Cities of the Weft
| |
| Author | Alex Pheby |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Galley Beggar Press |
| Published | 13 August, 2020 – 6 February, 2025 |
| No. of books | 3 |
The Cities of the Weft trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by Alex Pheby.[1] The series is set in a world where the fabric of reality is woven from a material called "weft". The first book, Mordew, was published in 2020,[1] followed by Malarkoi in 2022,[2] and the final book, Waterblack, in 2025.[3]
Premise
[edit]The Cities of the Weft trilogy is set in a fictional world divided up into an archipelago of cities; each city is ruled by a different powerful Master or Mistresses.[1]
Synopsis
[edit]Mordew
[edit]Nathan Treeves, a resident of the city of Mordew, finds he has special powers which rival those of the master of the city.
Reception
[edit]Writing for Typebar Magazine, Simon McNeil described the trilogy as "revealing the dark heart of the fantasy genre."[4] Writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Alexandra Marraccini praised Mordew as a departure from other books of "[...] British import literary fantasy".[5]
The first novel, Mordew, received mostly positive reviews from critics.[6][7] In a review for The Guardian, Adam Roberts referred to it as "[...] a darkly brilliant novel, extraordinary, absorbing and dream-haunting."[6] Mordew's style and content have garnered comparisons to the works of Charles Dickens,[7][8][9][10] as well as the Gormenghast series by Mervyn Peake.[7][8][5] Reviewers have likened it to the works of Ursula K. Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, and China Miéville.[11] Mordew was included on The Guardian's and Tor.com's lists of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2020.[12][13] It was also selected as a Book of the Year by The Guardian, The I, Tor.com and Locus.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mordew". Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Malarkoi". Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Waterblack". Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ McNeil, Simon (February 23, 2025). "Interrogating Power and Narrative in the Cities of the Weft Trilogy". Typebar Magazine. Typebar Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ a b Marraccini, Alexandra (September 19, 2020). ""Mordew" and the New Leftist Imaginary". The Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Roberts, Adam (August 20, 2020). "Mordew by Alex Pheby review – an extravagant, unnerving fantasy". the Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c Hewitt, Sean (August 15, 2020). "Mordew: a city of compelling characters and dark adventures". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Deerin, Chris (September 10, 2020). "Mordew, Alex Pheby: The Less Dead, Denise Mina". The Big Issue. The Big Issue. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Keith (October 30, 2020). "Mordew by Alex Pheby book review | The TLS". TLS. Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Mond, Ian (August 25, 2020). "Ian Mond Reviews Mordew by Alex Pheby". Locus Online. Locus Magazine. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Fortune, Ed (November 18, 2020). "MORDEW". STARBURST Magazine. Starburst. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Roberts, Adam (November 28, 2020). "Best science fiction and fantasy books of 2020". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Keeley, Matt (November 18, 2020). "Tor.com Reviewers' Choice: The Best Books of 2020". Tor.com. Tor.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Mordew (Cities of the Weft #1) (Paperback)".