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The Ingenious
Political exiles are desperate to escape from the impossible city that imprisons them, in this bloody and brilliant epic fantasy
Thousands of years ago, the city of Athanor was set adrift in time and space by alchemists, called "the Curious Men". Ever since, it has accumulated cultures, citizens and species into a vast, unmappable metropolis.
Isten and her gang of half-starved political exiles live off petty crime and gangland warfare in Athanor's seediest alleys. Though they dream of returning home to lead a glorious revolution, Isten's downward spiral drags them into a mire of addiction and violence. Isten must find a way to save the exiles and herself if they are ever to build a better, fairer world for the people of their distant homeland.
Thousands of years ago, the city of Athanor was set adrift in time and space by alchemists, called "the Curious Men". Ever since, it has accumulated cultures, citizens and species into a vast, unmappable metropolis.
Isten and her gang of half-starved political exiles live off petty crime and gangland warfare in Athanor's seediest alleys. Though they dream of returning home to lead a glorious revolution, Isten's downward spiral drags them into a mire of addiction and violence. Isten must find a way to save the exiles and herself if they are ever to build a better, fairer world for the people of their distant homeland.
351 pages, Paperback
First published February 5, 2019
14 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Darius Hinks
108 books130 followersDarius Hinks is an author, writing primarily in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He was born in Birmingham, England, in 1972. He works and lives in Nottinghamshire. Hinks' first novel, Warrior Priest, won the David Gemmel Morningstar award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
January 24, 2024
Real Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: Political exiles are desperate to escape from the impossible city that imprisons them, in this bloody and brilliant epic fantasy
Thousands of years ago, the city of Athanor was set adrift in time and space by alchemists, called "the Curious Men". Ever since, it has accumulated cultures, citizens and species into a vast, unmappable metropolis.
Isten and her gang of half-starved political exiles live off petty crime and gangland warfare in Athanor's seediest alleys. Though they dream of returning home to lead a glorious revolution, Isten's downward spiral drags them into a mire of addiction and violence. Isten must find a way to save the exiles and herself if they are ever to build a better, fairer world for the people of their distant homeland.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: It was okay. It hit almost all its beats. It had a nice, dark, uncelebratory tone that I liked. The characters got a bit whiny for my taste, but that is a feature of every grimdark story I have read, literally all of them. What lifted the dead weight of whininess from my opinion is the way the author constructed his shifting, mobile city: he did not explain it, or introduce it explanatorily, just put its effects into the tale. Kudos for that. There are nuances in the way this world full of truly crappy people is run that had me nodding along approvingly.
Did not lift my dissatisfaction with the whinging, sorry.
If you like Robert Jackson Bennett, China Miéville, and Scott Lynch, this is a winner for you.
The Publisher Says: Political exiles are desperate to escape from the impossible city that imprisons them, in this bloody and brilliant epic fantasy
Thousands of years ago, the city of Athanor was set adrift in time and space by alchemists, called "the Curious Men". Ever since, it has accumulated cultures, citizens and species into a vast, unmappable metropolis.
Isten and her gang of half-starved political exiles live off petty crime and gangland warfare in Athanor's seediest alleys. Though they dream of returning home to lead a glorious revolution, Isten's downward spiral drags them into a mire of addiction and violence. Isten must find a way to save the exiles and herself if they are ever to build a better, fairer world for the people of their distant homeland.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: It was okay. It hit almost all its beats. It had a nice, dark, uncelebratory tone that I liked. The characters got a bit whiny for my taste, but that is a feature of every grimdark story I have read, literally all of them. What lifted the dead weight of whininess from my opinion is the way the author constructed his shifting, mobile city: he did not explain it, or introduce it explanatorily, just put its effects into the tale. Kudos for that. There are nuances in the way this world full of truly crappy people is run that had me nodding along approvingly.
Did not lift my dissatisfaction with the whinging, sorry.
If you like Robert Jackson Bennett, China Miéville, and Scott Lynch, this is a winner for you.
February 12, 2019
This was some dark-ass shit and I loved every page of it. Yes you are dropped right off into the middle of things and yes it takes a minute to figure out who everyone is and what is going on but to me that was part of the appeal. I don't like being spoon fed anything nor do I appreciate fodder meant for the lowest common denominator. There were characters and things and monsters in here that were unlike anything I have ever read about before and part of the genius (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) comes from how the story was presented. At different times the characters would achieve things only to have these things snatched away and they would have to take two steps back after taking three steps forward. Each character, however minor, had their own parts to play and everyone evolved realistically throughout the book. Those who we meet are not who we end up with. But that's what makes a great story, right? I love a good yarn but for me it's not only about plot, I admire an author's ability to adapt their characters instead of having convoluted stuff that happens that caters to who the characters are because they are unchangeable. I hate books where bogus things happen that are right in-line with a character strengths or something they do amazingly well, get outta here with that shit. Give me someone who doesn't understand their place in the grand scheme of things or doesn't have a super power that is exactly what is needed to further the plot. I love characters for their abilities but also for their flaws, and these are some flawed, damaged creations. Everyone has a demon and they each reside in their own private hell (thank you Mr. Wilde). Separate these guys would be a mess but together they had hope. I was massively impressed with the way it ended, and could not help but be reminded of Tetsuo and Kaneda at the end of the movie Akira when shit went down in the final pages, not to give too much away or anything. Another incredible Angry Robot release and a great introduction, at least for me, to an amazing author of dark fiction. Five, stayed up til two in the morning because I couldn't wait until the next day to finish even though I had to get up for work, stars.
June 8, 2019
It is a story about exiles living on a moving city. The concept is amazing. The exiled group is struggling to survive in this city ruled by the elites who use alchemy to keep power in their hands. There are different creatures, drug syndicate, elites, conspiracy against elites, dark magic and lots more. Sadly, I didn't like it much. The MC is either intoxicated or hiding and plotting the unknown. There is not much of a back story either. The story is so dark and gloomy. I wish there were some light-hearted characters also to keep the story a bit interesting but I doubt it would have helped. There was too much info dump and the story doesn't develop till 70% of the book. At that point, I had already lost my interest and I didn't want to read any further.
Cover Art:
The cover gives all the steampunk vibes that makes you wonder what this book would be about and you pick it up to read the blurb. So 5 star for the cover art.
Conclusion:
Although this is a unique story, I find this book is not for me. The story stuck up after some time and there is no development until 70% of the book. After some point, I didn't care what happens next so I DNF it at 72%. I tried my best to finish it, but couldn't.
An eARC of this novel was provided by publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cover Art:
The cover gives all the steampunk vibes that makes you wonder what this book would be about and you pick it up to read the blurb. So 5 star for the cover art.
Conclusion:
Although this is a unique story, I find this book is not for me. The story stuck up after some time and there is no development until 70% of the book. After some point, I didn't care what happens next so I DNF it at 72%. I tried my best to finish it, but couldn't.
An eARC of this novel was provided by publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2019
4,5 stars
Brilliant book in the vibe of Foundryside or The Gutter Prayer. I don't have much time to write more but I really like it and I hope for the next book in the same universe.
Brilliant book in the vibe of Foundryside or The Gutter Prayer. I don't have much time to write more but I really like it and I hope for the next book in the same universe.
February 28, 2019
It took me a some time to really get into this one, but I'm glad that I did. I'm not typically as into grimdark, and this definitely qualifies early on. But a really nuanced story rises out of it. I found both the protagonist and the antagonist interesting, particularly the protagonist's growth throughout the story. The worldbuilding is unique - one part Scott Lynch, one part China Mieville, one part something completely different than anything I've ever read before. Parts of the ending felt a little rushed, and I'm not sure if it's better as a set up for a sequel or just as a strong stand alone. Either way, this is a new novel that is worth a signal boost to check out.
October 8, 2018
The Ingenious is a triumph of the imagination that I can only compare to that classic RPG game, Planescape Torment: bizarre architecture, bewildering magic, strange races and people all trapped there all struggling to survive.
Isten and her people are exiles from a brutal empire, but the predatory travelling city Athanor, ruled by the Curious Men and their powers of alchemy, proves no welcoming home to them. Isten has hit rock bottom, weighed down by the unwanted expectations and needs of her people, and The Exiles themselves are being ground down into abject starvation by a criminal organisation. From the bottom, Isten's only way forward is either accepting death or clawing her way back up tooth and nail to regain what her people have lost - no matter what dangerous deals she has to make. She chooses to survive, which brings her into contact with one of the Curious Men who rule the city, an unscrupulous man using the souls of the poor to fuel his alchemy.
