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City in the Sky
Trapped between two peoples
Erik Tarverro is a half-breed raised as a smith in the human city of Vidran. Hounded for his mixed blood and denied mastery in his craft, he leaps at the chance to join his father’s people in the Sky City of Newport.
There, he learns he is the only heir of an ancient and noble line. His father’s name opens doors and gathers allies, but Erik must still struggle to understand both this strange new culture and his place within it.
Fate will deny him a peaceful understanding, though, as the clouds of war gather – and his father’s enemies have laid their eyes upon his City in the Sky.
Erik Tarverro is a half-breed raised as a smith in the human city of Vidran. Hounded for his mixed blood and denied mastery in his craft, he leaps at the chance to join his father’s people in the Sky City of Newport.
There, he learns he is the only heir of an ancient and noble line. His father’s name opens doors and gathers allies, but Erik must still struggle to understand both this strange new culture and his place within it.
Fate will deny him a peaceful understanding, though, as the clouds of war gather – and his father’s enemies have laid their eyes upon his City in the Sky.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2015
About the author
Glynn Stewart
118 books1,754 followersGlynn Stewart is the author of over 60 books, including Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic.
Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.
Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
November 15, 2016
My first review in some time. So, while "City in The Sky" isn't exactly a new take on the fantasy genre, it was nevertheless a decent read. The battle scenes were particularly well done. I feel like the protagonist got use to his sudden change in station very quickly, from being a blacksmith to being a high noble of a city. While the story gives a snapshot of his troubles, in a relatively short time frame, he seems to be mingling with the nobility without any sort of difficulties. Those he does have, he always seems to get on top of very quickly. However, gripes aside, I'm hoping this is only part one of a series. If so, I look forward to the next novel.
October 26, 2023
A fun read, but...
I’m already familiar with a number of Glynn Stewart’s other series and expected this one to be equally entertaining; unfortunately it lacks much of what his other works do not, leaving me to wonder if it is an early work that never made the publishing cut and only now seeing light because of Stewart’s overall popularity.
< EDIT > Yes that is precisely what this novel is, one of Stuart's first books (with the mistakes often accompanying such), first published in 2015.
< EDIT 10/2023 > I recommend his recent "Nine Sailed Star" Aether Spheres series as a much more mature and fun to read "aeronaut" storyline.
The Good
I was pleased to learn about ships that could fly - and yet also needed to sail the seas. Flying cities described in nice detail, even if it was never made clear why the cities could float indefinitely when the ships could not. And nice little bits of foreshadowing hinting at other events to come.
The Bad
Events felt rushed and almost railroaded in order to get the main character into position by the end of the first book. All the events unfolding could have easily been expounded on and expanded into two books, providing more depth and attachment to both characters and plot, and it is bewildering why Stewart is so miserly here with the very detail that makes his other series so successful.
Our MC grows up a blacksmith, and I’d hoped to actually see that background somehow cleverly integrated into the plot. Instead it’s almost never mentioned again beyond several humble-brags of muscular strength which even itself is never critical or even central for any event. It would have been better to just have him grow up under the tutelage of a retired military officer, and would have made far more sense for all the leaps of specialized knowledge, strategy and tactical acumen he makes as the plot quickly progresses, something I found excessively difficult to believe of a young inexperienced blacksmith’s grandson with no previous military training or combat exposure.
Plot contrivances aside, it was an enjoyable if predictable read. I’d say I look forward to the next novel, but again this one feels so unfinished compared to his other works I suspect it will never see a sequel. Read if you’re a big fan, otherwise skip and enjoy one of Stewart’s other, better polished works.
I’m already familiar with a number of Glynn Stewart’s other series and expected this one to be equally entertaining; unfortunately it lacks much of what his other works do not, leaving me to wonder if it is an early work that never made the publishing cut and only now seeing light because of Stewart’s overall popularity.
< EDIT > Yes that is precisely what this novel is, one of Stuart's first books (with the mistakes often accompanying such), first published in 2015.
< EDIT 10/2023 > I recommend his recent "Nine Sailed Star" Aether Spheres series as a much more mature and fun to read "aeronaut" storyline.
The Good
I was pleased to learn about ships that could fly - and yet also needed to sail the seas. Flying cities described in nice detail, even if it was never made clear why the cities could float indefinitely when the ships could not. And nice little bits of foreshadowing hinting at other events to come.
The Bad
Events felt rushed and almost railroaded in order to get the main character into position by the end of the first book. All the events unfolding could have easily been expounded on and expanded into two books, providing more depth and attachment to both characters and plot, and it is bewildering why Stewart is so miserly here with the very detail that makes his other series so successful.
