City of Bones

City of Bones, by Martha Wells

I've been wickedly sick for three plus days: chills, aches, congestion, fatigue, sore throat, cough. The works. I wanted something fun and easy, and so: more Martha Wells.

This is the first time I've read City of Bones, which was first published in 1995. I thought for a long time that I'd read all of her pre-WIZARD HUNTERS books, but I missed this one, and didn't remember to come back to it until I was reminded by reading THE ELEMENT OF FIRE the other day.

I'm really glad I rediscovered this one. This book is great: it's a solid stand alone fantasy with archaeologists and antiquities forgers, puzzles and poisons, gruesome magic and bloody knife fights, and a complexly post-apocalyptic world of cosmic scope. Because this is a Martha Wells book, there is court intrigue, some interesting gender dynamics, and a light touch on the romance. The light hand on the romance is actually my only complaint: I would have liked a more emotionally involved romance to distract me from the way the sinus congestion is giving me a literally blinding headache. But one can't have everything.

#LovedIt #Fantasy