This is a dark and dangerous book bursting with strange, terrifying sorcery and wondrous locations - exactly what I love in a fantasy novel. I'll be reading more from Darius Hinks.
Isten and her people are exiles from a brutal empire, but the predatory travelling city Athanor, ruled by the Curious Men and their powers of alchemy, proves no welcoming home to them. Isten has hit rock bottom, weighed down by the unwanted expectations and needs of her people, and The Exiles themselves are being ground down into abject starvation by a criminal organisation. From the bottom, Isten's only way forward is either accepting death or clawing her way back up tooth and nail to regain what her people have lost - no matter what dangerous deals she has to make. She chooses to survive, which brings her into contact with one of the Curious Men who rule the city, an unscrupulous man using the souls of the poor to fuel his alchemy.
This is a dark and dangerous book bursting with strange, terrifying sorcery and wondrous locations - exactly what I love in a fantasy novel. I'll be reading more from Darius Hinks.
January 26, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger Warnings Drugs / Drugs Abuse / Alcoholism / Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal / Mutilation / Self-Mutilation / Decapitation / Murder
The Ingenious is an interesting fantasy set in a world with a ‘floating’ city. If that sounds whimsical, the book is not. It is dark and gritty, and it failed to capture me.
At the start of the book we meet Isten who swalks over to her previous exile gang to rejoin. I was already lost at this point. For a good part of the book I felt like I was missing something. As if I should have read another story first. We just get thrown in with Isten and are expected to take all her relationships at face value. The same happens with the world. We get fed a lot of details about the city but never does the author truly sketch the overall view of the city or even the world. Adding on to that, is the believability of the alchemy. It is said it takes a lot of preparation to do alchemy. But never are we present for any of that. It is conveniently glossed over.
The details we do get of the city are interesting. It is run by the alchemist, one of them who rules over the others and was chosen by vote. The city mostly consists of immigrants from worlds down below that the city has visited. The city almost seems like an usurper. It takes but seems to give very little in return. At such they have battles with the ground on occasion. The city has formed various gangs, Isten’s Exile being one of them.
Isten is a troubled character that I could never truly warm up to. She goes through the motions. Drinks, takes drugs, argues with everyone, fights, kills. I couldn’t get a grip on her. What does she want? Who is Isten? The characters surrounding her aren’t much better. As said before I am missing pieces here. The exile apparently are fugitives from their home world but now they can’t return. One of the younger ones is their prophet of sorts and Isten is their chosen one? There is not enough explanation and the bonds between the characters aren’t explored enough with a basis in the past. You can’t expect me to believe they are all so bonded about where they are coming from when there such a distinct lack of culture and differences between them and the other gangs and inhabitants of the city.
In the end I settled on 3 stars because the writing itself is fine, there are a lot interesting things in this world that I think will grasp others. But I don’t think I’d be interested in reading anything else in this world or these characters.
Trigger Warnings Drugs / Drugs Abuse / Alcoholism / Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal / Mutilation / Self-Mutilation / Decapitation / Murder
The Ingenious is an interesting fantasy set in a world with a ‘floating’ city. If that sounds whimsical, the book is not. It is dark and gritty, and it failed to capture me.
At the start of the book we meet Isten who swalks over to her previous exile gang to rejoin. I was already lost at this point. For a good part of the book I felt like I was missing something. As if I should have read another story first. We just get thrown in with Isten and are expected to take all her relationships at face value. The same happens with the world. We get fed a lot of details about the city but never does the author truly sketch the overall view of the city or even the world. Adding on to that, is the believability of the alchemy. It is said it takes a lot of preparation to do alchemy. But never are we present for any of that. It is conveniently glossed over.
The details we do get of the city are interesting. It is run by the alchemist, one of them who rules over the others and was chosen by vote. The city mostly consists of immigrants from worlds down below that the city has visited. The city almost seems like an usurper. It takes but seems to give very little in return. At such they have battles with the ground on occasion. The city has formed various gangs, Isten’s Exile being one of them.
Isten is a troubled character that I could never truly warm up to. She goes through the motions. Drinks, takes drugs, argues with everyone, fights, kills. I couldn’t get a grip on her. What does she want? Who is Isten? The characters surrounding her aren’t much better. As said before I am missing pieces here. The exile apparently are fugitives from their home world but now they can’t return. One of the younger ones is their prophet of sorts and Isten is their chosen one? There is not enough explanation and the bonds between the characters aren’t explored enough with a basis in the past. You can’t expect me to believe they are all so bonded about where they are coming from when there such a distinct lack of culture and differences between them and the other gangs and inhabitants of the city.
In the end I settled on 3 stars because the writing itself is fine, there are a lot interesting things in this world that I think will grasp others. But I don’t think I’d be interested in reading anything else in this world or these characters.
September 11, 2019
So I liked and didn't like this book. I think it's worth a read, but it probably won't blow you away. It reminded me of Foundryside and the New Crobuzon books, but wasn't as good as either of those. The book's best attribute is its language and the way the world is described. It depicts squalor in truth.
One thing that was a bit ridiculous was how Isten kills a bunch of dudes, then she's all shocked and disgusted that Alzen kills people too. Not even a throwaway line about, "Yeah, I may have killed those blokes, but they would have done the same to me."
A big drawback for me was that I was never really sure what the main character wanted. She seemed to just sort of float. She was immature and didn't seem to live up to anything she was put up against. I feel like a lot of the characters were flat.
The ending was cool, but it was almost too fast? I would have liked some more build up and climax.
One thing that was a bit ridiculous was how Isten kills a bunch of dudes, then she's all shocked and disgusted that Alzen kills people too. Not even a throwaway line about, "Yeah, I may have killed those blokes, but they would have done the same to me."
A big drawback for me was that I was never really sure what the main character wanted. She seemed to just sort of float. She was immature and didn't seem to live up to anything she was put up against. I feel like a lot of the characters were flat.
The ending was cool, but it was almost too fast? I would have liked some more build up and climax.
March 22, 2019
I stopped reading ARCs from Angry Robot a few years ago but this one slipped through, and I was stuck on a long plane, so I gave it a go. And was immediately reminded why I made that decision. Angry Robot - please hire better editors for your books!
I'm going to complain about fundamental writing issues in fantasy here that I often see in their books and this one exemplifies:
1. Understanding character motivations is critical for caring about your characters. Particularly if you are going to murder them or have them suffer hardship. If I don't know who this character is, why do I care what happens to them?
2. There is a fine line between throwing you in the middle to avoid wordy backstory dialogue and not properly developing your world and character relationships. This book badly needed context for almost everything. Who are these people and what do they do? How did they wind up in this place? What is this place and how does it differ from their homeland (which is where exactly...)?
3. If you do not define your magic system at all, it becomes a magical unicorn that can solve all your problems randomly. So we've got characters in situations I don't care about being solved by solutions that just appear.
So as usual, I return to avoiding anything generated by Angry Robot because it takes great ideas and squashes them with bad writing and editing.
I'm going to complain about fundamental writing issues in fantasy here that I often see in their books and this one exemplifies:
1. Understanding character motivations is critical for caring about your characters. Particularly if you are going to murder them or have them suffer hardship. If I don't know who this character is, why do I care what happens to them?
2. There is a fine line between throwing you in the middle to avoid wordy backstory dialogue and not properly developing your world and character relationships. This book badly needed context for almost everything. Who are these people and what do they do? How did they wind up in this place? What is this place and how does it differ from their homeland (which is where exactly...)?
3. If you do not define your magic system at all, it becomes a magical unicorn that can solve all your problems randomly. So we've got characters in situations I don't care about being solved by solutions that just appear.
So as usual, I return to avoiding anything generated by Angry Robot because it takes great ideas and squashes them with bad writing and editing.
January 3, 2019
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79 points/100 (4 stars/5)
Alert: Gushing ahead
Wow, I liked this. I really, really liked this. The Ingenious reminds me of so, so many other stories I have read. Yet it is unique to Darius Hinks. I was drawn into the story itself, which isn't always easy for me to do. I am typically a character reader, I get drawn into the characters themselves. Yet, in The Ingenious, it was the story that got to me. The characters were just secondary.