Our MC grows up a blacksmith, and I’d hoped to actually see that background somehow cleverly integrated into the plot. Instead it’s almost never mentioned again beyond several humble-brags of muscular strength which even itself is never critical or even central for any event. It would have been better to just have him grow up under the tutelage of a retired military officer, and would have made far more sense for all the leaps of specialized knowledge, strategy and tactical acumen he makes as the plot quickly progresses, something I found excessively difficult to believe of a young inexperienced blacksmith’s grandson with no previous military training or combat exposure.
Plot contrivances aside, it was an enjoyable if predictable read. I’d say I look forward to the next novel, but again this one feels so unfinished compared to his other works I suspect it will never see a sequel. Read if you’re a big fan, otherwise skip and enjoy one of Stewart’s other, better polished works.
September 12, 2022
A Great Read but...
Glynn Stewart is on of my favourite authors so I was so happy to see he had something new out. And honestly it was a great story but...
1. The names. My goodness the names annoyed me. I was trying to keep track of who was who but the names were so confusing I just gave up.
2. The main character was a Mary Sue. Don't get me wrong, he was great. But still. He somehow seamlessly fit into a culture he wasn't raised in. He was a brilliant tactician despite having only ever fought solo. One week in he was already looking over trade agreements and the finances of his families major corporation when all the experience he had was from his grandfather's smithy. It was just a little much.
Glynn Stewart is on of my favourite authors so I was so happy to see he had something new out. And honestly it was a great story but...
1. The names. My goodness the names annoyed me. I was trying to keep track of who was who but the names were so confusing I just gave up.
2. The main character was a Mary Sue. Don't get me wrong, he was great. But still. He somehow seamlessly fit into a culture he wasn't raised in. He was a brilliant tactician despite having only ever fought solo. One week in he was already looking over trade agreements and the finances of his families major corporation when all the experience he had was from his grandfather's smithy. It was just a little much.
December 1, 2019
3.5
Interesting and engaging foray into fantasy for this primarily scifi author. I'm pretty sure this was one of his earlier attempts at fantasy. As you might expect from him, the story and characters are good if a bit 2 dimensional, but the book really needs another pass by a fastidious copy editor (which seems to be very common with Stewart's earlier works).
It's not a life changing story, but it's certainly an entertaining one, particularly if you don't need or want any romance at all.
Interesting and engaging foray into fantasy for this primarily scifi author. I'm pretty sure this was one of his earlier attempts at fantasy. As you might expect from him, the story and characters are good if a bit 2 dimensional, but the book really needs another pass by a fastidious copy editor (which seems to be very common with Stewart's earlier works).
It's not a life changing story, but it's certainly an entertaining one, particularly if you don't need or want any romance at all.
March 3, 2018
Despite plot flaws still very entertaining and a solid entry
I had a blast reading this book and I am looking forward to the sequel.
Spoiler Alert
The plot flaws that stood out to me are:
1 Main character is super young (21yrs old) but is but an expert swordsman ( won 2+ duels) and a master smith
2. Main character readily adapts to life as a noble patriarch, I can assume that Arien really helps him out but he is like Damien Montgomery after Damien went through years and years of Hand training ( to reference Mr. Glynn's other works)
3. He is a solid tactician and saves the city despite having never led anything larger than half a company. Where did he learn this from?
So yeah, I still enjoyed the book in spite of these things that are a bit glaring. Master swordsman, tactician and smith is a bit much for someone who grew up with his grandfather , the latter who was never a warrior, or a scholar.
It is not up there with the Starship's Mage series ( still my favorite) but this is still a good read, especially if you let how masterful the Erik is get you down.
I had a blast reading this book and I am looking forward to the sequel.
Spoiler Alert
The plot flaws that stood out to me are:
1 Main character is super young (21yrs old) but is but an expert swordsman ( won 2+ duels) and a master smith
2. Main character readily adapts to life as a noble patriarch, I can assume that Arien really helps him out but he is like Damien Montgomery after Damien went through years and years of Hand training ( to reference Mr. Glynn's other works)
3. He is a solid tactician and saves the city despite having never led anything larger than half a company. Where did he learn this from?
So yeah, I still enjoyed the book in spite of these things that are a bit glaring. Master swordsman, tactician and smith is a bit much for someone who grew up with his grandfather , the latter who was never a warrior, or a scholar.
It is not up there with the Starship's Mage series ( still my favorite) but this is still a good read, especially if you let how masterful the Erik is get you down.
