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Dominion of the Fallen #1
The House of Shattered Wings
A superb murder mystery, on an epic scale, set against the fall out – literally – of a war in Heaven.
Paris has survived the Great Houses War – just. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens continue to live, love, fight and survive in their war-torn city, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over the once grand capital.
House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.
Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, a alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation. They may be the architects of its last, irreversible fall…
Paris has survived the Great Houses War – just. Its streets are lined with haunted ruins, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine runs black with ashes and rubble. Yet life continues among the wreckage. The citizens continue to live, love, fight and survive in their war-torn city, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over the once grand capital.
House Silverspires, previously the leader of those power games, lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.
Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen, a alchemist with a self-destructive addiction, and a resentful young man wielding spells from the Far East. They may be Silverspires’ salvation. They may be the architects of its last, irreversible fall…
402 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2015
About the author
Aliette de Bodard
257 books2,183 followersAliette de Bodard lives and works in Paris. She has won three Nebula Awards, an Ignyte Award, a Locus Award, a British Fantasy Award and four British Science Fiction Association Awards, and was a double Hugo finalist for 2019 (Best Series and Best Novella).
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
Her most recent book is Fireheart Tiger (Tor.com), a sapphic romantic fantasy inspired by pre colonial Vietnam, where a diplomat princess must decide the fate of her country, and her own. She also wrote Seven of Infinities (Subterranean Press), a space opera where a sentient spaceship and an upright scholar join forces to investigate a murder, and find themselves falling for each other. Other books include Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders and its standalone sequel Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances, (JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc.), fantasy books of manners and murders set in an alternate 19th Century Vietnamese court. She lives in Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 929 reviews
April 7, 2017
Such a hard time getting started on this, partly me, partly Bodard. The graphic harvesting of the angels was so dark, unlikable, irredeemable. The fallen angel, the street urchins attempting to harvest body parts, and a dusty, deserted building with a heavily protected woman 'rescuing,' sort of, and the boy who just participated in chopping off her finger. Contrast with California Bones which uses an equally gruesome concept but has action and plotting to keep it moving. I see the echoes of de Bodard's Obsidian and Blood Mayan series here, but the bloodiness there is tempered with characterization. I'm just not sympathetic enough or liking anyone enough to read... maybe I'll give it one last shot before the library claims it.
February 10, 2017
After a strong start, I was delighted to feel a little sympathy for the devil, revelling in a prodigal use of magic, the temptations and the promise of learning a new magical craft, but soon after, I wondered why we were stuck in the house...
And then the book turned into a murder mystery! Oh! Fallen angels and the Jade Emperor and even more all mixed into a multiple mythos pot and we've got rivalries between the houses becoming more and more prominent.
All well and good. Sort of.
The problem I ran into, almost immediately, was neither the premise nor the setting or even the tension. There was plenty of action and things moved out of the house and into Paris. Yeah! Cool, right?
No, the problem was the characters. None of them managed to really stand out except by nature of the baggage that comes along with them. Morning Star? Okay, no baggage there. Even that wouldn't have been a big problem had all the fallen angels had a bit more grit, depth, and creative differentiation between them. What happened to Morning Star, himself, felt like a huge letdown. Immortals, Semi-Immortals, and Mortals using magic is all well and good, but when you start blurring the lines without extremely good and interesting reasons, it kinda loses tension for me and then I just started wondering if there was any reason for it all.
Why fight for the honour or survival of the houses? I lost interest.
Unfortunately, I liked how it began and I was invested in the characters. I realized rather quickly that this was mainly a character-driven novel, so the strengths should have been focused there or at least in some rather more interesting events that helped put the characters in the types of conflicts that aren't just blood and guts but also develops their character. It's not that much to ask for, is it?
Even the climax, however overtly interesting and full of intrigue, predicated upon being invested in either the House or in the MCs. Maybe it's just me, but I just wasn't all that invested. I really wanted to like the novel from the initial promise.
There's a lot of ways it could have gone, but instead we've got a bunch of normal folk (who happen to be magical fighters, fallen angels, or in communion with the dead, when they're not hiding behind the walls of their fortresses). Like I said, the premise was promising. Maybe a firmer grounding in Paris, full of better immersion, could have saved the characters. Perhaps a few stronger plot-lines and deeper exploration of one or two of the hearts of the minor characters. I don't know. I just wanted a lot more than just talking and explaining interspersed between admittedly cool magic and otherwise forgettable action scenes.
It just didn't stand out that much by the end, but it wasn't as if it was an incompetent novel. It wasn't completely unentertaining. The main twist was okay, but the novel obviously feels like a setup for a very long series that's still holding its cards close to its chest.
I'm not certain I'm interested enough to continue, unfortunately.
And then the book turned into a murder mystery! Oh! Fallen angels and the Jade Emperor and even more all mixed into a multiple mythos pot and we've got rivalries between the houses becoming more and more prominent.
All well and good. Sort of.
The problem I ran into, almost immediately, was neither the premise nor the setting or even the tension. There was plenty of action and things moved out of the house and into Paris. Yeah! Cool, right?
No, the problem was the characters. None of them managed to really stand out except by nature of the baggage that comes along with them. Morning Star? Okay, no baggage there. Even that wouldn't have been a big problem had all the fallen angels had a bit more grit, depth, and creative differentiation between them. What happened to Morning Star, himself, felt like a huge letdown. Immortals, Semi-Immortals, and Mortals using magic is all well and good, but when you start blurring the lines without extremely good and interesting reasons, it kinda loses tension for me and then I just started wondering if there was any reason for it all.
Why fight for the honour or survival of the houses? I lost interest.
Unfortunately, I liked how it began and I was invested in the characters. I realized rather quickly that this was mainly a character-driven novel, so the strengths should have been focused there or at least in some rather more interesting events that helped put the characters in the types of conflicts that aren't just blood and guts but also develops their character. It's not that much to ask for, is it?
Even the climax, however overtly interesting and full of intrigue, predicated upon being invested in either the House or in the MCs. Maybe it's just me, but I just wasn't all that invested. I really wanted to like the novel from the initial promise.
There's a lot of ways it could have gone, but instead we've got a bunch of normal folk (who happen to be magical fighters, fallen angels, or in communion with the dead, when they're not hiding behind the walls of their fortresses). Like I said, the premise was promising. Maybe a firmer grounding in Paris, full of better immersion, could have saved the characters. Perhaps a few stronger plot-lines and deeper exploration of one or two of the hearts of the minor characters. I don't know. I just wanted a lot more than just talking and explaining interspersed between admittedly cool magic and otherwise forgettable action scenes.
It just didn't stand out that much by the end, but it wasn't as if it was an incompetent novel. It wasn't completely unentertaining. The main twist was okay, but the novel obviously feels like a setup for a very long series that's still holding its cards close to its chest.
I'm not certain I'm interested enough to continue, unfortunately.
August 14, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/08/14/b...
t all begins with a fallen angel. The War in Heaven has come to Paris – or what’s left of it. The proud city is a ruin now, the once beautiful Seine clogged with the ashes of the dead and destroyed. House Silverspires, which used to be one of the most powerful Fallen factions, has followed Paris’ downfall into decay and disarray. It is thought that the House’s founder Morningstar has abandoned them, or he may be dead; either way, the fate of Silverspires now rests in his protégé Selene’s hands. And Selene, while she’s no Morningstar, is trying to do her best to keep her House together and her people safe.
The situation grows more complicated when a new Fallen named Isabelle comes to Silverspires with a young man named Philippe. Isabelle, being one of their own, is embraced immediately, but Philippe – as an immortal but not a Fallen – remains an outsider until they can figure out what he is and where he came from. However, as Selene and her alchemist Madeleine struggle to unravel the enigma of Philippe and his strange mental link to Isabelle, a sudden string of uncanny deaths strikes those with ties to Silverspires, including a visiting dignitary of another Great House. To prevent another a war from tearing them all apart, friends and enemies must band together to uncover the secrets of their past and figure out how all of this is tied to the stranger in their midst.
The House of Shattered Wings is therefore a very different kind of murder mystery, one that involves the blending of a great number of elements. Using a broken and crumbling version of Paris as a backdrop lends the story a gothic vibe, in all its dark and portentous glory. Snippets of the story behind Lucifer’s fall can be glimpsed in the long history of House Silverspires and their infamous founder. Fallen themselves become the favorite prey of the urban gangs hiding amidst the hollowed out ruins, waiting patiently for their chance to harvest the magical flesh and bone to sell for lucrative sums on the black market. East also clashes with West when the mythologies of two very different cultures meet. Characters still dream longingly of a bygone era, clinging to ideals that they’ll never have again.
This book also has all the hallmarks of an “Aftermath” story. There’s a strong sense of being thrust into the middle of a situation, which I felt so keenly that at one point I actually stopped to wonder if I had unknowingly stepped into a spinoff or a continuation novel of an existing universe. These types of narratives are often tricky; after all, I have to be convinced that the “post-event” is in fact more interesting to read about than the event itself. For the most part, I think author Aliette de Bodard pulled it off. You won’t get a lot of background information here – at least, not laid out in a traditional or organized fashion. Instead, the world building and character details are integrated seamlessly into the plot, to be absorbed gradually as it progresses. It’s a very immersive way to experience a story.
On the other hand, throughout my reading of this novel there was a constant tugging, nagging sensation deep inside of me always demanding to know more. I wanted to know more about this bombed-out world, learn more about the author’s vision of this shattered version of Paris. I wanted to see the scope of the story expanded, because really, what we get to see here is merely a sliver. While the power struggle among the many Fallen Houses involves a great number of individuals, it’s still a relatively small piece of the puzzle. We know from the presence of Philippe that there’s a much bigger picture, and to her credit De Bodard does plenty to indicate this, though she left little room to explore further.
I also struggled to engage with the characters, the reason being most of them had pasts that sounded a lot more intriguing than their present circumstances. In many ways, Isabelle was a blank slate and Philippe’s own journey was part of the mystery, so I was all right with those two. With Selene and Madeleine, however, I felt like their histories overshadowed their current selves. Selene was apprentice to Morningstar himself, a relationship I would have really liked to know more about. And as for Madeleine, mentions of her past at House Hawthorne often made me feel out of my depth, like I was already supposed to know everything about her origins and her associations with the Fallen there. Ironically, she was probably the most interesting character, but I also felt disconnected to her most of all.
And yet, in spite of the areas which I thought could have been improved, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m not denying there were hurdles, but overall I thought it was very well put together story that presented an intriguing and sophisticated never-seen-before side to the “fallen angels” mythos. In a way, my desire to know more is a testament to how thoroughly this book drew me in. It might not have swept me off my feet, but it got me paying attention. I look forward to reading more of Aliette de Bodard’s work in the future.
t all begins with a fallen angel. The War in Heaven has come to Paris – or what’s left of it. The proud city is a ruin now, the once beautiful Seine clogged with the ashes of the dead and destroyed. House Silverspires, which used to be one of the most powerful Fallen factions, has followed Paris’ downfall into decay and disarray. It is thought that the House’s founder Morningstar has abandoned them, or he may be dead; either way, the fate of Silverspires now rests in his protégé Selene’s hands. And Selene, while she’s no Morningstar, is trying to do her best to keep her House together and her people safe.
The situation grows more complicated when a new Fallen named Isabelle comes to Silverspires with a young man named Philippe. Isabelle, being one of their own, is embraced immediately, but Philippe – as an immortal but not a Fallen – remains an outsider until they can figure out what he is and where he came from. However, as Selene and her alchemist Madeleine struggle to unravel the enigma of Philippe and his strange mental link to Isabelle, a sudden string of uncanny deaths strikes those with ties to Silverspires, including a visiting dignitary of another Great House. To prevent another a war from tearing them all apart, friends and enemies must band together to uncover the secrets of their past and figure out how all of this is tied to the stranger in their midst.
The House of Shattered Wings is therefore a very different kind of murder mystery, one that involves the blending of a great number of elements. Using a broken and crumbling version of Paris as a backdrop lends the story a gothic vibe, in all its dark and portentous glory. Snippets of the story behind Lucifer’s fall can be glimpsed in the long history of House Silverspires and their infamous founder. Fallen themselves become the favorite prey of the urban gangs hiding amidst the hollowed out ruins, waiting patiently for their chance to harvest the magical flesh and bone to sell for lucrative sums on the black market. East also clashes with West when the mythologies of two very different cultures meet. Characters still dream longingly of a bygone era, clinging to ideals that they’ll never have again.
This book also has all the hallmarks of an “Aftermath” story. There’s a strong sense of being thrust into the middle of a situation, which I felt so keenly that at one point I actually stopped to wonder if I had unknowingly stepped into a spinoff or a continuation novel of an existing universe. These types of narratives are often tricky; after all, I have to be convinced that the “post-event” is in fact more interesting to read about than the event itself. For the most part, I think author Aliette de Bodard pulled it off. You won’t get a lot of background information here – at least, not laid out in a traditional or organized fashion. Instead, the world building and character details are integrated seamlessly into the plot, to be absorbed gradually as it progresses. It’s a very immersive way to experience a story.
On the other hand, throughout my reading of this novel there was a constant tugging, nagging sensation deep inside of me always demanding to know more. I wanted to know more about this bombed-out world, learn more about the author’s vision of this shattered version of Paris. I wanted to see the scope of the story expanded, because really, what we get to see here is merely a sliver. While the power struggle among the many Fallen Houses involves a great number of individuals, it’s still a relatively small piece of the puzzle. We know from the presence of Philippe that there’s a much bigger picture, and to her credit De Bodard does plenty to indicate this, though she left little room to explore further.
I also struggled to engage with the characters, the reason being most of them had pasts that sounded a lot more intriguing than their present circumstances. In many ways, Isabelle was a blank slate and Philippe’s own journey was part of the mystery, so I was all right with those two. With Selene and Madeleine, however, I felt like their histories overshadowed their current selves. Selene was apprentice to Morningstar himself, a relationship I would have really liked to know more about. And as for Madeleine, mentions of her past at House Hawthorne often made me feel out of my depth, like I was already supposed to know everything about her origins and her associations with the Fallen there. Ironically, she was probably the most interesting character, but I also felt disconnected to her most of all.
And yet, in spite of the areas which I thought could have been improved, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m not denying there were hurdles, but overall I thought it was very well put together story that presented an intriguing and sophisticated never-seen-before side to the “fallen angels” mythos. In a way, my desire to know more is a testament to how thoroughly this book drew me in. It might not have swept me off my feet, but it got me paying attention. I look forward to reading more of Aliette de Bodard’s work in the future.
September 1, 2015
Beautiful setting - an alternate-history Paris, devastated by wars both terrestrial and magical, decaying but still filled with terrible beauty. Gangs run the streets, and others cluster to Houses for protection - Houses run with ruthless amorality by fallen angels.
Biblical, Vietnamese, and Greek myths mix beautifully with original fantastic elements in this world.
Here, Philippe, a Vietnamese man brought to Paris as a conscripted soldier and then abandoned to the streets, is brought against his will into House Silverspires. It's recognized that something is odd about Philippe - something they want to investigate. Silverspires is the oldest House, and once the most powerful, run by the Morningstar himself - Lucifer. But Morningstar has been absent these past 20 years. In his absence, Selene is the head - but are there plots against her? If so, do they stem from without or within - or both?
With Phillipe's arrival, a curse of shadows seems to have been unleashed upon Silverspires, and both humans and angels are dying. Is the timing coincidence, or no? Will the mystery be solved, or will everything fall to chaos and dust?
There are a lot of elements to this book that I liked, but I also felt that it could've been better. I didn't really connect with, or care for, any of the characters. They felt remote from me. The setup also felt a bit - almost - game-influenced. It's almost as if Anne Bishop wrote one of Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels. (I love Shinn's writing style, but Bishop's leaves me cool.)
I'd only previously read short stories by de Bodard. Some I loved, some weren't for me - but this book wasn't really what I expected from my previous experience. That's not a positive or a negative - it's just different.
Many thinks to Orion Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinion is solely my own.
Biblical, Vietnamese, and Greek myths mix beautifully with original fantastic elements in this world.
Here, Philippe, a Vietnamese man brought to Paris as a conscripted soldier and then abandoned to the streets, is brought against his will into House Silverspires. It's recognized that something is odd about Philippe - something they want to investigate. Silverspires is the oldest House, and once the most powerful, run by the Morningstar himself - Lucifer. But Morningstar has been absent these past 20 years. In his absence, Selene is the head - but are there plots against her? If so, do they stem from without or within - or both?
With Phillipe's arrival, a curse of shadows seems to have been unleashed upon Silverspires, and both humans and angels are dying. Is the timing coincidence, or no? Will the mystery be solved, or will everything fall to chaos and dust?
There are a lot of elements to this book that I liked, but I also felt that it could've been better. I didn't really connect with, or care for, any of the characters. They felt remote from me. The setup also felt a bit - almost - game-influenced. It's almost as if Anne Bishop wrote one of Sharon Shinn's Samaria novels. (I love Shinn's writing style, but Bishop's leaves me cool.)
I'd only previously read short stories by de Bodard. Some I loved, some weren't for me - but this book wasn't really what I expected from my previous experience. That's not a positive or a negative - it's just different.
Many thinks to Orion Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinion is solely my own.
August 25, 2019
4.25 stars.
The House of Shatterd Wings is a very interesting book. It’s a blend of post-apocalyptic urban fantasy, historical fiction and mystery, set in a Paris as fallen as the angels who inhabit it, with some influences from Vietnamese and Greek mythology. It could be seen as a murder mystery, but I find it's mostly about political intrigue between fallen angels and their Houses, a story of murderous magic and very old grudges. I’ve never found anything similar, and I probably never will.
What drew me in right from the first chapter was the atmosphere. I usually don’t like post-apocalyptic settings, but this version of Paris was fascinating. Books set in Paris are usually praised for their atmosphere, because there’s a lot to work with (it’s not that difficult to write pretty descriptions of a place that is both well-known and objectively pretty) but this Paris devastated by a magical war works even better as a fantasy setting. It's as beautiful as it is creepy.
Also, everything about this book gives such a sense of rot. There's something deeply wrong with this city and everyone who lives in it, and the shadows of the past are - quite literally - still affecting the present.
This story is told mainly through three PoVs. The first time I read this novel, I said that the character felt distant, but with this reread, I realize that's not really the case: I was distant, because I truly don't like any of them, and I'm not sure one is meant to; after all, this didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the story itself.
🐉 Madeleine is the alchemist of House Silverspires, the house this book follows. She has lost so much in the past, and as a result of that, she has developed an addiction to angel essence. She is kind of a passive character, for the most part, and she always felt... faded to me, and lost, but I liked the beginning of her character arc, and where that brings her in book two.
🐉 Selene is the Head of the House. She is a powerful angel, and she is in a relationship with the archivist Emmanuelle, also an angel. She is everything I would like, in theory, as she is a powerful queer woman; however, she is in a position that turns her best qualities into her worst flaws, so she tries her best to be her worst. In the quiet scenes she spends with Emmanuelle, I liked her; in others, one can't forget that she is the head of a corrupt system that for long thrived on the blood of the colonies, and that to be good at what she does, she continues to play by the horrible rules.
🐉 Philippe is a Vietnamese ex-immortal who was forcibly drafted during the war by a House now dead. He is angry and resentful, and has every reason to be. He is also not a good person - this Paris is a city ruined by angels' greed that doesn't allow anyone to make good choices, and at the beginning of the book, he lives with a gang that sells newly-fallen angels' body parts on the black market. I did like his complicated relationship with Isabelle - the angel whose fingers he sawed off - and that he was trying the best to make it right, but there are so many things wrong with what everyone goes through, that sometimes even the best intentions aren't enough.
This is, after all, a story about a place where there are so many wrongs, both on a systemic (what the houses have done to the places they colonized, and then to the city) and a personal level, that they can't be righted. Maybe it would be best to burn everything to the ground, but what would that bring? This book doesn't try to give you an easy answer, and I really appreciated that.
And yet, it is not a depressing story. It's sad, of course it is, but there's a certain beauty to this ruined, rotting world. The House of Shattered Wings is never violent or grim for the sake of it, and the characters never stop feeling human, even the ones that aren't.
Even the side characters are remarkable, especially manipulative Claire and ruthless Asmodeus and naive Isabelle, who gave me chills during the last chapters. (Also: dragon princess Ngoc Bich. The best character in the book, and I'm so glad we see more of her in the second book.)
What kept me from giving this book five stars was the ending. I think that in a book in which most of the tension comes from what's basically a murder mystery plotline, the answer should be something the reader should at least have a chance to figure along with the characters; here, one can't. The result is a weaker ending than it could have been.
TW: death of a side gay character; the main f/f couple is ok at the end of the book.
The House of Shatterd Wings is a very interesting book. It’s a blend of post-apocalyptic urban fantasy, historical fiction and mystery, set in a Paris as fallen as the angels who inhabit it, with some influences from Vietnamese and Greek mythology. It could be seen as a murder mystery, but I find it's mostly about political intrigue between fallen angels and their Houses, a story of murderous magic and very old grudges. I’ve never found anything similar, and I probably never will.
What drew me in right from the first chapter was the atmosphere. I usually don’t like post-apocalyptic settings, but this version of Paris was fascinating. Books set in Paris are usually praised for their atmosphere, because there’s a lot to work with (it’s not that difficult to write pretty descriptions of a place that is both well-known and objectively pretty) but this Paris devastated by a magical war works even better as a fantasy setting. It's as beautiful as it is creepy.
Also, everything about this book gives such a sense of rot. There's something deeply wrong with this city and everyone who lives in it, and the shadows of the past are - quite literally - still affecting the present.
This story is told mainly through three PoVs. The first time I read this novel, I said that the character felt distant, but with this reread, I realize that's not really the case: I was distant, because I truly don't like any of them, and I'm not sure one is meant to; after all, this didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the story itself.
🐉 Madeleine is the alchemist of House Silverspires, the house this book follows. She has lost so much in the past, and as a result of that, she has developed an addiction to angel essence. She is kind of a passive character, for the most part, and she always felt... faded to me, and lost, but I liked the beginning of her character arc, and where that brings her in book two.
🐉 Selene is the Head of the House. She is a powerful angel, and she is in a relationship with the archivist Emmanuelle, also an angel. She is everything I would like, in theory, as she is a powerful queer woman; however, she is in a position that turns her best qualities into her worst flaws, so she tries her best to be her worst. In the quiet scenes she spends with Emmanuelle, I liked her; in others, one can't forget that she is the head of a corrupt system that for long thrived on the blood of the colonies, and that to be good at what she does, she continues to play by the horrible rules.
🐉 Philippe is a Vietnamese ex-immortal who was forcibly drafted during the war by a House now dead. He is angry and resentful, and has every reason to be. He is also not a good person - this Paris is a city ruined by angels' greed that doesn't allow anyone to make good choices, and at the beginning of the book, he lives with a gang that sells newly-fallen angels' body parts on the black market. I did like his complicated relationship with Isabelle - the angel whose fingers he sawed off - and that he was trying the best to make it right, but there are so many things wrong with what everyone goes through, that sometimes even the best intentions aren't enough.
This is, after all, a story about a place where there are so many wrongs, both on a systemic (what the houses have done to the places they colonized, and then to the city) and a personal level, that they can't be righted. Maybe it would be best to burn everything to the ground, but what would that bring? This book doesn't try to give you an easy answer, and I really appreciated that.
And yet, it is not a depressing story. It's sad, of course it is, but there's a certain beauty to this ruined, rotting world. The House of Shattered Wings is never violent or grim for the sake of it, and the characters never stop feeling human, even the ones that aren't.
Even the side characters are remarkable, especially manipulative Claire and ruthless Asmodeus and naive Isabelle, who gave me chills during the last chapters. (Also: dragon princess Ngoc Bich. The best character in the book, and I'm so glad we see more of her in the second book.)
What kept me from giving this book five stars was the ending. I think that in a book in which most of the tension comes from what's basically a murder mystery plotline, the answer should be something the reader should at least have a chance to figure along with the characters; here, one can't. The result is a weaker ending than it could have been.
TW: death of a side gay character; the main f/f couple is ok at the end of the book.
September 5, 2016
I really want to give this more stars. The world-building is gorgeous, the settings atmospheric and much of the writing is both and more, sentence by sentence at least. I loved the concepts, and the blend of multicultural mythology brought to life.
However the characters feel so... distant, and there is such an unemotional tone throughout that I struggled to care even slightly about their fate. I can barely remember most of the names, and there were some really lovely ones too. Much is made of an apparent connection between Philippe and Isabelle, but being told about it simply isn't enough. I didn't feel it - didn't feel much of anything, which is a huge shame. There really is so much potential within the world de Bodard has created, it just... falls flat. Fingers crossed that by the second book the flaws vanish (because there will be a second, and a third - there always is...)
However the characters feel so... distant, and there is such an unemotional tone throughout that I struggled to care even slightly about their fate. I can barely remember most of the names, and there were some really lovely ones too. Much is made of an apparent connection between Philippe and Isabelle, but being told about it simply isn't enough. I didn't feel it - didn't feel much of anything, which is a huge shame. There really is so much potential within the world de Bodard has created, it just... falls flat. Fingers crossed that by the second book the flaws vanish (because there will be a second, and a third - there always is...)
July 22, 2015
[I received an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
I liked the premise, I really did—not to mention that theme of the broken, rotting throne at night against the backdrop of a ruined Paris. There's something both sick and magical to such a city. The Seine river blackened and polluted by magic turned sour, horrors lurking in its waters. Gangs scrapping remnants in order to survive, Fallen angels being their favourite preys, preys that end stripped up of blood and bone and basically everything, for the power those organs can bring. Houses full of mages, Fallens and their dependents, vying for domination, yet also teetering on the brink of destruction, for the last large-scale conflict among them ended up being the 1914 war, the Great War nobody nor any place in the world seems to have recovered even 60 years later...
Yes. Definitely enchanting, in a morbid way. I couldn't help but be fascinated by this charred landscape, by the sheer hopelessness permeating eveything and everyone, despite the pseudo-grandeur some of the characters tried to keep as their facade. Descriptions here worked pretty well for me, making it easy to create this picture of Paris in my mind, all the more because I've walked those places, the parvis of Notre-Dame, the Halles, and so on. The atmosphere was somewhat old-fashioned, in that people in the story clung to a world long gone by (far away colonies entangled in the War, displays from fashion stores back when everything was still gilded...), and a lot of names were really traditional French names (Ninon, Madeleine, Isabelle, Philippe...). Although, as a native French speaker, it was also somewhat weird to see those names associated to English ones like Silverspires or Morningstar; that's a matter of language on my part, though, and not any fault of the book.
And no romance. There was no room for that here. The only "links" were of blood and curses and magic and slavery of sorts. No "souls destined to be together". The relationship between Philippe and Isabelle definitely wasn't born under the brightest star, so to speak.
The reason why I'm not rating this novel higher is because... I wanted more. The mystery, the curse, those were intriguing, but the balance between unveiling them, developing the characters and showing the world around them was regularly a bit off. I would have wanted to see more interaction between Philippe, Isabelle and Madeleine; see more about how they evolved, or rather, could have evolved as people. I expected to see more of House politics, of the complex webbing of alliances and betrayal and various other ways of pecking at each other. More about Philippe's origins and what his presence in Paris meant, more questioning about immortality and fallen angels, perhaps? At times, I felt that all that was more akin to beating around the bush, and that a while elapsed with nothing really happening, neither in terms of events nor of character growth. That while would've been the perfect place to inject... well, "more".
I was also not too convinced by some of the secondary characters, more specifically Selene. I expected more cunning on her part, as someone who had been playing the game of House politics for decades. As a Head of House, she wasn't "older" than Asmodeus, yet the latter and his schemes hooked me much more, seemed more ruthless and thus believable. I got it, nobody could have equalled Morningstar, but...
All in all, this is still an "I liked it" book. Just not the "I'm in awe" story I had hoped for.
I liked the premise, I really did—not to mention that theme of the broken, rotting throne at night against the backdrop of a ruined Paris. There's something both sick and magical to such a city. The Seine river blackened and polluted by magic turned sour, horrors lurking in its waters. Gangs scrapping remnants in order to survive, Fallen angels being their favourite preys, preys that end stripped up of blood and bone and basically everything, for the power those organs can bring. Houses full of mages, Fallens and their dependents, vying for domination, yet also teetering on the brink of destruction, for the last large-scale conflict among them ended up being the 1914 war, the Great War nobody nor any place in the world seems to have recovered even 60 years later...
Yes. Definitely enchanting, in a morbid way. I couldn't help but be fascinated by this charred landscape, by the sheer hopelessness permeating eveything and everyone, despite the pseudo-grandeur some of the characters tried to keep as their facade. Descriptions here worked pretty well for me, making it easy to create this picture of Paris in my mind, all the more because I've walked those places, the parvis of Notre-Dame, the Halles, and so on. The atmosphere was somewhat old-fashioned, in that people in the story clung to a world long gone by (far away colonies entangled in the War, displays from fashion stores back when everything was still gilded...), and a lot of names were really traditional French names (Ninon, Madeleine, Isabelle, Philippe...). Although, as a native French speaker, it was also somewhat weird to see those names associated to English ones like Silverspires or Morningstar; that's a matter of language on my part, though, and not any fault of the book.
And no romance. There was no room for that here. The only "links" were of blood and curses and magic and slavery of sorts. No "souls destined to be together". The relationship between Philippe and Isabelle definitely wasn't born under the brightest star, so to speak.
The reason why I'm not rating this novel higher is because... I wanted more. The mystery, the curse, those were intriguing, but the balance between unveiling them, developing the characters and showing the world around them was regularly a bit off. I would have wanted to see more interaction between Philippe, Isabelle and Madeleine; see more about how they evolved, or rather, could have evolved as people. I expected to see more of House politics, of the complex webbing of alliances and betrayal and various other ways of pecking at each other. More about Philippe's origins and what his presence in Paris meant, more questioning about immortality and fallen angels, perhaps? At times, I felt that all that was more akin to beating around the bush, and that a while elapsed with nothing really happening, neither in terms of events nor of character growth. That while would've been the perfect place to inject... well, "more".
I was also not too convinced by some of the secondary characters, more specifically Selene. I expected more cunning on her part, as someone who had been playing the game of House politics for decades. As a Head of House, she wasn't "older" than Asmodeus, yet the latter and his schemes hooked me much more, seemed more ruthless and thus believable. I got it, nobody could have equalled Morningstar, but...
All in all, this is still an "I liked it" book. Just not the "I'm in awe" story I had hoped for.
August 26, 2015
OK, so I read an early draft of this book a year or two ago and thought that it was awesome...but the final version is even So Much Better, which is saying a LOT!
I read this book from beginning to end on an overnight flight between the US and UK last night, with many, many distractions going on around me (i.e. I was traveling with my kids) - but I was absolutely gripped by this novel the whole way. It is such a beautiful, powerful, genuinely haunting fantasy. Set in a post-apocalyptic Paris ravaged by the 1914 war between the great magical houses (almost all run by fallen angels), the worldbuilding is rich and strange, creepy, fascinating and compelling. The different points of view - from Selene, a Fallen who runs what used to be the Great House of Morningstar (Lucifer) himself, to Philippe, a former Vietnamese Immortal who hates the Houses for their imperialism - are often in conflict but always empathetic. The magic feels deeply magical in all its different forms.
At the end of the novel, the main arc of the story was beautifully fulfilled, but there were definitely important questions left unanswered...so I am starting my personal countdown to Book 2. I can't wait to read more!
I really enjoyed Aliette de Bodard's earlier historical fantasy trilogy, but I think this marks a huge leap forward in her novels. This is definitely one of the best fantasy novels I've read in the last few years.
I read this book from beginning to end on an overnight flight between the US and UK last night, with many, many distractions going on around me (i.e. I was traveling with my kids) - but I was absolutely gripped by this novel the whole way. It is such a beautiful, powerful, genuinely haunting fantasy. Set in a post-apocalyptic Paris ravaged by the 1914 war between the great magical houses (almost all run by fallen angels), the worldbuilding is rich and strange, creepy, fascinating and compelling. The different points of view - from Selene, a Fallen who runs what used to be the Great House of Morningstar (Lucifer) himself, to Philippe, a former Vietnamese Immortal who hates the Houses for their imperialism - are often in conflict but always empathetic. The magic feels deeply magical in all its different forms.
At the end of the novel, the main arc of the story was beautifully fulfilled, but there were definitely important questions left unanswered...so I am starting my personal countdown to Book 2. I can't wait to read more!
I really enjoyed Aliette de Bodard's earlier historical fantasy trilogy, but I think this marks a huge leap forward in her novels. This is definitely one of the best fantasy novels I've read in the last few years.
December 3, 2021
The alternate history Paris, with its ruined buildings and dark magic and self-serving Houses and gangs, is remarkably richly envisioned.
The story of intrigues and a inexplicable supernatural deaths was also pretty interesting.
The least satisfactory element was the characters. I found them pretty universally dislikable. Philippe was the most sympathetic to me, but then he had no power and was a prisoner, so who's to say that he wouldn't have been just as selfish and arrogant and high-handed given the opportunity.
Not that I insist on all characters being nice or anything, but since I didn't care for them it was hard to be moved by who died or care whether Silverspires was or was not destroyed. I'm not even sure I was supposed to care. This is only book 1, maybe the real crux of the plot is yet to come.
3.5 stars
The story of intrigues and a inexplicable supernatural deaths was also pretty interesting.
The least satisfactory element was the characters. I found them pretty universally dislikable. Philippe was the most sympathetic to me, but then he had no power and was a prisoner, so who's to say that he wouldn't have been just as selfish and arrogant and high-handed given the opportunity.
Not that I insist on all characters being nice or anything, but since I didn't care for them it was hard to be moved by who died or care whether Silverspires was or was not destroyed. I'm not even sure I was supposed to care. This is only book 1, maybe the real crux of the plot is yet to come.
3.5 stars
March 24, 2021
“Power is power. Those who hold it seldom remember where they came from.”
TW: Violence, drugs.
REP : Vietnamese MC, lesbian MC, w/w relationship, m/m relationship, black side character.
4/5 stars!
Look, fallen angels have never been my thing and I think, part of what fucked it up was The Mortal Instruments series (I´m sorry ya´ll) but when I heard of this (thank you, random internet page) I decided to give it a chance. It sounded interesting enough. It is interesting, to an extent at least.
It follows an interesting premise and the book is incredibly atmospheric: you can almost see yourself walking the streets of Paris, seeing the polluted, black Seine for yourself, surrounding Notre Dame and Des Magasins. However, there were some things I´d just like to point out, because this HAD so MUCH potential.
