Rating: 
Summary: All hail KJ, Bishop of Ashamoil!
Review: What a fine book this is! While the world between these pages has been --justly-- compared with M. John Harrison's Viriconium and China Mieville's New Crobuzon, the world of Ashamoil and its environs is uniquely Bishop's own. Bishop's world is every bit as fleshed out as either of the formers', and there's plenty of action and plot to move things along. Ashamoil is not a pretty place, and I found myself immersed in the decadence and savagery of the place.The author doesn't take the easy path of painting her characters in manichean black-and-white. Gwynn and Raule --the antiheroes and main characters of the story-- are very human in that they are both bad and good, and thus neither completely likeable nor unlikeable. As their paths cross and diverge, and as they confront their respective moral dilemmas, we come to see something of ourselves. In this aspect, she outdoes both Harrison and Mieville. Should mention that it's written such that you may read it quickly, or linger over it for maximum effect. I chose the latter. I thoroughly enjoyed The Etched City and plan to return to Ashamoil again soon. Books like this keep me excited about "what's to come" in fiction.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it, can I have some more please?
Review: What a surreal world Bishop has created and what a breath of fresh air for fantasy writing! Unlike many offerings in the genre this story is driven by the characters and the environment rather than the tired "chosen one on a quest where it all comes out right in the end". The extraordinary hides amongst the mundane then leaps out to tap you on the shoulder and remind you that yes, this is not Life as we Know it. I devoured this book in a very short time, not wanting to miss the next tweak in the tale. A very subtle and enjoyable trip to a world a little like ours, but so very different...
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