June 1, 2019
I've read and enjoyed most of the books by this author. This one measured up with rest with one important exception. It's obviously set up to be book one of a series. Since we're 4 yrs past publication of this book, it's clear the author won't be releasing further books in the series. Several storylines remain unresolved. While they're minor ones in this book they are intriguing and clearly meant to be major themes in the future books of the series. Therefore I recommend not purchasing this book since this book is not in Kindle Unlimited
February 9, 2022
Fantastic!
A lead character to whom one can relate, and well-written military action from start to finish. The only slightly negative thing i can say is that Erik's change in fortunes went too fast; the story could have used a little more development there. Overall, though, this is one that I'll read again, and I'm really looking forward to the next book, if there will be more!!!
A lead character to whom one can relate, and well-written military action from start to finish. The only slightly negative thing i can say is that Erik's change in fortunes went too fast; the story could have used a little more development there. Overall, though, this is one that I'll read again, and I'm really looking forward to the next book, if there will be more!!!
June 9, 2022
Wow I’ve read a LOT of Glynn Stewart books but this is among my favorite. Really cool magic system and world building thrown into one book. Love the political setup as well, wish there were more books in the series.
November 1, 2022
Fast paced, interesting, some saving the bacon but good story. Looks like the part of a series but I'm not finding the 2nd in the series.
April 22, 2023
Fantastic book, despite the main character being a Mary Sue. I would definitely read a sequel and there were some hooks left dangling for a series. I have found that the author's standalones turn out very well, probably because, having committed to only one book, he does not have to draw out a satisfying storyline over multiple book arcs. I enjoyed the imaginative world and the economic system, as well. Having exhaustible magic is a useful counter to the paradox of scarcity in high fantasy contexts - if you have a flying ship, why have anything else? Because you can't use it for the whole period of your trip.
August 20, 2025
Yeah, the MC is the long-lost heir to an important family, which is normally a red flag for me, but it's Glynn Stewart ladies and gents! Such a good author.
I like how the MC gets lucky, but also has to struggle to take advantage of his opportunities.
It kept me interested and reading. This was another 1 day read for me. Those are invariably 4-5/5. I only docked it a star because the MC WAS just a bit too good at everything. It wasn't the story, but I like it when a character has to work at something for months or even years to succeed. Not here. It's still a great story, and I was glued to the book.
I like how the MC gets lucky, but also has to struggle to take advantage of his opportunities.
It kept me interested and reading. This was another 1 day read for me. Those are invariably 4-5/5. I only docked it a star because the MC WAS just a bit too good at everything. It wasn't the story, but I like it when a character has to work at something for months or even years to succeed. Not here. It's still a great story, and I was glued to the book.
August 18, 2017
Good Tale of Dragons, Airships and Battle
Glynn Stewart has written a great, intricate story of cities floating in the skies. The society of the cities is complex, medieval, almost Byzantine. A blacksmith, whose deceased father originally came from the flying cities, finds his home and an unexpected patrimony by visiting the city in the skies.
VERY GOOD BOOK! UNFORTUNATELY, NOT A SERIES...
Glynn Stewart has written a great, intricate story of cities floating in the skies. The society of the cities is complex, medieval, almost Byzantine. A blacksmith, whose deceased father originally came from the flying cities, finds his home and an unexpected patrimony by visiting the city in the skies.
VERY GOOD BOOK! UNFORTUNATELY, NOT A SERIES...
November 24, 2017
Meh...
This is not too bad a book, but honestly it's not a patch on Stewart's other works that I've read. It is simplistic, hurried and lacking in depth. It appears more like a second draft that needs fleshing out, really, what characterisation has been carried out, what world explanation or motivations are explored?
Two stars is right for this and please Mr Stewart lets get back to your usual quality soon!
This is not too bad a book, but honestly it's not a patch on Stewart's other works that I've read. It is simplistic, hurried and lacking in depth. It appears more like a second draft that needs fleshing out, really, what characterisation has been carried out, what world explanation or motivations are explored?
Two stars is right for this and please Mr Stewart lets get back to your usual quality soon!
May 20, 2018
I held off from reading City in the Sky for quite a while because I got into reading Glynn Stewart thanks to the Starshi's Mage books and wasn't sure how well his style would work in a pure fantasy novel. The answer is; very well! Erik is a likeable main character and even the antagonists are relatively well fleshed out - there's no one being evil for the sake of being evil here. A great read and I look forward to seeing a sequel.
May 30, 2019
This was a pretty enjoyable book. The end seemed to leave it open to sequels, but since none have come yet, I have my doubts.
The only complaint I really have, is that Eric has far too uncontrollable a temper relating to his half-blood status. He grew up in a city that was even LESS pleased about half-blooded people, and he had little status or wealth there. He'd have had to learn better control of his temper or he'd have been dead.
