Zhelyazny does not give his reader odds; in his texts there are surprisingly few supports and clues. You simply find yourself in a certain world – real and therefore complex, and find yourself in the midst of political intricacies, a web of personal relationships and strange conventions, trying to put at least some kind of connected picture in your head like a serial amnesia patient. And having built a diagram of this world (which will still turn upside down), in hindsight you understand that the beginning of the narrative was completely logical and that everything you need was already told to you.

So, through the dominance of names and images from ancient Greek myths, the fact that this is not a legendary past, despite the ruins around it, gradually emerges. A man named Konstantin, who classifies himself as an unpronounceable genus of Kallikanzarids, lives in the very future. Post-apocalyptic as we love. And his wife, Cassandra (well, who would doubt it), is afraid of some problems that threaten him. And they, of course, will arise. But how could they not form on the path of such an outstanding person, a local official of the symbolic government of a dilapidated Earth, sitting somewhere for many light years. After all, humanity has safely self-destructed, having blown up everything that could, and having polluted the planet with radiation. Oh yes, this same Konstantin Karagiasis, ugly and self-confident – he seems to be immortal … But he does not like to raise this topic.

The variegation and peculiar burlesqueness of the series of characters and places is a bit like Lemovsky’s “Travels of Iion the Pacific”. The remnants of humanity migrated as guest workers to the interstellar federation of wise blue-skinned vegans, and the revolutionary struggle for the return of earthlings and the revival of the planet suffered a shameful fiasco. Conflicts, conflicts … Ideals and xenophobia, the desire for the best, the desire for a new one, the passion to return the lost paradise … Karagasis looks after the Earth that has turned into a museum, and under his leadership the workers dismantle the Cheops pyramid – they say, by scrolling through the film with the filming of the process backwards, it will be possible to observe behind its construction … A variety of mutants and wonderful unearthly creatures live on the ruins of civilization, and here our hero has to conduct an excursion for a bored alien whose thinking is alien and his intentions are not understood us. There will be many colorful fights and cunning intrigues, adventures in a good sense of the word and rethinking the fate of the world, along with the concept of progress, allusions to famous myths and their unexpected readings, love and irritation, grief and rapture in the battle, sudden joys and charming humor of the narrator …

“He began to wag his tail, came up to me and licked his hand.

• Hands, Bortan! Need hands to set me free You have to find them, Bortan, and bring them here.
  He lifted a brush lying on the ground and laid it at my feet. Then he again began to look into my eyes and wave his tail.
• No, Bortan. Living hands. Hands of friends. The hands that will untie me, understand? ”

And Konstantin will be unleashed by a fearful silly satyr – an amazing generation of radiation. Who knows, maybe they will inherit the Earth, which has become unnecessary to the former earthlings?

About the Book:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end.

Book Review:  ★★★★★★

This is a book that I have picked up to start several times — and other series just seemed to keep drawing my attention.  So, I was really happy when I finally got to this series that I found I really enjoyed this one more than several I have read.

I really loved the approach to the merging of all the various worlds in this series — with the shadowhunter saga being right at the center.  I have really been getting frustrated with a lot of the push to make vampires more human and less evil, zombies that are suddenly taking over the universe and werewolves that are concerned with protecting half-breed vampire, human children.  This series holds true to the supernatural world and the myths that surround it, while still providing a unique and enjoyable story line.

While I found Alec and Isabelle to be irritating at times, with their superior attitudes towards the human world, I still found the characters to be fun, in that I found myself really getting involved with them.  I enjoyed how Ms. Clare developed a traditional set of characters, while intertwining elements of all the different myths into a cohesive story.

One thing that Ms. Clare did exceptionally well in this book was not allowing any one mythical, supernatural creature to overshadow the others.  They each had their own role to fulfill in the story, and they each did it in order to keep the story carefully balanced between good and evil.  This goes a long way to maintaining the whole thrust of the story, which is the shadowhunters that stand between good and evil, while trying to maintain the only line of defense against the demon entities trying to take over the world.

Some aspects of the story I found a little predictable — like Clary’s heritage and the secrets that seemed to be buried in her undisclosed past.  But Ms. Clare still managed to maintain the complete surprise of the story, while allowing the reader to feel that they have it all figured out.  Trust me, in the end of this first book of the series, you will find that what you thought you knew — while actually true, is only half the story.

This is one that I have put on my must read shelves — and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Tags: City of Bones, Clean Reads, Fantasy, Literary Mystery, Loss, Memory, Mortal Instruments Series, Non-Fiction, Siblings, Suspense

Category: Fantasy, Fiction, Romance, Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult Fiction