Book Review: The Nameless City Book 3 by F. E. Hicks et al.

The Nameless City Book 3: The Divided Earth story and art by Faith Erin Hicks and color by Jordie Bellaire

The new General of All Blades plans to solidify his grip on the city by using the ancient weapon that made the city so prosperous (and desired by the three nations)--Napatha. It is a powerful flame that cut a passage through the mountain to the sea beyond. Surely it will wipe out any enemies. He refuses to let his generals have the formula in case they turn against him. An aide gathers the ingredients, hopefully in time to drive off the Yisun army approaching.

Meanwhile, Kaidu's father is seeking out the Yisun army to make a treaty with them. He runs into trouble in the form of a Dao force led by his wife, who is coming to see Kaidu and is now swept up into the conflict. Kaidu is still in the city and wants to steal the formula to prevent its use. He and Rat plan to infiltrate the royal palace. They run into trouble when they discover all the buildings next to the palace have been destroyed. They can't sneak in by the roofs and will have to find another way.

The action is plentiful in this volume. It's well balanced with the backstories and plot expositions by the various characters. Everyone has their own agendas, plans, and desires for the Nameless City. The story ends happily, tying up lots of loose ends and bringing this world to a better place. The characters are interesting, even the bad guys. I enjoyed the story a lot.

Recommended.

Book Review: The Nameless City Book Two by Faith Erin Hicks

The Stone Heart: The Nameless City Book Two written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks and colored by Jordie Bellaire

See my review of Book One here.

Having averted an assassination, you'd think our heroes could rest on their laurels, but that is not to be. While Kaidu's dad is working on a peace treaty to avert a war, other forces are looking forward to war. One faction wants to rob the Stone Heart, a monastery at the middle of the Nameless City. The monastery has an extensive library, including an ancient book from the founders of the city. The book describes the power they used to create a hole in the mountain range allowing the River of Lives to connect to the sea, thereby making the Nameless City a key trade route. The book is written in an ancient, forgotten language. But the power is so tempting, the bad guys are willing to do too much to get what they want. The power would certainly make them win the war.

The story expands a little bit, following different threads leading our characters into conflict. The political intrigue creates interesting stakes for the people and leaves the story with a tough situation for the heroes. The art is just as good as the storytelling. The narrative continues into a third volume, which I will surely read.

Recommended.

Book Review: The Nameless City Book One by F. E. Hicks et al.

The Nameless City Book One written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks and color by Jordie Bellaire

The Nameless City isn't really nameless. Every conqueror gives it a different name. The city has been conquered and reconquered for centuries by the three adjacent countries: Dao, Liao, and Yisun. The city is so important because the River of Lives runs through it. The river goes to a mountain range dividing the city from the sea. The ancient dwellers of the city bored a whole through the mountains so shipping could go through, creating an essential commerce route. At the start of the story, Dao is in control though they have been there for thirty years and the army is wearing thin. No country has retained control for more than thirty years. 

Kaidu is a Dao teenager who has just come to the city from the family farm. His father Andren is one of the lieutenants of the General of All Blades, the supreme commander at the city. Andren takes Kaidu on a quick tour of the city. Kaidu becomes fascinated with a hungry girl named Rat who runs off with his knife. He eventually gets it back and they strike up a bargain. He'll bring her food and she'll teach him how to run across the rooftops (parkour style, though they don't use this term because the story is set in a middle-ages time). Their friendship progresses as political intrigues start happening in the city.

The story is very interesting and the characters are delightful. This book sets up a lot of the world and makes some fascinating moves at the end, making me definitely want to read the next volume.

Recommended.