The only complaint I really have, is that Eric has far too uncontrollable a temper relating to his half-blood status. He grew up in a city that was even LESS pleased about half-blooded people, and he had little status or wealth there. He'd have had to learn better control of his temper or he'd have been dead.
September 21, 2022
Great read
I didn't enjoy the opening chapter as I've read too many with blacksmiths in the last few years, but the entire story is riveting and the world-building breathes new life into the traditional Tolkien style fantasy and the hero's growth throughout is something that is lacking in most other stories.
With a few minor nit-picks, I'd give it a 4.8/5 - it's set for a sequel we might never get, and the hero probably is too skilled for his background.
I didn't enjoy the opening chapter as I've read too many with blacksmiths in the last few years, but the entire story is riveting and the world-building breathes new life into the traditional Tolkien style fantasy and the hero's growth throughout is something that is lacking in most other stories.
With a few minor nit-picks, I'd give it a 4.8/5 - it's set for a sequel we might never get, and the hero probably is too skilled for his background.
February 9, 2017
I enjoyed the story very much and the characters also were well developed. The reading was smooth and held my interest. My only problem was that part the story is told between two groups of combatants which was confusing due to name similarity. The story has intrigue, mystery, interesting technology and great settings.
March 24, 2018
Great Read!
I've read most of Glynn's books, bit had never read this one. Beautiful read which sadly seems to be a stand alone book. Great character in Eric the half breed. This book was obviously written for a sequel and here's to hoping there will be one.
I've read most of Glynn's books, bit had never read this one. Beautiful read which sadly seems to be a stand alone book. Great character in Eric the half breed. This book was obviously written for a sequel and here's to hoping there will be one.
December 25, 2019
Start of something
This is billed as a stand alone novel. That can’t be. There’s such a rich world created here and so much left to tell there has to be a whole host of subsequent novels Mr Stewart... please.
This is billed as a stand alone novel. That can’t be. There’s such a rich world created here and so much left to tell there has to be a whole host of subsequent novels Mr Stewart... please.
January 31, 2023
Wow! This was a blast from the start to the end. Very exciting. There was a lot of sadness. The bad guys were terrible . I know it’s their job but it still sucks. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it.
May 12, 2023
Missing pages
Sounds like a very interesting story, but unfortunately there's a whole sections of the story that show up blank as you turn the pages. So you miss important things when you jump to another part of the story. I wish I had a full copy to read.
Sounds like a very interesting story, but unfortunately there's a whole sections of the story that show up blank as you turn the pages. So you miss important things when you jump to another part of the story. I wish I had a full copy to read.
September 16, 2023
A stand alone book worthy of continuation
Very entertaining story! A world I would love explore to learn more about. Great characters that also make me want to know more about. It's been a while since this was published but I hope there is more to this story.
Very entertaining story! A world I would love explore to learn more about. Great characters that also make me want to know more about. It's been a while since this was published but I hope there is more to this story.
September 24, 2024
An easy and fast read, set in an interesting universe, but very straightforward with heroic heroes and villainous villains - while the main plot is solved, several loose threads indicate that the author may have intended to continue this but never did, specializing more in space opera/mil sf.
January 20, 2018
Fast paced and entertaining.
November 30, 2017
Good Read
Really enjoyed this book. Well written with good character development. I would like to see a sequel as I believe there could be more to the story.
Really enjoyed this book. Well written with good character development. I would like to see a sequel as I believe there could be more to the story.
December 19, 2017
Some standout scenes couldn't make up for the dropped plot threads and overall unfinished feel of this novel. I might give it a pass if it was the beginning of a series, but it appears orphaned.
January 11, 2018
Great book
A fantasy book about a race that live up on a city in the sky that boats fly and also can rule the seas.
A fantasy book about a race that live up on a city in the sky that boats fly and also can rule the seas.
August 26, 2018
Different from his other material
I enjoyed the characters in this but lots of loose ends. Lots to resolve before this story is done. I prefer his other books.
I enjoyed the characters in this but lots of loose ends. Lots to resolve before this story is done. I prefer his other books.
June 6, 2022
Excellent
Good world building. Strong main
character, with some plot armor/luck, but not excessive. Would like to see story continue, but works as a standalone.
Good world building. Strong main
character, with some plot armor/luck, but not excessive. Would like to see story continue, but works as a standalone.
June 8, 2022
Really good!
Love this book. Good characters, a compelling story, and some good fighting.
SPOILER:
Airships vs dragons! Who can’t love that?!
Looking forward to the next one!
Love this book. Good characters, a compelling story, and some good fighting.
SPOILER:
Airships vs dragons! Who can’t love that?!
Looking forward to the next one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews