical copy though, so I can correct my spellings, I'll leave a link to my Buy me a coffee page at the end of this review.
I can say, in no uncertain terms, that Cage of Souls is one of the best books I've ever read. There are only two books that I think are better: Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece. An ever so slightly flawed masterpiece. Before I can get to the flaw though, I have to first gush.
Everything about this book is excellent. In my personal opinion, this is the best book Tchaikovsky has written thus far... that I've read. (I'm working on it. Tchaikovsky writes a lot of books. Get back to me next year for a definitive ranking of where I think each book stands.)
The character work is quite simply incredible. Each is well drawn, utterly unique but pulled from familiar archetypes. I don't just mean that of the main cast either. The side characters are not background characters. They aren’t cardboard cutouts. Each one has a life of their own. Each one has their own tragedies, their own histories, their own story to tell. No one feels stock. No one feels like they were there to fill up space or waste time or just shuffle the plot along from Point A to Point B.
It is a rare thing that a book makes me care about one or two characters, but Cage of Souls makes me feel something about everyone. I want to know Sergei, I want to hear more about Stefan's dead friends. I despise Grakey. I'm both charmed and disgusted by Gregori. Faith and Thewel are fascinating to me. The Marshal is a character at once deeply human and utterly deplorable. Everyone is whole. Flawed. Utterly human, and often monstrous because of that humanity. It is a breathtaking effort, and even more so because everyone has an arc that directly ties into the themes, plot, and world-building in a manner that is cohesive.
That's actually one of the better words I could use to describe Cage of Souls actually: Cohesive. Every piece is carefully assembled, arranged, and fitted until what you have at the end is a beautiful stain glass window that peers into a world that is both familiar and alien. Each pane is good by itself but the totality is awe-inspiring.
Speaking of pieces, let's talk world-building. Something which I don't think enough authors understand is that truly brilliant world-building carries with it a narrative voice. When you are an author (as opposed to a hobbyist), world-building isn't about lore. It's about color. It's about vibrancy and tone and atmosphere and theme. Good world-building isn't there to create a "realistic" world. Good world-building is a platform that supports and directs the story. Realism and immersion are side effects of good world-building, not the purpose for it. Tchaikovsky understood this all the way back in his first book, Empire of Black and Gold. But in both Cage of Souls and his Tyrant Philosophers series, he has perfected the art, blending the world-building with his authorial voice to grant it extra thematic weight and heft.
These themes begin in the very first chapter, but they are fleshed out and dissected over the course of the rest of the novel. And I do mean themes plural. There's a small ocean of thematic depth here, and even as I write this review several months after finishing the book, more pop out at me. Unfortunately, I can't discuss these themes in any great detail for spoiler reasons. They're just too intricately woven in with the plot, which I also can't discuss in any great detail without spoiling things. Just, read the blurb, then read the book. Trust me.
All that praise said, there are two pain points. The big one is the pacing in the first half of the book. It is... glacial. I think it's largely necessary, but if you read the first few chapters and felt like you were in a prison just as tedious as Stefan's, I wouldn't blame you for feeling that way. I don't agree, but I understand. The second pain point takes place in the last third or so in the book, where Stephan has some adventures in Shadrepar before coming to The Island. It's a subtle shift, but his actions and emotions in that section feel a little less carefully calibrated. He's more prone to take risks than the Stephen present in the rest of the book, and it feels a little off. It's not a huge issue, I suspect that most people won't notice, and there are in universe reasons for his change, but it was something that rubbed me ever so slightly the wrong way.
All that said, with only two nitpicks, this is one of the best books I've ever read. If you are a fan of sci-fi or fantasy, read this book. If you love dying earth, or are looking for inspiration for your next Worlds Without Number or Numenera game, read this book. If you love great characters and want a world to just exist in, read this book. The only people I wouldn't recommend this book to are people looking for a popcorn read. Everyone else is going to have a great time, if they can get past the pacing.
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