Available now in hardcover - paperback 2009
In the last days of the once great city of Ararat, Arjun is just another ghost lost in the shadows of the Mountain. To some, the Mountain is a myth, to others, a weapon. Above all, it is a dark palace leaving its seekers to wander the city below. For no matter how far one walks, the Mountain never draws closer, and time itself becomes another trap.
Rescued by two sisters from the mindless Know-Nothings who erode what’s left of the city, Arjun volunteers to retrieve their long-lost third sister from a ghost like himself: Brace-Bel, another man out of time. It will require a perilous trek through ruins to a decadent mansion—one surrounded by traps and devices that could not possibly exist yet. And what awaits Arjun inside is something he could not possibly have imagined.
Reviews & Praise
"Full of dark, haunting, horrific imagery, Gears of the City grips the imagination and doesn't let go. . . a wonderful achievement that extends the promise of Thunderer."
--SF Signal
"Spectacular existential meltdown."
--Kirkus Reviews
"A dark, dank and delightful combination of rip-roaring adventure set in a social milieu that lets the writer riff on pretty much anything he wants to. . . Gilman has an outstanding imagination, and he writes atmospheric prose to serve a propulsive plot that has lots of elements of SF and horror."
--The Agony Column
""Breaks new ground in fantasy storytelling, with its unique combination of action and mystery and its unforgettable background that spans both time and space."
--Library Journal
"Alternately fascinating and frustrating."
--Publishers Weekly
“Gears of the City” is a very good book, distinguished by Felix’s outstanding prose and imagination, some really superb dialogue—some of which is quite witty—and a thought-provoking plot. . . Felix Gilman . . . has already established himself as one of the brightest new voices in speculative fiction."
--Fantasy Book Critic
"[Thunderer] was so original that it didn’t feel like a normal fantasy quest adventure. The sequel/second half is equally rewarding. . . The author takes conventional plot elements and makes them unconventional. . . It’s the very pleasant surprises like this that compel me to keep reading. . ."
--Critical Mass