"There was no point in grieving for faded things"
The story itself follows three main characters: Selene, the head of the house of Silverspires, Madeline (my personal favourite character) an addicted alchemist and Phillipe an ex Inmortal.
Selene , a Fallen, is responsible for keeping the house up and going after Morningstar left with no warning whatsoever. It is unknown what happened to him, other than he has been missing for 20 years. Having no choice but to rule, she is engrossed in House politics and petty games after the War of The Houses, which left Paris devastated. Gangs all over the place, people starving and the privileged safe and warm, as always.
Madeline , is an alchemist, escaped from one of the other houses after a sort of coup de état which left her only lover dead and she, wounded at the heart of Silverspires. She is taken in by Selene and ever since then, she becomes addicted to a drug called angel´s essence (basically Fallen´s bones) which is strictly prohibited in the House. Aside from having to hide her addiction, she is too, thrown upon the House tandem. She is also responsible for training apprentices.
And Philipe, a Viet Inmortal who is taken away from his home, forced upon servitude of a house during the war. Later joining a gang and later being forced upon Silverspires much to his disgust, after trying to farm blood off of a Fallen, whom he later creates a bond with.
The plot is interesting and rich enough: Philippe is found farming off a Fallens blood and in retribution, Selene bounds him to the House, trying to understand his powers. Phillipe, being confined to the House discovers a curse inside the Cathedral and accidentally calls upon it. After that, pure chaos. Houses bickering at each other over murdered dependants, petty pasts and power.
See, everything was set up to be incredibly splendid and yet, it wasn´t. I found myself dethatched (fuck thats a difficult word) from all the characters, and I mean all of them, even Madeleine, who was my favourite. It felt like the threads were there for me to grab but they just slipped between my fingers every damn time. It just, aside from Madeleine (and sometimes even her) I felt most of the characters were kind of flat. We get the occasional description, feelings, etc, but nothing much, in any way.
"You´d be surprised what does work. In the depths of pain and darkness, what kind of spars people can seize and never let go of..."
The salvaging point of this book its basically the prose , enchanting and deep while easy to understand and the setting and atmosphere, the world building and effort put into it. It was never hard really, to envision myself inside the story. It was beautiful.
Now let´s talk about the plot, shall we? As I said, it´s interesting enough. It has beautiful gothic elements in it alas there are some few things I´d like to point out and that is: I felt through some parts of the book that I was smoking something. Some things were believable enough for me, but others... not so much. The bond between Isabelle and Philippe was just there, it wasn´t entirely believable for me, it just didn´t carry what was necessary. It felt, as much of its characters, bland.
Honestly, I also felt throughout some parts (aside from the dragging) that it was a mess, a jimble jamble of things. We have little knowledge throughout most of the book and when we do, we are presented with it in a weird way to say the least. The magic as well, was kind of bland. For most of the book, I had this persisting thought of: "Well its only developed as a convenient way to end and alter things"Which don´t get me wrong, I obviously understand that´s the whole point of the book. And talking about that, I would like to make an honorific mention of the ending: we get teased and teased and teased throughout the book and the ending was just cut off, so easily? Like Madeline´s POV could have had so much POTENTIAL TOO. SO MUCH.
I do appreciate a lot of things in this book: the setting AND the atmosphere for once, as i mentioned time and time again. Aside from that I loved the representation, parts of Phillipe and Selene stayed with me, and in a way, I understood Phillipe too. What it feels like, to be somewhere were you don´t belong. I loved the themes it touched too: power, politics, war, the mess of it, the belonging, finding a "family". It just... oof. Bonus point for the mention of Mexico somewhere in between the book (it´s difficult as it is to find any mention of it!) and an extra one for demonstrating it can be a good, incredible book without the need of adding romance as its center.
Honestly, while I had some complaints, I am surprised. Pleasantly so. I think, after having written this review, I can safely say it deserves, wholeheartedly 4 stars. I don´t know why. Don´t ask. Because some times I wanted to tear my eyes out, I also, fell asleep, but, Idk. It gave me a feeling, and that´s good enough for me. Im not a literature critic, after all.
Overall: I do recommend it. Do read it. AND POINTS FOR MADELINE and her ENDING. Thanks.
"IT is almost pleasant, at first, to be Falling..."
TW: Violence, drugs.
REP : Vietnamese MC, lesbian MC, w/w relationship, m/m relationship, black side character.
4/5 stars!
Look, fallen angels have never been my thing and I think, part of what fucked it up was The Mortal Instruments series (I´m sorry ya´ll) but when I heard of this (thank you, random internet page) I decided to give it a chance. It sounded interesting enough. It is interesting, to an extent at least.
It follows an interesting premise and the book is incredibly atmospheric: you can almost see yourself walking the streets of Paris, seeing the polluted, black Seine for yourself, surrounding Notre Dame and Des Magasins. However, there were some things I´d just like to point out, because this HAD so MUCH potential.
"There was no point in grieving for faded things"
The story itself follows three main characters: Selene, the head of the house of Silverspires, Madeline (my personal favourite character) an addicted alchemist and Phillipe an ex Inmortal.
Selene , a Fallen, is responsible for keeping the house up and going after Morningstar left with no warning whatsoever. It is unknown what happened to him, other than he has been missing for 20 years. Having no choice but to rule, she is engrossed in House politics and petty games after the War of The Houses, which left Paris devastated. Gangs all over the place, people starving and the privileged safe and warm, as always.
Madeline , is an alchemist, escaped from one of the other houses after a sort of coup de état which left her only lover dead and she, wounded at the heart of Silverspires. She is taken in by Selene and ever since then, she becomes addicted to a drug called angel´s essence (basically Fallen´s bones) which is strictly prohibited in the House. Aside from having to hide her addiction, she is too, thrown upon the House tandem. She is also responsible for training apprentices.
And Philipe, a Viet Inmortal who is taken away from his home, forced upon servitude of a house during the war. Later joining a gang and later being forced upon Silverspires much to his disgust, after trying to farm blood off of a Fallen, whom he later creates a bond with.
The plot is interesting and rich enough: Philippe is found farming off a Fallens blood and in retribution, Selene bounds him to the House, trying to understand his powers. Phillipe, being confined to the House discovers a curse inside the Cathedral and accidentally calls upon it. After that, pure chaos. Houses bickering at each other over murdered dependants, petty pasts and power.
See, everything was set up to be incredibly splendid and yet, it wasn´t. I found myself dethatched (fuck thats a difficult word) from all the characters, and I mean all of them, even Madeleine, who was my favourite. It felt like the threads were there for me to grab but they just slipped between my fingers every damn time. It just, aside from Madeleine (and sometimes even her) I felt most of the characters were kind of flat. We get the occasional description, feelings, etc, but nothing much, in any way.
"You´d be surprised what does work. In the depths of pain and darkness, what kind of spars people can seize and never let go of..."
The salvaging point of this book its basically the prose , enchanting and deep while easy to understand and the setting and atmosphere, the world building and effort put into it. It was never hard really, to envision myself inside the story. It was beautiful.
Now let´s talk about the plot, shall we? As I said, it´s interesting enough. It has beautiful gothic elements in it alas there are some few things I´d like to point out and that is: I felt through some parts of the book that I was smoking something. Some things were believable enough for me, but others... not so much. The bond between Isabelle and Philippe was just there, it wasn´t entirely believable for me, it just didn´t carry what was necessary. It felt, as much of its characters, bland.
Honestly, I also felt throughout some parts (aside from the dragging) that it was a mess, a jimble jamble of things. We have little knowledge throughout most of the book and when we do, we are presented with it in a weird way to say the least. The magic as well, was kind of bland. For most of the book, I had this persisting thought of: "Well its only developed as a convenient way to end and alter things"Which don´t get me wrong, I obviously understand that´s the whole point of the book. And talking about that, I would like to make an honorific mention of the ending: we get teased and teased and teased throughout the book and the ending was just cut off, so easily? Like Madeline´s POV could have had so much POTENTIAL TOO. SO MUCH.
I do appreciate a lot of things in this book: the setting AND the atmosphere for once, as i mentioned time and time again. Aside from that I loved the representation, parts of Phillipe and Selene stayed with me, and in a way, I understood Phillipe too. What it feels like, to be somewhere were you don´t belong. I loved the themes it touched too: power, politics, war, the mess of it, the belonging, finding a "family". It just... oof. Bonus point for the mention of Mexico somewhere in between the book (it´s difficult as it is to find any mention of it!) and an extra one for demonstrating it can be a good, incredible book without the need of adding romance as its center.
Honestly, while I had some complaints, I am surprised. Pleasantly so. I think, after having written this review, I can safely say it deserves, wholeheartedly 4 stars. I don´t know why. Don´t ask. Because some times I wanted to tear my eyes out, I also, fell asleep, but, Idk. It gave me a feeling, and that´s good enough for me. Im not a literature critic, after all.
Overall: I do recommend it. Do read it. AND POINTS FOR MADELINE and her ENDING. Thanks.
"IT is almost pleasant, at first, to be Falling..."
Read
April 23, 2022Really... what the fucking fuck is this shit? Sorry for all the strong words but... I really have NO IDEA whatsoever what I was reading apart from a dhiarrea of words. Lots of words to explain lots of nothings and no movings forwards. So fallen angels. Wars on heavens. People who steal angels parts and blood for drugs and to do magics with it. And murders. And a guy who is human but no and is sth more but also all of before but no and something more but no but yes but no but yes but who knows but can't tell but I'll tell you. Later. Much more later. Not now. Because now we need lots and lots and lots of words. And sorry not for me.
30.01.2017
Tried giving it a second chance. Strongly confirmed this one is not for me.
30.01.2017
Tried giving it a second chance. Strongly confirmed this one is not for me.
April 2, 2016
3.5 stars rounded down.
Richly imagined and decadently written story of Fallen angel politics set in post-apocalyptic War era Paris. You don't get much more background than that as the characters work their way through the chaos that befalls them, but you don't really need it as it all unfolds very nicely using several different points of view.
There was a lot to like here, with an interesting premise and setting and some diverse characters, but I wanted a tiny bit more spark from them in order to make the whole thing fully satisfying. That said, overall I did mostly enjoy it, I just didn't love it.
Even though there is a follow up book on the horizon, this book scores extra points by making sure to bring the story arc to a close, and it could easily be read as a standalone.
Richly imagined and decadently written story of Fallen angel politics set in post-apocalyptic War era Paris. You don't get much more background than that as the characters work their way through the chaos that befalls them, but you don't really need it as it all unfolds very nicely using several different points of view.
There was a lot to like here, with an interesting premise and setting and some diverse characters, but I wanted a tiny bit more spark from them in order to make the whole thing fully satisfying. That said, overall I did mostly enjoy it, I just didn't love it.
Even though there is a follow up book on the horizon, this book scores extra points by making sure to bring the story arc to a close, and it could easily be read as a standalone.
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 5, 2015I received this via Goodreads FirstReads in exchange for an honorable review.
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Loved the concept, but just couldn't get into the story:(
"It's not you book, it's me"
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Loved the concept, but just couldn't get into the story:(
"It's not you book, it's me"
June 1, 2020
I was excited to read this book, because I know Aliette and consider her a bit of a friend. I've really enjoyed her short fiction in the past. The characters and settings are fresh and strange to me and I enjoy that. This novel is no different. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic Paris unlike the one we know. This one has always been ruled by magic, the magic of Fallen angels. There was a war between factions, or Houses, of Fallen who run life in Paris and life is hard. De Bodard's characters are fractured and not always like-able. They're motivations different from what I would expect. There's a Vietnamese (or Annamese, as he's referred to here) character whose actions hint at a world much different even from that of this Paris.
The pace is slow at the beginning. Nothing much happens, but this is fine because I needed time to get accustomed to this world and its characters. When the action does come it's unlike anything you would expect.
I felt this first novel of hers has many interesting things going for it. But I also felt like there was a disjointedness to the narrative and holes in the character development that made investing fully a little difficult.
I'd actually rate it more like 3.7. Better than just "good", but not "very good". That said, knowing the circumstances under which this novel was written and that they will improve with time, I must say I'm very much looking forward to the promised sequels. I have no idea what they will be about and and I'm burning with curiosity!
The pace is slow at the beginning. Nothing much happens, but this is fine because I needed time to get accustomed to this world and its characters. When the action does come it's unlike anything you would expect.
I felt this first novel of hers has many interesting things going for it. But I also felt like there was a disjointedness to the narrative and holes in the character development that made investing fully a little difficult.
I'd actually rate it more like 3.7. Better than just "good", but not "very good". That said, knowing the circumstances under which this novel was written and that they will improve with time, I must say I'm very much looking forward to the promised sequels. I have no idea what they will be about and and I'm burning with curiosity!
Read
July 29, 2015I blurbed this book:
Lyrical, sophisticated, lush, suspenseful—HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS brings to life an exciting world of deep magic and complex, layered characters infused with de Bodard's unique awareness of the flow of currents of power in a colonial landscape.
Lyrical, sophisticated, lush, suspenseful—HOUSE OF SHATTERED WINGS brings to life an exciting world of deep magic and complex, layered characters infused with de Bodard's unique awareness of the flow of currents of power in a colonial landscape.
July 23, 2015
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley
Summary (from Goodreads):
Multi-award winning author Aliette de Bodard, brings her story of the War in Heaven to Paris, igniting the City of Light in a fantasy of divine power and deep conspiracy…
In the late Twentieth Century, the streets of Paris are lined with haunted ruins. The Great Magicians’ War left a trail of devastation in its wake. The Grand Magasins have been reduced to piles of debris, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine has turned black with ashes and rubble and the remnants of the spells that tore the city apart. But those that survived still retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.
Once the most powerful and formidable, House Silverspires now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.
Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen angel; an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction; and a resentful young man wielding spells of unknown origin. They may be Silverspires’ salvation—or the architects of its last, irreversible fall. And if Silverspires falls, so may the city itself.
What I Liked:
I don't know what to think of this book. It's getting three stars because I don't hate it and I don't love it - I'm not sure what to think of it. I still have no idea what's going on, what happened, what to think of the novel. It's... weird. It's also labeled as "adult", sold as "adult", but Young Adult readers should be fine with this one.
This story follows many people, in third person. Philippe, who is a powerful immortal, but not a Fallen. Isabelle, who is a Fallen inextricably tied to Philippe. Selene, the Head of the Silverspires House, which used to be run by Morningstar (think Lucifer). Madeleine, the alchemist of the Silverspires House, formerly of the Hawthorn House, and totally addicted to angel essence. When Isabelle and Philippe are taken by Selene to the House, Philippe is trapped, but Isabelle is at home. There is darkness looming, an evil that not even Selene knows of. These characters will join and fight to save the Silverspires, willing or not.
This book was confusing - I don't even know how to comment on the story. The plot was interesting, but a bit boring. There was a lot of history dumped at times, and a lot of descriptiveness, which wasn't entirely necessary, in my opinion. So, with all of that in mind, the story seemed to go at a snail's pace. And when things happened, they happened too quickly and I wasn't sure what had transpired. Still, the story was very unique, nothing like anything I've read.
There was a lot going on, despite the plot moving slowly. Philippe has something going on inside of him, something that is evil and is seeking vengeance. He doesn't trust House Silverspires, nor do they trust him. Isabelle and him are linked in a strange way, and he trusts her, despite their rough start. Selene is a hard, cold woman, trying to lead House Silverspires as she has been since Morningstar disappeared. But someone is killing her informants, and it might be the other Houses.
There are a lot of characters, yet I feel like only a few were fleshed out. Philippe for sure, it was easy to connect with him, even if we were in the dark about what was going on with him for the entire book. Madeleine too - she's basically a drug addict, needing forbidden angel essence more than she needs food or water. These characters are developed from the beginning.
Read on for things I wasn't sure about, things I may not have liked.
What I Did Not Like:
I apologize if this review seems disjointed or all over the place. I don't even know if I liked this book or disliked it. I felt bored as I was reading, unfortunately. I struggled to get past 20%. 40%. 50%. 67%. I remember being at these locations and thinking, how have I not read more? This book is not THAT long, but it sure felt long. And boring, unfortunately. Perhaps this is an Alyssa problem, but I don't bore easily, especially with fantasy.
The story moved incredibly slowly, and we were left in the dark about so many things for so long, which really did not help. So it dragged. And I was tired. And that did not make for a good combination, and this book didn't do me any favors. Also this book was dense. Get to that in a minute.
I didn't connect with all of the characters. This is an adult book, and a lot of times, authors experienced in writing adult novels don't write characters that an audience can connect with like author who are experienced in writing YA write characters. Often I don't connect with "adult book" characters.
There was so much information thrown around in this book at random times, like bursts of history, world-building, character information. It was a bit annoying, all the info-dump. That and it really took away from the story. All of the long descriptive scenes didn't benefit me personally.
I am so confused! In general, I'm just confused about this book. What happened, what will happened, did X person actually die, is Y person alive or dead? What was the tree? Where did Nightingale go? Is everything resolved? I'm not sure of anything, and I wasn't sure of anything since the beginning of the book. Me being confused was easily the worst prt of my experience with this book. Sadness!
Tl; dr - if I allowed myself to not finish book ("DNF"), this would be one. Despite the "positive" rating, this experience wasn't the best.
Would I Recommend It:
Nahh, I feel like there are so many better books than this one. If you had your heart set on reading it, then read it, go for it! But I don't recommend this book, especially if you hadn't heard of it before. Just read something else, this one isn't worth your time. The cover is gorgeous though. Dense, confusing adult book = no bueno.
Rating:
2.5 stars -> rounded up to 3 stars. But really, 2.5 stars. I don't regret reading this one - I had been so excited to read it! But I wish I had liked it more. I wish I had understand what was going on. Because I still don't. And I really don't want to put myself through the bit of torture that was struggling to read/finish this one.
The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard
Publisher: Roc
Publication Date: August 18, 2015
Rating: 3 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley
Summary (from Goodreads):
Multi-award winning author Aliette de Bodard, brings her story of the War in Heaven to Paris, igniting the City of Light in a fantasy of divine power and deep conspiracy…
In the late Twentieth Century, the streets of Paris are lined with haunted ruins. The Great Magicians’ War left a trail of devastation in its wake. The Grand Magasins have been reduced to piles of debris, Notre-Dame is a burnt-out shell, and the Seine has turned black with ashes and rubble and the remnants of the spells that tore the city apart. But those that survived still retain their irrepressible appetite for novelty and distraction, and The Great Houses still vie for dominion over France’s once grand capital.
Once the most powerful and formidable, House Silverspires now lies in disarray. Its magic is ailing; its founder, Morningstar, has been missing for decades; and now something from the shadows stalks its people inside their very own walls.
Within the House, three very different people must come together: a naive but powerful Fallen angel; an alchemist with a self-destructive addiction; and a resentful young man wielding spells of unknown origin. They may be Silverspires’ salvation—or the architects of its last, irreversible fall. And if Silverspires falls, so may the city itself.
What I Liked:
I don't know what to think of this book. It's getting three stars because I don't hate it and I don't love it - I'm not sure what to think of it. I still have no idea what's going on, what happened, what to think of the novel. It's... weird. It's also labeled as "adult", sold as "adult", but Young Adult readers should be fine with this one.
This story follows many people, in third person. Philippe, who is a powerful immortal, but not a Fallen. Isabelle, who is a Fallen inextricably tied to Philippe. Selene, the Head of the Silverspires House, which used to be run by Morningstar (think Lucifer). Madeleine, the alchemist of the Silverspires House, formerly of the Hawthorn House, and totally addicted to angel essence. When Isabelle and Philippe are taken by Selene to the House, Philippe is trapped, but Isabelle is at home. There is darkness looming, an evil that not even Selene knows of. These characters will join and fight to save the Silverspires, willing or not.
This book was confusing - I don't even know how to comment on the story. The plot was interesting, but a bit boring. There was a lot of history dumped at times, and a lot of descriptiveness, which wasn't entirely necessary, in my opinion. So, with all of that in mind, the story seemed to go at a snail's pace. And when things happened, they happened too quickly and I wasn't sure what had transpired. Still, the story was very unique, nothing like anything I've read.
There was a lot going on, despite the plot moving slowly. Philippe has something going on inside of him, something that is evil and is seeking vengeance. He doesn't trust House Silverspires, nor do they trust him. Isabelle and him are linked in a strange way, and he trusts her, despite their rough start. Selene is a hard, cold woman, trying to lead House Silverspires as she has been since Morningstar disappeared. But someone is killing her informants, and it might be the other Houses.
There are a lot of characters, yet I feel like only a few were fleshed out. Philippe for sure, it was easy to connect with him, even if we were in the dark about what was going on with him for the entire book. Madeleine too - she's basically a drug addict, needing forbidden angel essence more than she needs food or water. These characters are developed from the beginning.
Read on for things I wasn't sure about, things I may not have liked.
What I Did Not Like:
I apologize if this review seems disjointed or all over the place. I don't even know if I liked this book or disliked it. I felt bored as I was reading, unfortunately. I struggled to get past 20%. 40%. 50%. 67%. I remember being at these locations and thinking, how have I not read more? This book is not THAT long, but it sure felt long. And boring, unfortunately. Perhaps this is an Alyssa problem, but I don't bore easily, especially with fantasy.
The story moved incredibly slowly, and we were left in the dark about so many things for so long, which really did not help. So it dragged. And I was tired. And that did not make for a good combination, and this book didn't do me any favors. Also this book was dense. Get to that in a minute.
I didn't connect with all of the characters. This is an adult book, and a lot of times, authors experienced in writing adult novels don't write characters that an audience can connect with like author who are experienced in writing YA write characters. Often I don't connect with "adult book" characters.
There was so much information thrown around in this book at random times, like bursts of history, world-building, character information. It was a bit annoying, all the info-dump. That and it really took away from the story. All of the long descriptive scenes didn't benefit me personally.
I am so confused! In general, I'm just confused about this book. What happened, what will happened, did X person actually die, is Y person alive or dead? What was the tree? Where did Nightingale go? Is everything resolved? I'm not sure of anything, and I wasn't sure of anything since the beginning of the book. Me being confused was easily the worst prt of my experience with this book. Sadness!
Tl; dr - if I allowed myself to not finish book ("DNF"), this would be one. Despite the "positive" rating, this experience wasn't the best.
Would I Recommend It:
Nahh, I feel like there are so many better books than this one. If you had your heart set on reading it, then read it, go for it! But I don't recommend this book, especially if you hadn't heard of it before. Just read something else, this one isn't worth your time. The cover is gorgeous though. Dense, confusing adult book = no bueno.
Rating:
2.5 stars -> rounded up to 3 stars. But really, 2.5 stars. I don't regret reading this one - I had been so excited to read it! But I wish I had liked it more. I wish I had understand what was going on. Because I still don't. And I really don't want to put myself through the bit of torture that was struggling to read/finish this one.
August 8, 2015
Full Review at Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/0...
