City on Fire [Hardcover]

Walter Jon Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1997

The provocative sequel to the critically acclaimed Metropolitan embarks on a suspenseful, mind-bending odyssey through a world rife with tyranny as a rebel group schemes to harness a radical new energy source--plasm.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the Nebula-nominated Metropolitan, Aiah and Constantine won the war for their world-city, Caraqui, by overthrowing the corrupt Keremaths. Their ace-in-the-hole was an unlimited supply of plasm, the geomantic substance that gives the world its power. Now Constantine has paired Aiah with their dangerous "ally," the hanged man Taikoen who lives in the plasm. For Constantine needs help to defeat the Silver Hand and protect his New Regime, no matter how much it will cost Aiah. In the process Aiah may finally reach beyond the Shield, an impenetrable barrier created by the Ascended Ones that seals Caraqui from the stars.

From Publishers Weekly

In Metropolitan, which was nominated for the 1995 Nebula Award for Best Novel, Williams created a magnificent world-city, its entire surface urbanized by a multitude of civilizations that draw their very existence from plasm, the mysterious energy contained in all matter. Aiah, a low-level civil servant in the Plasm Authority, stole the plasm the great general and political leader Constantine needed to overthrow the corrupt ruling family of Caraqui and to establish his idealistic New City regime. Now, Constantine and Aiah must maintain power against many enemies, some out in the open, others festering within their own government. Complex political intrigues pile up as Aiah must hunt down those who seek to steal the city's plasm and use it for criminal ends. She encounters mages, gangsters and twisted half-humans, all of whom try to suborn her. Lurking constantly in the background is Taikoen, the hanged man, a monstrous being who lives in the plasm and who has forced upon Constantine a devil's bargain that may destroy the general and any hope for the success of his political ideas. Well-drawn, believable characters give emotional force to this fine novel, which walks the line between fantasy and science fiction. Ultimately, however, it is Williams's complex world-city, more convincing than even Asimov's in Foundation, and his endlessly inventive use of plasm that will hold readers' fascinated attention.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 498 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061052132
• ISBN-13: 978-0061052132
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative and utterly engrossing, January 15, 2000

By 

Nalaka (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City on Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

City on Fire is a transcendant novel in that it goes beyond most works of science fiction. At its heart, it is a story about the rites of passage endured by Aiah as she develops from a young woman into a major socio-political figure. This progression is handled very well, and in such a subtle fashion that it is only at the end of the novel that one realizes just how far she has come. In addition, the novel uses a complex political backdrop and well thought-out future landscape in which to chronicle these events. Many of the characters are larger-than-life, yet Walter Jon Williams manages to make their successes and failures credible. The novel's futurist qualities are a bit more suspect in that it is based on the existence of a compound called "plasm". This compound has almost magical properties, and at times I suspected I was reading a work of fantasy more than of science-fiction. Nonetheless, Walter Jon Williams adhered to a fairly rigorous realization of the socio-economic impact of plasm, and has a very consistent world view such that after the first few pages, I was willing to accept the society that he proposes. Walter Jon Williams novel is also blessed with his writing style--one which remains concise and powerful, yet avoids omissions, thus remaining quite readible. In summary, this is a truly outstanding work. Once you get past the initially odd concept of plasm, the novel becomes a well-written, compelling read. So much so that I am quite sorry to see that there is not third novel in the series.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Williams does it again!, January 6, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Porltand, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City on Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

Walter Jon Williams is one of my favorite SF/Fantasy writers. I very much enjoyed Hardwired, Knight moves, Days of Atonement, and (of course) Metropoliton. City on Fire rips along at a great pace, showing the difficulties inherent in changing power structures (something that most writers leave to the "happily ever after"). I very much enjoyed Ahai's growth as a person during this book and can't wait till a sequel come sout!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, September 11, 2004

By 

A reader (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City on Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

I was blown away by this book and its precursor, Metropolitan. I normally don't go for political intrigue tales, but William's style was so compelling, I couldn't stop reading. His concept of plasm is intriguing as well. I can't wait to see what happens in the third book, with the Dreaming Sisters, beyond the Shield.