Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
2024 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST, BEST FANTASY NOVEL WINNER OF THE 2022 BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL 'Endlessly creative... so much invention peeking around every corner' Patrick Ness Arthur C. Clarke winner and Sunday Times bestseller Adrian Tchaikovsky's triumphant return to fantasy with a darkly inventive portrait of a city under occupation and on the verge of revolution. There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse. What will be the spark that lights the conflagration? Despite the city's refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores. Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places. Ilmar, City of Long Shadows. City of Bad Decisions. City of Last Chances. 'Ilmar is vividly alive with ideas, conflicts, and a sense of its own history – a truly breathtaking fantasy city, down every street a compelling story.' David Towsey 'A master at the height of his powers. This is epic symphonic fantasy, weaving a breakneck plot through a sumptuously dangerous world.' Ian Green 'A wonderful twisty stew of a book with a cast of fascinating characters, set against the brilliantly realized city of Ilmar.' Django Wexler 'A triumph of a book: wildly imaginative, immediately immersive and hypnotically compelling.' Sharon Emmerichs
Tags
City of Last Chances: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This is a dark, complex adult fantasy depicting an occupied city under brutal colonial rule with violence, criminal underworld activity, poverty, and revolutionary themes. The morally gray characters navigate oppression, crime, and ancient magical threats.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, mild sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include murder, death, and violence (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers who love complex ensemble fantasies with political intrigue and dark urban settings will be gripped by this city on the brink of revolution.