The City We Became

by N.K. Jemisin

Book Overview

An instant NYT Bestseller!

Four-time Hugo Award-winning author N.K. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, the first book in The Great Cities Duology, a crackling tale of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City. "A glorious fantasy." --Neil Gaiman

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power.

In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her.

In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.

And they're not the only ones.

Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She's got six.

One of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of all time
One of TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2020
One of Vanity Fair's 15 Best Books of 2020
One of Amazon's Best Books of 2020

The Great Cities Duology
The City We Became
The World We Make

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316509841
• ISBN13: 9780316509848
• Release Date: March 2020
• Publisher: Orbit
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. What a unique and well developed concept. I was intrigued from the beginning and swept along on a whirlwind journey through New York. I don't often re-read books but this is on my list to read again.

Humorous and imaginative

I was very intrigued at the "personalities" of New York. I have never imagined thinking of a city in terms of its vibe, traits or habits. Leave it to artists, eh? I very much enjoyed the boasting of cultures through the characters.... Found out at the end it is a soon to be trilogy! Can't wait!

Writing is subpar compared to other works

Let me start off by saying I have loved all of NK Jemisins work, but this one has fallen so flat from what I expect from her. She usually has a way of writing and weaving a story, with strong characters, racial issues, and social issues that just blow my mind. It's heart stopping and emotion building. I didn't feel any of this this time around and that makes me extremely sad.. This story fell beyond flat for me. I really didn't connect with any of the characters. It was confusing. And the ambiance just felt off the whole way through. The writing felt very child like and immature. Nothing of what I expected of an author of this caliber. I have noticed, reading other reviews, that people who truly loved it hadn't really dived into her other works. I recommend reading this one before her other works. I much prefer the nuances and story telling of her other works. Her writing in this one seems like she digressed. I really wanted to love this one. She's one of my favorite authors and I'm just beyond disappointed. I did enjoy her take on the city. And the magical undercurrent aspects of the story. I may try again at a later date but for now, definitely disappointed in one of my most anticipated reads of 2021