The City of Brass was published by HarperCollins subsidiary HarperVoyager, on 14 November 2017. It is five-hundred and thirty-two pages long, features illustrations and maps, and is printed in hardcover and paperback, and available in digital download. The press release describes the story as "an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts." When asked about writing the novel in an interview for the Huffington Post, Chakraborty explains that it "began as a world-building experiment the world that became The City of Brass–one I imagined djinn might have created by combining their nature and the influences of the particular human societies they lived amongst. It became a game with history and folklore providing the rules: I had to abide by what existed, but could imagine beyond that. For example, we have a few mentions of the Prophet Suleiman punishing djinn but not much beyond that. So, I tried to imagine what happened next: how that might have shaped their religion and politics... as well as dividing them."
Contents
The book is set in an alternative 18th century Middle-East, and follows Nahri, a talented con woman who uses palm reading and sleight of hand to swindle Ottoman nobles. During an exorcism in Cairo, she summons a djinn warrior named Darayavahoush e-Afshin, "Dara" for short. Nahri is taken on a journey where she meets spirits and monsters, and grows close with Dara.
Reception
The novel was listed in Best Books of the Year by multiple media outlets, such as Library Journal, Vulture.com, The Verge and SyfyWire. In a review in the New York Times, columnist Suzanne Joinson says "it's clear that Chakraborty has great fun alluding to these tales," and continues "most enjoyable is the gusto with which everything is thrown into her story, from massacres to zombies to djinns." A review by Paul Di Filippo in Locus compares the novel with One Thousand and One Nights in terms of its imagery and storylines, and summarizes by writing "with its blend of royal politesse, djinnish magic, human loves and fears, and Middle Eastern Machiavellianism, The City of Brass offers pleasures worthy of Scheherazade." Mahvesh Murad writes at Tor.com, "to most readers whose only experience of the djinn is Disney, The City of Brass is going to be a lush, entertaining fable inspired by Middle Eastern and Islamic folklore that has just enough familiar elements to not be considering worrying alien, and yet is exotic enough to thrill and entice and tick off diversity boxes in the right way." The City of Brass was a finalist for several science fiction and fantasy awards, including the Crawford Award, Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, World Fantasy Award, and won the Booknest.eu award for best Debut Novel. Chakraborty narrowly missed the final ballot for the John W. Campbell award by a single vote.
