Title:

The Hanging City

Author:

Charlie N. Holmberg

Category:

Science Fiction / Fantasy

Rating:

Date Reviewed:

October 15, 2023

he Hanging City is the latest novel by the prolific Charlie N. Holmberg; she seems to write books faster than I can read them. I wonder if she is in a contest with the equally productive T. Kingfisher to see which of them can publish more stories. I have liked a lot of Holmberg's books, and the first half of The Hanging City has several clever and interesting ideas that propel the story forward. The Hanging City also has a likeable heroine in Lark, a young woman on the run from her cruel, terrifying father.

Hunted by her father's minions, Lark decides to hide in one place where even he cannot get to her: the city of Cagmar, which exists beneath the huge Empyrean Bridge that spans the enormous Mavaea canyon. The fact that trolls and not humans rule in Cagmar is why Lark is sure she can hide safely there (an enclave of humans do reside in Cagmar, but they are lowest of low in status). Lark boldly makes her way across a desolate landscape (her world is an impoverished, drought-stricken environment, where once civilization flourished, but now only remnant villages scratch a hardscrabble existence from the hot dry ground - the implication is that a catastrophe smashed a once thriving empire, but Holmberg never does more than hint at this history) to the great bridge. The reader learns that an amazing kingdom called Eterellis stood on the far side of the Empyrean Bridge, but like the rest of civilization, it too has crumpled into ruin and decay.

At the bridge, Lark presents herself to the troll guards. She convinces them to drag her before the ruling council of trolls, but the councilors have no use of another human slave, however willing that slave might be to work for them, even that human slave can read and write. Resources are scarce, and the humans who dwell in the city of Cagmar are despised and barely tolerated. The trolls guards are directed to throw Lark back out into the burning wastelands - until she announces she possesses a great secret that makes her far more useful than the average human. Lark can project fear - she has the power to instill terror into her opponents. When the skeptical troll chieftain Qequan dares her to demonstrate her ability on himself, he suddenly finds himself stricken with fear. Lark is about to crushed by the frightened Qequan when he comes to his senses. The trolls decide that Lark can join Cagmar after all, she will work with the soldiers who guard Cagmar from the monsters who periodically climb up out of the depths of Mavaea to threaten the city.

Lark is temporarily assigned to the domicile of two high status trolls - Unach, who is a soldier, and her brother, Azmar, who is an engineer. Lark is to carry out chores for these two trolls, and then follow Unach to the bottom of the hanging city, where she will learn how to fight against the monsters from the deep.

I liked the idea of a city of trolls living beneath a bridge (it's the story of the Billy Goats Gruff scaled way up!) but after an initial exploration of Cagmar, the city fades from the story. Rather than developing this unique location, letting it become central to the plot, Holmberg allows Cagmar to fade into just a background detail, the story could have taken place in any traditionally fortified city. In the second half of the book, Holmberg disappointingly chose to focus her story on a tedious and unlikely romance. Rather than an adventure story, The Hanging City focuses on Lark's budding relationship, her fears of rejection, her lack of confidence. I was hoping that Lark would find herself exploring the ruined city of Eterellis, or clambering through the monster-haunted depths of the Mavaea canyon, but those locations remain a mystery.

The ending of The Hanging City offers few surprises. Hopefully Holmberg's next work is stronger. She is probably already halfway done with the next book - I just looked, and Boy of Chaotic Making is due to be published in 2024 - it is already the third book in a series called Whimbrel House.