4.5/5 stars
The House of Shattered wings is a fresh and intriguing book that has a fascinating take on fallen angels in 1930s Paris. Much like a mafia or gang style set up, their are rival houses of Fallen angels. The city is trying to recover from a magical war, it is suffering and scarred but recovering. It’s dark, broken and beautiful, much like the fallen angels themselves. I was quite taken by the prose and the world building in this as well as rich and complex characters. Actually, I loved the prose in this. Aliette de Bodard has a genuine gift of transforming mere words into pure imagery and emotion. She skillfully crafts the scenes and tone wrapping one around the other creating an experience for the reader. I’m just going to include a random quote because I don’t think words of mine will do her justice.
This was a wonderfully crafted story, with palpable atmosphere and complex characters that are all flawed and fascinating. I left this book wanting to continue to learn about the city, the houses and each of the characters. I can’t imagine you could ask for more from a book than all that.
** The quote contained within this review is from and Advance Reader Copy and may differ from the finished version of the book.
4.5/5 stars
The House of Shattered wings is a fresh and intriguing book that has a fascinating take on fallen angels in 1930s Paris. Much like a mafia or gang style set up, their are rival houses of Fallen angels. The city is trying to recover from a magical war, it is suffering and scarred but recovering. It’s dark, broken and beautiful, much like the fallen angels themselves. I was quite taken by the prose and the world building in this as well as rich and complex characters. Actually, I loved the prose in this. Aliette de Bodard has a genuine gift of transforming mere words into pure imagery and emotion. She skillfully crafts the scenes and tone wrapping one around the other creating an experience for the reader. I’m just going to include a random quote because I don’t think words of mine will do her justice.
… a tangled mass that seemed to be all broken limbs and bleeding wounds; and over it all, a gentle sloshing radiance like sunlight seen through water, a light that promised the soft warmth of live coals, the comfort of wintertime meals heated on the stove, the sheer relief just after the breaking of a thunderstorm, when the air was cleansed of all heaviness. **
This was a wonderfully crafted story, with palpable atmosphere and complex characters that are all flawed and fascinating. I left this book wanting to continue to learn about the city, the houses and each of the characters. I can’t imagine you could ask for more from a book than all that.
** The quote contained within this review is from and Advance Reader Copy and may differ from the finished version of the book.
August 7, 2021
The ideas and Parisian setting are interesting, the writing is competent, and yet The House of Shattered Wings is a joyless slog through a devastated world. I can't remember the last time I read a book in which people took so little joy in being alive. I think it actually killed my vacation mood (or maybe that was the fires/pandemic/climate change news - hard to say).
It sounded promising enough. Paris, a shadow of its former self after massive immortal warfare, is populated by fallen angels and their human allies. House Silverspires, founded by Morningstar himself, was once the most powerful House but has fallen on hard times after its founder's disappearance. And now something very old and very angry is roaming its halls and leaving bodies - both Fallen and mortal - in its wake.
I was down for all that, plus the incorporation of some Vietnamese mythology into my Parisian murder mystery (like the literary equivalent of a banh mi). But characterization in this book is so poor that the story didn't have a chance. The book follows four of them: the current head of Silverspires Selene, a mysterious newcomer called Philippe, Madeline, the House's aging alchemist, and Isabelle, the most recently fallen of the angels. They're not characters so much as aggregations of trauma - instead of, you know, personality, they have layers of traumatic past history. It adds to the grim-dark overtones of the story, but I never cared about them as people or felt any connection between them, especially when it was clear I was supposed to.
I skimmed the last quarter. I wanted to get back to the relatively cheerier adventures of an AI called Murderbot.
It sounded promising enough. Paris, a shadow of its former self after massive immortal warfare, is populated by fallen angels and their human allies. House Silverspires, founded by Morningstar himself, was once the most powerful House but has fallen on hard times after its founder's disappearance. And now something very old and very angry is roaming its halls and leaving bodies - both Fallen and mortal - in its wake.
I was down for all that, plus the incorporation of some Vietnamese mythology into my Parisian murder mystery (like the literary equivalent of a banh mi). But characterization in this book is so poor that the story didn't have a chance. The book follows four of them: the current head of Silverspires Selene, a mysterious newcomer called Philippe, Madeline, the House's aging alchemist, and Isabelle, the most recently fallen of the angels. They're not characters so much as aggregations of trauma - instead of, you know, personality, they have layers of traumatic past history. It adds to the grim-dark overtones of the story, but I never cared about them as people or felt any connection between them, especially when it was clear I was supposed to.
I skimmed the last quarter. I wanted to get back to the relatively cheerier adventures of an AI called Murderbot.
Read
August 27, 2015ARC provided by NetGalley
Fallen angels have been a popular trope in the last few years, sometimes centered around various versions of Milton’s smilingly cruel and beautiful Lucifer, and so it is here. As Morningstar, he was the leader of House Silverspires, one of a number of Houses in an alternate Paris nearly destroyed by a magical battle called the Great War. Then twenty years ago he vanished, and his student Selene took over the House, whose fortunes have been falling ever since.
The book is set in a noir alternate Paris, Gothic in its haunted destruction wherein shadows contain unknown evils. The city is divided between the Houses and gangs, the former being basically gangs who have formerly grand buildings as their home bases. Through this crumbling ruin winds the black waters of the Seine, dangerously polluted with venal magic during the Great War. Everyone avoids it if they can, because no one drawn into its waters comes out again.
Noir worlds I’ve encountered usually seem to be set in crumbling urban settings, daylight rare. The main characters, however long they have lived, think and act like singles between 25-35: at the height of their physical powers, their time and energy mostly taken up with the slow boil of personal or gang warfare, with time off for gathering power. Relationships—if they happen—are ephemeral, seldom happy or long, unburdened with families. Mostly life is about the alliances built around violence. And so it is here in this darkly Gothic Paris.
In this world, fallen angels exude a fading essence or power that is stripped from them by violence, and has the effect of street drugs like ecstasy, both in addiction and in destruction. Magic is gathered for protection and fighting, including torture, though the old-fashioned cutting edge is also in use. Death is negotiable, and curses also have power.
The story opens with a new Fallen who is later named Isabelle. This Fallen is nearly cut apart by a couple of street gang members, one of whom is called Philippe, an Immortal Viet who has patchy memories of the Jade Kingdom before he was brought to France to fight. No one trusts Philippe, who sustains layers of mystery between those patchy memories, especially when he seems to be a part of, or possible connection to, a series of grisly murders.
The cast widens as Isabelle and Philippe are taken into House Silverspires, whose problems become theirs. The book begins slowly, the stakes escalating when the mystery murders multiply and other Houses circle around Silverspires for the kill.
One surprise that I really liked was the discovery of what is going on under the Seine. I would have loved an entire book about that layer of the world.
Events escalate to a vividly depicted climax, coming to an expert mix of resolution and tantalizing threads. Aliette de Bodard is one of the strong new voices to emerge in the last few years whose work I think will appeal to the upper end of YA, as well as to older readers who like their fantasy dark with a dash of sexual tension.
Fallen angels have been a popular trope in the last few years, sometimes centered around various versions of Milton’s smilingly cruel and beautiful Lucifer, and so it is here. As Morningstar, he was the leader of House Silverspires, one of a number of Houses in an alternate Paris nearly destroyed by a magical battle called the Great War. Then twenty years ago he vanished, and his student Selene took over the House, whose fortunes have been falling ever since.
The book is set in a noir alternate Paris, Gothic in its haunted destruction wherein shadows contain unknown evils. The city is divided between the Houses and gangs, the former being basically gangs who have formerly grand buildings as their home bases. Through this crumbling ruin winds the black waters of the Seine, dangerously polluted with venal magic during the Great War. Everyone avoids it if they can, because no one drawn into its waters comes out again.
Noir worlds I’ve encountered usually seem to be set in crumbling urban settings, daylight rare. The main characters, however long they have lived, think and act like singles between 25-35: at the height of their physical powers, their time and energy mostly taken up with the slow boil of personal or gang warfare, with time off for gathering power. Relationships—if they happen—are ephemeral, seldom happy or long, unburdened with families. Mostly life is about the alliances built around violence. And so it is here in this darkly Gothic Paris.
In this world, fallen angels exude a fading essence or power that is stripped from them by violence, and has the effect of street drugs like ecstasy, both in addiction and in destruction. Magic is gathered for protection and fighting, including torture, though the old-fashioned cutting edge is also in use. Death is negotiable, and curses also have power.
The story opens with a new Fallen who is later named Isabelle. This Fallen is nearly cut apart by a couple of street gang members, one of whom is called Philippe, an Immortal Viet who has patchy memories of the Jade Kingdom before he was brought to France to fight. No one trusts Philippe, who sustains layers of mystery between those patchy memories, especially when he seems to be a part of, or possible connection to, a series of grisly murders.
The cast widens as Isabelle and Philippe are taken into House Silverspires, whose problems become theirs. The book begins slowly, the stakes escalating when the mystery murders multiply and other Houses circle around Silverspires for the kill.
One surprise that I really liked was the discovery of what is going on under the Seine. I would have loved an entire book about that layer of the world.
Events escalate to a vividly depicted climax, coming to an expert mix of resolution and tantalizing threads. Aliette de Bodard is one of the strong new voices to emerge in the last few years whose work I think will appeal to the upper end of YA, as well as to older readers who like their fantasy dark with a dash of sexual tension.
June 17, 2020
2020-06: 4 stars.
I love Aliette de Bodard’s writing. It’s smart and sharp, with dark and brilliant colours running through it. As well, there’s often a deconstruction of colonialism, and wonderfully rendered, fraught relationships.
In this series, we have an alternate history of Paris, years after a terrible war at the turn of the century between Houses. The Houses' rulers and many of the residents are fallen angels.
At the start of this story, there are numerous tensions, again, between the Houses, and House Silverspires gains two new members:
-a newly fallen angel, named Isabel by Selene, head of the House since the disappearance of their former leader Morningstar, and
-Philippe, an angry, enigmatic and seemingly human young man, formerly running with gangs feeding on fallen angel parts for the temporary magical powers they convey to the consumer.
Selene does not trust Philippe, and he loathes her superior attitude and all she stands for. They butt heals frequently, with Selene doing nothing to engender Philippe’s trust or belief that being at Silverspires is good for him.
Years ago, Philippe was enslaved by another Parisian House, and dragged to Paris from one of its colonies, Annam. That House was destroyed in the war, and Philippe has been wandering Paris since then.
Now, he’s alone, hurting, furious at being again imprisoned by the Fallen, and would do anything to escape Silverspires, and if he could, take down the House.
Interestingly, he forges a relationship with Isabel, and they are an interesting contrast, one wholly in favour of the protection of Silverspires and not terribly empathetic or curious about the Houses’ history of treatment of non-angels, while he hates Houses for what they did to him and many others like him.
And while all this is going on, someone is picking off the Fallen from this and other Houses.
de Bodard sets up interesting and complex histories and power dynamics, and old resentments which, unsurprisingly, cause problems in this present.
This is a complicated, and not fast-paced story, but the relationships and resentments and old angers make for great personal clashes and conflicts. I enjoyed this book even more this second time, and am eager to continue the series.
2016-06: 4 stars. Kind of confusing in parts. Main characters were mostly unlike able, but I kept reading because the story kept pulling me along. Some gorgeous prose created beautiful textures...
I love Aliette de Bodard’s writing. It’s smart and sharp, with dark and brilliant colours running through it. As well, there’s often a deconstruction of colonialism, and wonderfully rendered, fraught relationships.
In this series, we have an alternate history of Paris, years after a terrible war at the turn of the century between Houses. The Houses' rulers and many of the residents are fallen angels.
At the start of this story, there are numerous tensions, again, between the Houses, and House Silverspires gains two new members:
-a newly fallen angel, named Isabel by Selene, head of the House since the disappearance of their former leader Morningstar, and
-Philippe, an angry, enigmatic and seemingly human young man, formerly running with gangs feeding on fallen angel parts for the temporary magical powers they convey to the consumer.
Selene does not trust Philippe, and he loathes her superior attitude and all she stands for. They butt heals frequently, with Selene doing nothing to engender Philippe’s trust or belief that being at Silverspires is good for him.
Years ago, Philippe was enslaved by another Parisian House, and dragged to Paris from one of its colonies, Annam. That House was destroyed in the war, and Philippe has been wandering Paris since then.
Now, he’s alone, hurting, furious at being again imprisoned by the Fallen, and would do anything to escape Silverspires, and if he could, take down the House.
Interestingly, he forges a relationship with Isabel, and they are an interesting contrast, one wholly in favour of the protection of Silverspires and not terribly empathetic or curious about the Houses’ history of treatment of non-angels, while he hates Houses for what they did to him and many others like him.
And while all this is going on, someone is picking off the Fallen from this and other Houses.
de Bodard sets up interesting and complex histories and power dynamics, and old resentments which, unsurprisingly, cause problems in this present.
This is a complicated, and not fast-paced story, but the relationships and resentments and old angers make for great personal clashes and conflicts. I enjoyed this book even more this second time, and am eager to continue the series.
2016-06: 4 stars. Kind of confusing in parts. Main characters were mostly unlike able, but I kept reading because the story kept pulling me along. Some gorgeous prose created beautiful textures...
November 8, 2018
I enjoyed this book even more on the second read, with the benefit of having read most of the prequel short stories immediately beforehand and also completing the novel much more quickly. For me, the most valuable thing about reading the other stories set in this world was being able to start the book with more understanding of many of the important non-POV characters. And characters are absolutely one of this series's greatest strengths. Aliette de Bodard has filled her world with a host of complex, flawed, compelling characters whose interests are often in conflict, pulling the reader's sympathies in multiple directions. I think she does an excellent job of writing from the perspective of non-human beings, which can be a very difficult task.
The plot is lovely and twisty, and I really liked seeing the characters react and interact to changing circumstances. I also enjoyed the way the events of the story were used to gradually reveal more of the setting and world-building. The writing is so atmospheric, sketching out visions of a decaying, shadowy post-apocalyptic Paris. I am really falling in love with de Bodard's writing style, and with this universe.
The plot is lovely and twisty, and I really liked seeing the characters react and interact to changing circumstances. I also enjoyed the way the events of the story were used to gradually reveal more of the setting and world-building. The writing is so atmospheric, sketching out visions of a decaying, shadowy post-apocalyptic Paris. I am really falling in love with de Bodard's writing style, and with this universe.
July 6, 2015
A brilliant new entry.. I really enjoyed this book. Full review to come.
June 26, 2016
2.5 stars
Am I doomed to dislike all the winners of 2016's major SFF awards? I didn't like Uprooted, and it won the Nebula Award AND a Locus Award. Apex won the latest PKD, and I was so disappointed in that. And now I didn't like The House of Shattered Wings, which won the BSFA.
The story is set in a post-war Paris. Fallen angels started a war, devastated the area, then formed Houses (what ARE the houses? Mini-communities sheltered by the power of the Fallen in this wasteland?). But, because the Fallen are powerful, cruel assholes by nature, the Houses are constantly at each other's throats. House Silverspires, run by Selene, and formerly headed by the missing, most-powerful-of-them-all Morningstar, is threatened by a curse... and dark shadows that start killing people.
A lot of this book was tedious: constant references to dark creeping shadows, Asmodeus' sickly scent of oranges and bergamot (I get it! We know what he smells like!), Philippe wandering around and back and forth, Philippe and Isabelle arguing, Selene cutting people off, Emanuelle is always tired and worried, Javier is always pale and drawn...et cetera.
It was annoying, in the way that Chinese water torture starts out as annoying. If I'd had to read to read an extra 50 pages, it would have escalated to painful. But as it is, at least The House of Shattered Wings didn't drag its feet too much getting to the end.
My general impressions are that it is not gripping or exciting. The plot is relatively generic, when you look at its essence (cruelty -> revenge -> curse -> bad decisions -> people die -> break the curse). The characters are paper thin. With the exception of Philippe's back story, everyone was bland. If you scratch them, there's nothing under the surface, because they are so one-dimensional and unemotional.
There's no forward momentum in the world. It feels small. It is stasis amidst ruins, a little breather in an endless cycle of devastation. Hate begets hate, cruelty begets cruelty, mercilessness begs mercilessness. Maybe it's a lesson to be learned, but it was boring after a few hundred pages because certain characters DON'T learn it.
The final nail in the coffin is the lack of communication. I find it INCREDIBLY annoying when a plot depends on characters almost willfully refusing to share critical information with each other. These people cut each other off, run away, throw around senseless orders, or just wander off to be mopey, instead of having a conversation. Idiots! And while I'm at it, the ending was incredibly inconsistent with the previous decisions and characterizations.
I also have a final rant about Selene and bad decisions. Spoilery.
Am I doomed to dislike all the winners of 2016's major SFF awards? I didn't like Uprooted, and it won the Nebula Award AND a Locus Award. Apex won the latest PKD, and I was so disappointed in that. And now I didn't like The House of Shattered Wings, which won the BSFA.
The story is set in a post-war Paris. Fallen angels started a war, devastated the area, then formed Houses (what ARE the houses? Mini-communities sheltered by the power of the Fallen in this wasteland?). But, because the Fallen are powerful, cruel assholes by nature, the Houses are constantly at each other's throats. House Silverspires, run by Selene, and formerly headed by the missing, most-powerful-of-them-all Morningstar, is threatened by a curse... and dark shadows that start killing people.
A lot of this book was tedious: constant references to dark creeping shadows, Asmodeus' sickly scent of oranges and bergamot (I get it! We know what he smells like!), Philippe wandering around and back and forth, Philippe and Isabelle arguing, Selene cutting people off, Emanuelle is always tired and worried, Javier is always pale and drawn...et cetera.
It was annoying, in the way that Chinese water torture starts out as annoying. If I'd had to read to read an extra 50 pages, it would have escalated to painful. But as it is, at least The House of Shattered Wings didn't drag its feet too much getting to the end.
My general impressions are that it is not gripping or exciting. The plot is relatively generic, when you look at its essence (cruelty -> revenge -> curse -> bad decisions -> people die -> break the curse). The characters are paper thin. With the exception of Philippe's back story, everyone was bland. If you scratch them, there's nothing under the surface, because they are so one-dimensional and unemotional.
There's no forward momentum in the world. It feels small. It is stasis amidst ruins, a little breather in an endless cycle of devastation. Hate begets hate, cruelty begets cruelty, mercilessness begs mercilessness. Maybe it's a lesson to be learned, but it was boring after a few hundred pages because certain characters DON'T learn it.
The final nail in the coffin is the lack of communication. I find it INCREDIBLY annoying when a plot depends on characters almost willfully refusing to share critical information with each other. These people cut each other off, run away, throw around senseless orders, or just wander off to be mopey, instead of having a conversation. Idiots! And while I'm at it, the ending was incredibly inconsistent with the previous decisions and characterizations.
I also have a final rant about Selene and bad decisions. Spoilery.
November 18, 2016
It’s hard to pull together my feelings and thoughts on this book, for some reason. I remember not being sure about the first 100 pages — particularly with the brutal butchery at the beginning, and I’m being pretty literal about the butchery — but then I got really into it, ended up reading obliviously until my dinner was stone cold, and finished it off in one great gulp. And promptly started recommending it to people. And yet right now, it’s hard to put my finger on it: part of it is the Paris of the setting, degraded and dark and magical; the feeling of House Silverspires, the history and weight of it; the allure of the Fallen, especially Morningstar, and wanting to know what their stories are. And the Vietnamese legends that get drawn in are also fascinating, and leave me very curious about a culture I know shockingly little about.
At the same time, I see reviews complaining about the unlikeableness and distance of most of the characters, and if I stop to think about it, it’s true. Selene? Well, she’s not cruel, though she’s not entirely merciful, and occasionally you can have a moment of pity for her in the way she has to lead her House. But sympathy? Not really. Madeleine? Well. Some sympathy, perhaps, but in a very pitiful sort of way, because of her addiction. Philippe? Difficult, given his ambivalence, his willingness to betray, and the fact that he participated in the butchery of a Fallen angel at the very start of the book… Isabelle? She’s more of a blank slate, honestly; it’s hard to know what she’s going to become, what’s going on in her head. That’s almost the point of her character, given that Fallen don’t retain full memories of why they fell.
And yet. I know that I did get drawn in — partly by the prose, I think, which breathed that sense of a decaying Paris, of tarnished pride, and by the world de Bodard built. Even if I can’t put my finger on it, I have to give this four stars because, well, what else can you do when something makes you forget all about your dinner for hours?
Originally posted here.
At the same time, I see reviews complaining about the unlikeableness and distance of most of the characters, and if I stop to think about it, it’s true. Selene? Well, she’s not cruel, though she’s not entirely merciful, and occasionally you can have a moment of pity for her in the way she has to lead her House. But sympathy? Not really. Madeleine? Well. Some sympathy, perhaps, but in a very pitiful sort of way, because of her addiction. Philippe? Difficult, given his ambivalence, his willingness to betray, and the fact that he participated in the butchery of a Fallen angel at the very start of the book… Isabelle? She’s more of a blank slate, honestly; it’s hard to know what she’s going to become, what’s going on in her head. That’s almost the point of her character, given that Fallen don’t retain full memories of why they fell.
And yet. I know that I did get drawn in — partly by the prose, I think, which breathed that sense of a decaying Paris, of tarnished pride, and by the world de Bodard built. Even if I can’t put my finger on it, I have to give this four stars because, well, what else can you do when something makes you forget all about your dinner for hours?
Originally posted here.
August 6, 2021
2021 Reread. Despite the ending being a tad bit anti-climatic and bit rushed/sudden, I'm keeping it at 4 stars.
Been six years since I last read this book, and I remembered less than I thought I did.
The setting of this book is wonderful. Set in a post- magic war Paris, where fallen angels rules different Houses (which all are striving for power and the downfall of the other houses). A Paris that still hasn't completely managed to rebuild itself. The book focuses particularly on one House, that of Silverspires, founded by no other than Lucifer Morningstar himself, now lost since 20 years and presumed dead. Outside the Houses, the people are trying to live their lives, gangs scavenging the streets.
Silverspires faces destruction as a curse is released and something is killing of its people and it's up to a new Fallen, a drug-addicted alchemist and a young man with strange powers to save it.
Been six years since I last read this book, and I remembered less than I thought I did.
The setting of this book is wonderful. Set in a post- magic war Paris, where fallen angels rules different Houses (which all are striving for power and the downfall of the other houses). A Paris that still hasn't completely managed to rebuild itself. The book focuses particularly on one House, that of Silverspires, founded by no other than Lucifer Morningstar himself, now lost since 20 years and presumed dead. Outside the Houses, the people are trying to live their lives, gangs scavenging the streets.
Silverspires faces destruction as a curse is released and something is killing of its people and it's up to a new Fallen, a drug-addicted alchemist and a young man with strange powers to save it.
July 24, 2015
Despite having written a trilogy of full-on, fifteenth-century Aztec fantasy, Aliette de Bodard is most known for her short stories — especially 'Immersion', which swept the speculative awards scene in 2013 — and as big a fan of such fiction as I am, the form seems to to be going nowhere slowly, at least in terms of its readership.
