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City Trilogy #3
City of Death
Two-time Newbery Honor Award–winning author Laurence Yep brings his epic City Trilogy to an action-packed and heart-pounding conclusion
Scirye and her loyal companions chase the villainous Mr. Roland for a final showdown at Riye Srukalleyis, the City of Death, located in the heart of the Kushan Empire, along the Silk Road. There, they reunite with old friends, meet new allies, and confront an even more dangerous foe....
This is the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with City of Fire and City of Ice by esteemed storyteller Laurence Yep, who has been one of the preeminent Asian-American authors for children for the past forty years.
Scirye and her loyal companions chase the villainous Mr. Roland for a final showdown at Riye Srukalleyis, the City of Death, located in the heart of the Kushan Empire, along the Silk Road. There, they reunite with old friends, meet new allies, and confront an even more dangerous foe....
This is the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with City of Fire and City of Ice by esteemed storyteller Laurence Yep, who has been one of the preeminent Asian-American authors for children for the past forty years.
381 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2013
1 person is currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Yep
120 books295 followersBorn June 14, 1948 in San Francisco, California, Yep was the son of Thomas Gim Yep and Franche Lee Yep. Franche Lee, her family's youngest child, was born in Ohio and raised in West Virginia where her family owned a Chinese laundry. Yep's father, Thomas, was born in China and came to America at the age of ten where he lived, not in Chinatown, but with an Irish friend in a white neighborhood. After troubling times during the Depression, he was able to open a grocery store in an African-American neighborhood. Growing up in San Francisco, Yep felt alienated. He was in his own words his neighborhood's "all-purpose Asian" and did not feel he had a culture of his own. Joanne Ryder, a children's book author, and Yep met and became friends during college while she was his editor. They later married and now live in San Francisco.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
Although not living in Chinatown, Yep commuted to a parochial bilingual school there. Other students at the school, according to Yep, labeled him a "dumbbell Chinese" because he spoke only English. During high school he faced the white American culture for the first time. However, it was while attending high school that he started writing for a science fiction magazine, being paid one cent a word for his efforts. After two years at Marquette University, Yep transferred to the University of California at Santa Cruz where he graduated in 1970 with a B.A. He continued on to earn a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1975. Today as well as writing, he has taught writing and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 23, 2018
One final leg of the journey is left for twelve-year-olds Scirye and Leech, Kles the miniature griffin, Koko the changeling, and Bayang the dragon in their pursuit of the international criminal named Roland and his accomplice, Badik the dragon. Our heroes head to Riye Srukalleyis (you'll want to consult the book's Guide to Pronunciation on that one), the City of the Dead, for a showdown to avenge the people Roland and Badik have murdered and to reclaim the irreplaceable artifacts the pair has stolen. Scirye's parents aren't happy about her recent death-defying exploits, and Leech has delicate questions that must be addressed regarding his newfound friend Bayang, who for generations hunted him down every time he reincarnated and slew him for the crimes of his past self Lee No Cha, but there's no time for prolonged discussion now. The moment is nigh to deal Roland and Badik their death blows.
"Your determination not to let your friends down provides a counterweight to your fear. There's a balance to everything: A beautiful soul inside makes up for an ugly face outside. A greater ability in one thing compensates for a flaw in another."
—Māka, City of Death, P. 117
"Sometimes a champion is the one who is ready to act, not the strongest or the bravest."
—City of Death, P. 317
As in the previous books of the City trilogy, new people join Scirye's team as they embark on the endgame hunt for Roland and Badik. Māka (pronounced "Mo-kuh"), a magician who has trouble controlling her spells, now travels with the group alongside her companion Tute ("Too-tay"), a lynx. Scirye needs Māka's ability as a diviner; the goddess Nanaia has assisted the quest to this point, but it's impossible for Scirye to understand the goddess's next instructions. If Māka can focus her sorcery long enough to interpret Nanaia's directions, it will help tremendously. But nothing can diminish the peril that Scirye and her friends are in when they at last catch up to Roland and Badik for a battle that must destroy one side or the other. Who will survive this clash with evil...and is there an even more heinous enemy poised to declare war after it's over?
City of Fire and City of Ice were tedious reading; following the plot was a chore for me. City of Death is the same way, though I found it easier than its predecessors. Add to that the more emotional story and the fact that the plot elements theoretically fall into place for a good fantasy trilogy, and City of Death is best of the three books. The writing isn't smooth or immersive enough to draw me into the experience, but others might feel differently. I rate City of Death one and a half stars, and I respect author Laurence Yep's ambitious attempt at an original fantasy saga. He's better at historical fiction, but I admire a writer who tries new things.
"Your determination not to let your friends down provides a counterweight to your fear. There's a balance to everything: A beautiful soul inside makes up for an ugly face outside. A greater ability in one thing compensates for a flaw in another."
—Māka, City of Death, P. 117
"Sometimes a champion is the one who is ready to act, not the strongest or the bravest."
—City of Death, P. 317
As in the previous books of the City trilogy, new people join Scirye's team as they embark on the endgame hunt for Roland and Badik. Māka (pronounced "Mo-kuh"), a magician who has trouble controlling her spells, now travels with the group alongside her companion Tute ("Too-tay"), a lynx. Scirye needs Māka's ability as a diviner; the goddess Nanaia has assisted the quest to this point, but it's impossible for Scirye to understand the goddess's next instructions. If Māka can focus her sorcery long enough to interpret Nanaia's directions, it will help tremendously. But nothing can diminish the peril that Scirye and her friends are in when they at last catch up to Roland and Badik for a battle that must destroy one side or the other. Who will survive this clash with evil...and is there an even more heinous enemy poised to declare war after it's over?
City of Fire and City of Ice were tedious reading; following the plot was a chore for me. City of Death is the same way, though I found it easier than its predecessors. Add to that the more emotional story and the fact that the plot elements theoretically fall into place for a good fantasy trilogy, and City of Death is best of the three books. The writing isn't smooth or immersive enough to draw me into the experience, but others might feel differently. I rate City of Death one and a half stars, and I respect author Laurence Yep's ambitious attempt at an original fantasy saga. He's better at historical fiction, but I admire a writer who tries new things.
April 17, 2015
A fine finish to the trilogy. Clever, creative, and well-crafted. Well-developed and interesting characters. Imaginative setting and storyline, loosely rooted in world history, but also incorporating various mythologies (especially middle eastern and oriental). No complaints, but I will say that, for whatever reason, these books did not seem to capture the attention and thrill the imagination of my listeners like I would have expected.
June 26, 2023
I wasn't sure how I would like this book. It was an okay read. I loved the different POVs because it added to the story and it made it really cool to read, but at the same time I wasn't that fond of the story its self. I just dont know why.
February 15, 2016
Trilogies are hard to write: sustaining the characters; developing something new; creating new adventures. Yet did a reasonably good job in writing the City trilogy. Great read for middle school youth; good read for older people. Yep is an author who can and does entertain!
January 15, 2014
I love love this series. It has to be one of my favorites!
January 23, 2014
Wow. There's a monster underneath my feet, and I didn't even know. Help! Oh wait, they defeated it. Phew!
March 7, 2014
Better than the second
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews