Books Reviews

The City’s Son – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Sep 17, 2012, 18:57 GMT

"Glittering and gritty...Gorgeously written and brimming with bizarre urban creatures, this darkly imagined and sometimes painful tale should delight fans of Neil Gaiman, China Miéville, and Holly Black."-PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review Running from her traitorous best friend  and her estranged father, graffiti artist Beth  Bradley is looking for sanctuary. What she  finds is Filius, the ragged and cocky crown  prince of London\'s mystical underworld.  Filius opens Beth\'s eyes to ...more

Beth Bradley is in trouble.  She has been expelled from school. Her father ignores her, lost in memories of her dead mother.  Her best friend has betrayed her.  There is no one to whom she can turn. 

Packing a bag, Beth decides to run away and seek sanctuary in the streets.  Then she meets Filius Viae - a boy who claims to be a crown prince of a London she does not know.  It is a London in conflict between Reach the King of the Cranes and the Lady of the Streets - Filius's goddess mother. 

The problem is that the Lady of the Streets is missing and Filius has become Reach's target. Beth sets out to help Filius raise an army of ragamuffins to reclaim his throne.  In doing so, it puts her in even greater danger. Then her best friend and her father come looking for her - can she save them from the King of the Cranes?

Will she choose to stay with Filius or return to her own world?  An unusual urban fantasy science fiction novel which becomes quite absorbing once you get into it.  Beth is a really well drawn character and you cannot help but sympathize with her plight.