Not so the genre novel. The House of Shattered Wings, then, is just the thing: a suspenseful supernatural narrative focusing on fallen angels as they fight for power in a post-apocalyptic Paris that boasts brilliant worldbuilding, powerful prose and a cast of terrifically conflicted characters. It's the year's best urban fantasy by far, and if it doesn't embiggen de Bodard's base, I don't know what will.
Not so the genre novel. The House of Shattered Wings, then, is just the thing: a suspenseful supernatural narrative focusing on fallen angels as they fight for power in a post-apocalyptic Paris that boasts brilliant worldbuilding, powerful prose and a cast of terrifically conflicted characters. It's the year's best urban fantasy by far, and if it doesn't embiggen de Bodard's base, I don't know what will.
September 15, 2015
3.5/5
Mon avis en Français
My ENglish review
I have not read books about angels for a long time, so when I saw the release of this book, I was immediately curious about the story. The whole book set in France was also intriguing, especially when it remains the same throughout the novel. This is not something to which I am accustomed to, besides books from French authors but I was intrigued by the idea.
I spoke about angels, but actually we don’t follow them but the fallen angels from paradise and who are forced to rebuild their lives in houses working the ones against the others in the heart of Paris. Besides, the city is not at all the one we know about. Oh no! We discover a completely devastated city whose inhabitants are trying to survive somehow. The human / angels cohabitation is not necessarily easy, especially since it is possible to make a fairly popular drug from the blood and bones of our fantastic creatures. You understand now a little part of the history. From there, we will follow three different characters: Isabelle, a young angel who has just arrived on Earth after being fallen, a naive person and yet full of convictions. She will be linked to Philip, the perfect caricature of the anti-hero, a man who wanders on earth, an entity that is neither human nor fallen and who tries to find the meaning of his life and dreams only of returning where he came from, knowing that this is not possible. Finally we follow at the same time Madeleine, a young alchemist, working in the biggest house but who has a dark secret, being addict of angel essence, something that is completely forbidden.
Thus we follow our three heroes alternately, discovering their lives, their hopes but also their fears. We also discover a Paris far from the one we know about, full of different myths but with places that we all know. We discover a very interesting mythology elsewhere and whom we can learn more about in the chapters. As for the story itself, something is set in motion here and our heroes will have to join forces to deal with it, although nothing will really end well. It was interesting to understand everything and to see where the story was going to lead us but I admit that I struggled to get into the book and to really create a link with the characters. We can read the story fast enough but I stayed a little behind compared to the whole history.
It was a different book and although I had some problems with the story, it was interesting to discover the author’s ideas.
Mon avis en Français
My ENglish review
I have not read books about angels for a long time, so when I saw the release of this book, I was immediately curious about the story. The whole book set in France was also intriguing, especially when it remains the same throughout the novel. This is not something to which I am accustomed to, besides books from French authors but I was intrigued by the idea.
I spoke about angels, but actually we don’t follow them but the fallen angels from paradise and who are forced to rebuild their lives in houses working the ones against the others in the heart of Paris. Besides, the city is not at all the one we know about. Oh no! We discover a completely devastated city whose inhabitants are trying to survive somehow. The human / angels cohabitation is not necessarily easy, especially since it is possible to make a fairly popular drug from the blood and bones of our fantastic creatures. You understand now a little part of the history. From there, we will follow three different characters: Isabelle, a young angel who has just arrived on Earth after being fallen, a naive person and yet full of convictions. She will be linked to Philip, the perfect caricature of the anti-hero, a man who wanders on earth, an entity that is neither human nor fallen and who tries to find the meaning of his life and dreams only of returning where he came from, knowing that this is not possible. Finally we follow at the same time Madeleine, a young alchemist, working in the biggest house but who has a dark secret, being addict of angel essence, something that is completely forbidden.
Thus we follow our three heroes alternately, discovering their lives, their hopes but also their fears. We also discover a Paris far from the one we know about, full of different myths but with places that we all know. We discover a very interesting mythology elsewhere and whom we can learn more about in the chapters. As for the story itself, something is set in motion here and our heroes will have to join forces to deal with it, although nothing will really end well. It was interesting to understand everything and to see where the story was going to lead us but I admit that I struggled to get into the book and to really create a link with the characters. We can read the story fast enough but I stayed a little behind compared to the whole history.
It was a different book and although I had some problems with the story, it was interesting to discover the author’s ideas.
December 28, 2015
The House of Shattered Wings is deeply dark, and deeply beautiful.
I won't talk about plot, as publication date is months away, but I will say this: This is a book about responsibility, anger, justice, colonialism, power and power structures. It is about intent, and its relation to effect. It is about darkness within and without. It is about depression and self worth.
It is about all of those things, but it is also about beauty and fallen angels in a long past Paris that never was.
Aliette de Bodard has been building a reputation as a singular talent, mostly in short fiction. This may be the book that makes her a much better know name, that levels up her career. Her skills and her command of them are certainly ready for that.
Disclaimer: I read this book in a digital edition received for editorial evaluation.
I won't talk about plot, as publication date is months away, but I will say this: This is a book about responsibility, anger, justice, colonialism, power and power structures. It is about intent, and its relation to effect. It is about darkness within and without. It is about depression and self worth.
It is about all of those things, but it is also about beauty and fallen angels in a long past Paris that never was.
Aliette de Bodard has been building a reputation as a singular talent, mostly in short fiction. This may be the book that makes her a much better know name, that levels up her career. Her skills and her command of them are certainly ready for that.
Disclaimer: I read this book in a digital edition received for editorial evaluation.
February 3, 2024
Mad love to Aliette de Bodard for this sweeping fantasy novel set in a decaying Paris left devastated by the magical wars of grand Houses run by Fallen angels and shrewd humans with magic skills.
Between the destroyed city of Paris, the polluted Seine River, the anguish of the Fallen for having lost the grace of God, there is a complete and utter sense of despair that pervades this book. It's compounded by one of the main characters, Phillippe, who is himself exiled from the Imperial Court of Immortals, always longing to return back to his home in Annam (a historic name for Vietnam). I'm really feeling the vibe of this world.
I came to this series via a set of short stories that featured this world - I had only known de Bodard for her space opera setting of the Xuya universe. I was not so sure how I would feel about a decaying Parisian dark fantasy with Fallen angels. Needless to say, de Bodard has left me exhilarated with her characters and this new world. I do believe I've found a new obsession.
Between the destroyed city of Paris, the polluted Seine River, the anguish of the Fallen for having lost the grace of God, there is a complete and utter sense of despair that pervades this book. It's compounded by one of the main characters, Phillippe, who is himself exiled from the Imperial Court of Immortals, always longing to return back to his home in Annam (a historic name for Vietnam). I'm really feeling the vibe of this world.
I came to this series via a set of short stories that featured this world - I had only known de Bodard for her space opera setting of the Xuya universe. I was not so sure how I would feel about a decaying Parisian dark fantasy with Fallen angels. Needless to say, de Bodard has left me exhilarated with her characters and this new world. I do believe I've found a new obsession.
August 28, 2015
5 Stars
One of the very best reads of 2015!!!!
“All you hold dear will be shattered; all that you built will fall into dust; all that you gathered will be borne away by the storm . . .”
House of Shattered Wings was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015. I was grabbed first by the beautiful cover, second by my love for the author, and finally by the awesome story line.
Aliette de Bodard not only met my high expectations with this book, she totally exceeded it. Might earn my favorite read of the year. Lyrical, poetic, deep, magical, and at times, breath-taking best describes the writing within.
House of Shattered Wings reads much like a period piece, just not a Victorian one. It takes place in what could be our past 40 years ago to 80 years ago in a completely alternate universe. This is clearly a post apocalyptic novel, just not like one of the many that choke the main stream shelves. It combines eloquently written details, high society, a place with both past and futuristic characteristics, magic, God's and Religion, political games, and a caste like society. Aliette de Bodard has written a novel that is both beautifully written as well as it is a beautiful story. This is a book that had me eating up and savoring every word. I was excited that this book reminded me a great deal of one of my favorite books which is also highly respected and that is Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe.
Did I mention that this is a book about fallen angels?
This is Phillipe's story and thank Aliette de Bodard for that. He carries the weight of this story from start to finish and I could not get enough of his story line. He is shrouded in so much mystery which Aliette de Bodard addresses very slowly. Phillipe's story is written well and unfolds slowly leaving you wanting more and more. I really enjoyed his character. As if our amazing protagonist wasn't enough, Aliette de Bodard gives us one unbelievable supporting cast. Isabelle is the perfect companion for Phillipe and I really enjoyed her as well. There are Fallen angels, immortals, ghosts, and necromancers. Just so much to love.
I devoured this novel and may reread it sooner rather than later. I am so happy that this is the first book in the Dominion of the Fallen series. It could have been a standalone.
Read this book for the writing:
“He needed . . . he needed . . .
He’d done this before. He needed to focus, to find the sound of a waterfall in a land that was so far away it might as well be dead; to feel the wet tang of the air in the mountains at dawn, when the whole world was spread beneath his feet, tinged with the pink of clouds in the light of the rising sun—to ignore the sucking of wet breath in his lungs, the waves of red-hot pain in his arms, the frantic beating of his heart. He needed to—Serenity always remained frustratingly out of reach. He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus on anything but the pain.”
Read this for the setting.
Read this for the characters.
Loved, loved, loved it!
One of the very best reads of 2015!!!!
“All you hold dear will be shattered; all that you built will fall into dust; all that you gathered will be borne away by the storm . . .”
House of Shattered Wings was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015. I was grabbed first by the beautiful cover, second by my love for the author, and finally by the awesome story line.
Aliette de Bodard not only met my high expectations with this book, she totally exceeded it. Might earn my favorite read of the year. Lyrical, poetic, deep, magical, and at times, breath-taking best describes the writing within.
House of Shattered Wings reads much like a period piece, just not a Victorian one. It takes place in what could be our past 40 years ago to 80 years ago in a completely alternate universe. This is clearly a post apocalyptic novel, just not like one of the many that choke the main stream shelves. It combines eloquently written details, high society, a place with both past and futuristic characteristics, magic, God's and Religion, political games, and a caste like society. Aliette de Bodard has written a novel that is both beautifully written as well as it is a beautiful story. This is a book that had me eating up and savoring every word. I was excited that this book reminded me a great deal of one of my favorite books which is also highly respected and that is Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe.
Did I mention that this is a book about fallen angels?
This is Phillipe's story and thank Aliette de Bodard for that. He carries the weight of this story from start to finish and I could not get enough of his story line. He is shrouded in so much mystery which Aliette de Bodard addresses very slowly. Phillipe's story is written well and unfolds slowly leaving you wanting more and more. I really enjoyed his character. As if our amazing protagonist wasn't enough, Aliette de Bodard gives us one unbelievable supporting cast. Isabelle is the perfect companion for Phillipe and I really enjoyed her as well. There are Fallen angels, immortals, ghosts, and necromancers. Just so much to love.
I devoured this novel and may reread it sooner rather than later. I am so happy that this is the first book in the Dominion of the Fallen series. It could have been a standalone.
Read this book for the writing:
“He needed . . . he needed . . .
He’d done this before. He needed to focus, to find the sound of a waterfall in a land that was so far away it might as well be dead; to feel the wet tang of the air in the mountains at dawn, when the whole world was spread beneath his feet, tinged with the pink of clouds in the light of the rising sun—to ignore the sucking of wet breath in his lungs, the waves of red-hot pain in his arms, the frantic beating of his heart. He needed to—Serenity always remained frustratingly out of reach. He couldn’t think, couldn’t focus on anything but the pain.”
Read this for the setting.
Read this for the characters.
Loved, loved, loved it!
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