Thunderer: A Novel of High Fantasy

by Felix Gilman

Book Overview

In this breathtaking debut novel by Felix Gilman, one man embarks on a thrilling and treacherous quest for his people's lost god--in an elaborate Dickensian city that is either blessed ...or haunted.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553806769
• ISBN13: 9780553806762
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 437 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Ambitious first novel

After Samuel Delany's Bellona, China Mieville's New Crubuzon (and, now, Beszel-Ul Qoma), and Scott Lynch's Camoor, it's fair to say that, with the arrival of Felix Gilman's Ararat, as described in his wonderful first novel "Thunderer," "the city as character" novel has reached the status of subgenre. Mr. Gilman's creation, while following the conventions of the subgenre, adds another panel to the atlas. Ararat is an every-changing city in which competing gods fall in and out of fashion, while a bunch of intellectuals and scientists attempt to harness its magical energy and/or map the chimerical city. (I doubt that the lack of the customary map in the frontmatter is an oversight.) The tale--which seems influenced as much by Dickens and Borges as contemporary fantasy/magic realism--is told from three points of view for the most part. Arjun comes to the city to try to find the "Voice," the god of his people. Jack escapes from a workhouse and becomes a flying artful dodger. And Captain Arlandes, faithful servant of the Countess Ilona, commands a seagoing vessel that, thanks to the scientist Holbach, can now take to the air. When it does . . . well, let's just say that is when the trouble starts. These characters eventually meet, of course, and then the tale rushes to a stunning conclusion as Arjun and the others try to soothe an insane and angry river god. The novel's complete in itself, but a sequel has recently been released. I hope it's as good as this tale.

Highly complex and fun read

Thunderer is a book more about a person's discovery of what they can do, rather than what society tells them they should do. The concept of thunderer is that Arjun, a young monk from the Choirmen of Gad have lost their God the Voice. Arjun works and eventually convinces his superiors to send him to the city of Ararat to see if he can find the Voice the lost god of the Choirmen, or at the very least a replacement God. The thing about Ararat is that it is a huge city, and in the book seemingly both inside and outside time. People can get in, wander the streets, even go visit the Mountain, a place that in the book is a place of dread and foreboding. What Arjun finds though is not the Voice, and not a replacement God called the Bird, what he finds is politics, corruption, intrigue, despair and hope. Arjun finds a replacement god, but at a price, as Arjun is pulled deeper into the City's politics, he meets corrupted Gods, becomes a pawn in the game between the professor and Mr. Shay. He also learns that each cities district is different from each other, both in culture and tolerance. The feel around some of the districts is nearly surreal, while others just feel grimy. The imagery that is pulled from the way that the city is described is wonderfully written. Overall the book was fun to read; at times you have to put it down so your brain has time to work on what is being said. This is a book you read, not just skim hoping to find the good parts, a lot of the book is very good. You can see the inspiration in the book and the authors need to create, as well as touches of Clive Barker and Italo Calvino's background. Grittier, dark, with a dash of New Weird Authors, this is a great read. Highly enjoyable, well worth picking up, rated 5 of 5 stars.

Brilliant and unique

I agree that this book is a slow read, something I usually don't put up with. However, this slow read happens to be a thoroughly interesting and refreshing one. I don't think I would want it to go by any faster! Gilman has created one of the most unique and complex cities I have ever encountered in a book. It's fascinating to read about the gods and oddities and customs of Ararat and I don't find it annoying at all when I come to more "infodump." I actually look forward to it in this book! In fact, I find myself craving more information about Ararat and its inhabitants. I think this could have been a great trilogy, which would have allowed more room for all the intricacies. I think then, that it might be more appreciated. However, Gilman managed to get all the wonderful information into one novel, which accounts for the slow, but enjoyable read. I say go for it!

A Surreal Adventure

Thunderer is easily the best speculative fiction novel I've read this year. The story is fantastically surreal, with magic and science butting heads in an endless labyrinthine city where gods walk the streets. I truly don't have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. Felix Gilman shows remarkable promise as a writer, with a style that reminds me in places of the great 20th century Germans: Herman Hesse and Thomas Mann. Buy this book, you won't regret it.

A Maze of Gods

Horror fantasy is an close description, but it's not so much that as quixotic; all of Gilman's characters are attempting to contend with forces far beyond their control, their intertwining goals shifting like the city itself as the gods pass them by. Their reach exceeds their grasp, but that's what makes them so intriguing to read about. As for the city itself - for those familiar with the Planescape setting, imagine the Cage without the Lady of Pain, at the mercy of, and reshaped by, any power or demiurge that passes through its portals. The citizens live in shifting districts, ruled by this or that noble house, often claimed by several at once, and all the time hoping for and dreading the touch of the gods who might change anything.