I'll say right up front: I could not get into the start of this book. I felt like I was being tossed into the deep end, and someone was holding me under the water and yelling at me to stay afloat. The world, the characters, and the feel of the book was all tossed at me at once. I swear, in the first beginning bit, it felt like there were a hundred characters to memorize. It made it really difficult to read. However, by a few chapters in, I fell into the story and stayed there. I didn't want to leave for anything.
The world is great, and I loved all the descriptions of everything (even if it did seem a bit verbose in the beginning). Everything is so fantastical while also being down to earth in a nitty gritty way. The society is completely fucked up. Throughout the whole book, we find more and more about the society that just turns my stomach. Everything we learned, I wanted to know more about. What I like so much about the world is how dark it is. I love how the society is structured for maximum pain. I like how corrupted the magic we see is. I also like how, by the end, we know very little on how the world actually functions. It isn't a case of the author not explaining, it is a function of who our main character is.
I always hate when people describe a book like something else that is super popular. It tends to set the reader up for disappointment. Yet I'm going to do it anyway. The Ingenious feels like it has a little part of every book in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere. It is like Hinks took the parts he loved from the Cosmere and put them back together again. And it worked. I have no idea if Darius Hinks has ever even read a single book by Sanderson. Yet this is the way it feels. Only Darius Hinks made it his own story. As much as I have tried to ditch this idea in my mind since I first thought it, I keep coming back to it. The Ingenious is great because it takes something I have already loved, and reimagines it.
Isten is our primary character, and she is really fun to read about. I never really connected with her like I typically like to do, yet I really enjoyed reading about her. Isten is a contradiction of a character. At the start of the book, we find her trying to reconnect with her old friends, trying to give life itself yet another go. Yet she has mostly given up on life, content to wallow in her drug of choice instead. She wants to stay out of things, but she also keeps coming back to fight again and again. Some indefinable part of Isten knows what she has to do, even if she doesn't want to think it and doesn't want to believe it.
Isten is also heavily addicted to a drug called cinnabar. I always enjoy reading about drug addict characters. They always add something to a character's traits that I really enjoy. Mostly the despair. I like to read about the despair characters go through. Yet Isten isn't the only one. Almost everyone in this city is addicted to some drug or another. It makes life where they live easier. It also adds a really great dynamic to the story.
There really aren't as many people in the story as it appeared there were going to be in the beginning. Most of them just aren't full characters, just mentions. There for an appearance or two. Isten's ragtag band of potential political uprisers are interesting, but they kind of annoyed me at the same time. Their ideas are fine, their actions suck. Yet, it wouldn't be the story it is if everyone was good. It wouldn't be the story it is if everyone was competent. The Ingenious is a story of desperation, not competency.
Then, there is the guy on the other side. Phrater Alzen is one of the Elite. He has all the power, and he wants more. He is researching a new type of alchymia. I loved him more than I should have, for how evil he is. I really wanted to see more out of him, because I liked him so much. For what he does over the course of the book, I should hate him, but I don't. I hate all of the elites, but at least Alzen is honest about his intentions. Their actions have made the society the way it is - awful.
Hope is a crazy thing. Everything I hoped for out of this book, I didn't get. Not a single thing. Yet, I'm happier this way. I'm happy I didn't get what I wanted. It is a much better story than if I got what I desired. If what I wanted to happen happened, I wouldn't have liked this nearly as much. I'm happy with the book I got. Ecstatic, even.
I don't know if this is planned as the start to a series. If it isn't, it is a great standalone. If it is, I am looking forward to the next installment, and would read it right away.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Darius Hinks, Angry Robot, and Netgalley for providing this copy for review!
79 points/100 (4 stars/5)
Alert: Gushing ahead
Wow, I liked this. I really, really liked this. The Ingenious reminds me of so, so many other stories I have read. Yet it is unique to Darius Hinks. I was drawn into the story itself, which isn't always easy for me to do. I am typically a character reader, I get drawn into the characters themselves. Yet, in The Ingenious, it was the story that got to me. The characters were just secondary.
I'll say right up front: I could not get into the start of this book. I felt like I was being tossed into the deep end, and someone was holding me under the water and yelling at me to stay afloat. The world, the characters, and the feel of the book was all tossed at me at once. I swear, in the first beginning bit, it felt like there were a hundred characters to memorize. It made it really difficult to read. However, by a few chapters in, I fell into the story and stayed there. I didn't want to leave for anything.
The world is great, and I loved all the descriptions of everything (even if it did seem a bit verbose in the beginning). Everything is so fantastical while also being down to earth in a nitty gritty way. The society is completely fucked up. Throughout the whole book, we find more and more about the society that just turns my stomach. Everything we learned, I wanted to know more about. What I like so much about the world is how dark it is. I love how the society is structured for maximum pain. I like how corrupted the magic we see is. I also like how, by the end, we know very little on how the world actually functions. It isn't a case of the author not explaining, it is a function of who our main character is.
I always hate when people describe a book like something else that is super popular. It tends to set the reader up for disappointment. Yet I'm going to do it anyway. The Ingenious feels like it has a little part of every book in Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere. It is like Hinks took the parts he loved from the Cosmere and put them back together again. And it worked. I have no idea if Darius Hinks has ever even read a single book by Sanderson. Yet this is the way it feels. Only Darius Hinks made it his own story. As much as I have tried to ditch this idea in my mind since I first thought it, I keep coming back to it. The Ingenious is great because it takes something I have already loved, and reimagines it.
Isten is our primary character, and she is really fun to read about. I never really connected with her like I typically like to do, yet I really enjoyed reading about her. Isten is a contradiction of a character. At the start of the book, we find her trying to reconnect with her old friends, trying to give life itself yet another go. Yet she has mostly given up on life, content to wallow in her drug of choice instead. She wants to stay out of things, but she also keeps coming back to fight again and again. Some indefinable part of Isten knows what she has to do, even if she doesn't want to think it and doesn't want to believe it.
Isten is also heavily addicted to a drug called cinnabar. I always enjoy reading about drug addict characters. They always add something to a character's traits that I really enjoy. Mostly the despair. I like to read about the despair characters go through. Yet Isten isn't the only one. Almost everyone in this city is addicted to some drug or another. It makes life where they live easier. It also adds a really great dynamic to the story.
There really aren't as many people in the story as it appeared there were going to be in the beginning. Most of them just aren't full characters, just mentions. There for an appearance or two. Isten's ragtag band of potential political uprisers are interesting, but they kind of annoyed me at the same time. Their ideas are fine, their actions suck. Yet, it wouldn't be the story it is if everyone was good. It wouldn't be the story it is if everyone was competent. The Ingenious is a story of desperation, not competency.
Then, there is the guy on the other side. Phrater Alzen is one of the Elite. He has all the power, and he wants more. He is researching a new type of alchymia. I loved him more than I should have, for how evil he is. I really wanted to see more out of him, because I liked him so much. For what he does over the course of the book, I should hate him, but I don't. I hate all of the elites, but at least Alzen is honest about his intentions. Their actions have made the society the way it is - awful.
Hope is a crazy thing. Everything I hoped for out of this book, I didn't get. Not a single thing. Yet, I'm happier this way. I'm happy I didn't get what I wanted. It is a much better story than if I got what I desired. If what I wanted to happen happened, I wouldn't have liked this nearly as much. I'm happy with the book I got. Ecstatic, even.
I don't know if this is planned as the start to a series. If it isn't, it is a great standalone. If it is, I am looking forward to the next installment, and would read it right away.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Darius Hinks, Angry Robot, and Netgalley for providing this copy for review!
February 9, 2019
what stands out most for me about this book is its deft worldbuilding. exposition is woven into the storyline, so it's a seamless part of the action. filthy, violent, phantasmagoric. a story about addiction, classism, empire, and trauma. the "going home" element of the story feels...conservative? philosophically unsound? and with such a broad range of creatures/beings represented, i'd hoped for some non-straight relationships...and the story moves so fast that there's not much space for that. mostly positive vibes about this story, with some minor disappointment setting in, upon finishing.
January 10, 2019
The Ingenious is an amazing original story. It's unlike anything I've ever read. Thrilling and mysterious. It's also bleak and frightening. Sort of an up and down feel about it. Likeable characters. A good fun read.
November 10, 2018
The Ingenious is a wildly fantastic story. Take everything you think you know about fantasy fiction and throw it in the deepest, darkest trash pit, because this story will take you to a new meaning of the genre. Darius Hinks has taken the best of so many favourites and spun them in new ways with his own ideas that just makes the world, characters, and overall story so colourful and inviting.
This is Isten’s life and story and Hinks shows us this fantastic world and Isten’s present predicaments, history, and her future. But there’s so much more at play in this story than just Isten. There’s a strong sense of pre-destiny for the characters, each playing a vital role in bringing about the end game, possibly salvation. Very reminiscent of Dune's plot arc and I love it.
The story guides the reader along a perilous journey, through the grim of the ever-expanding city, to the surreal wonders of the consciousness. And it's exhilarating.
This is Isten’s life and story and Hinks shows us this fantastic world and Isten’s present predicaments, history, and her future. But there’s so much more at play in this story than just Isten. There’s a strong sense of pre-destiny for the characters, each playing a vital role in bringing about the end game, possibly salvation. Very reminiscent of Dune's plot arc and I love it.
The story guides the reader along a perilous journey, through the grim of the ever-expanding city, to the surreal wonders of the consciousness. And it's exhilarating.
October 31, 2022
idk. It was interesting enough but fell a bit flat for me, like there's something missing that I just can't connect with.
April 22, 2020
Okay, so wow, hats off to Darius Hinks for world building. In The Ingenious, he's created a city that immediately grabbed my attention in a way that I won't forget in a hurry. Run by a group of enigmatic alchemists known as the Curious Men, the city of Athanor is not bound by location. Fuelled by alchemy, the city travels from world to world, where it siphons off resources until its rulers deem it time for them to move again. Consequently, the city is a true melting pot of cultures, a sprawling grotesquery of races and architectural styles steeped in squalor for those who don't have power or wealth. I loved this dark, baroque setting hard, and Hinks does a good job of gradually revealing the city's nature.
Enter Isten and her people, a small group of exiles who want to go home. Except they have no say in where Athanor will next settle, and they're hard pressed on all sides by gangs. We stagger into the story just as Isten reappears from a year of drunken indulgence. She's a rogue and a drug addict who has lost her way, and scoffs at her group's idealism. She's also not above using them to get what she wants, and she can't think beyond the next hit.
I get it. She's not a nice person. And she ends up getting mixed up in events that are way beyond her ken when she tangles with one of the Curious Men. Alchemy is involved, as well as dubious moral codes, and just when you think things can't get worse, they do. Isten has no morals, no scruples, until suddenly she does, except after her dark teatime, she's so deep in the dreck that she has to do some fancy footwork to get both herself and the people she's close to out.
This novel has most of the hallmarks I adore in fantasy, but it falls just ever so slightly short of the mark, and I believe it's developmental in the sense that we don't dig deep enough into Isten, in terms of her motivations and her sudden about-face near the end when she has to turn from rogue to hero. We have hints of a wonderful interplay between her and her polar opposite, but I feel as if the story wasn't quite driven far enough for this to feel satisfying. After a promising start, the novel flounders and eventually rushes to tie up loose ends in what feels like a slightly haphazard fashion that left me needing a stronger resolution. Kinda like me sitting back at the end, saying, "Is this it?" There was a particular thread involving the Exiles and a secondary character that could have been foregrounded more to help create a greater sense of upping the stakes and lending more of a sense of urgency.
If you're in the mood for a slice of GrimDark with serious Gothic flavouring, then yeah, this will be your jam. There were some great ideas here, and a simply fabulous setting that's begging a deeper plunge, but I would have loved to have seen more in terms of better realised structure and deeper character development.
Enter Isten and her people, a small group of exiles who want to go home. Except they have no say in where Athanor will next settle, and they're hard pressed on all sides by gangs. We stagger into the story just as Isten reappears from a year of drunken indulgence. She's a rogue and a drug addict who has lost her way, and scoffs at her group's idealism. She's also not above using them to get what she wants, and she can't think beyond the next hit.
I get it. She's not a nice person. And she ends up getting mixed up in events that are way beyond her ken when she tangles with one of the Curious Men. Alchemy is involved, as well as dubious moral codes, and just when you think things can't get worse, they do. Isten has no morals, no scruples, until suddenly she does, except after her dark teatime, she's so deep in the dreck that she has to do some fancy footwork to get both herself and the people she's close to out.
This novel has most of the hallmarks I adore in fantasy, but it falls just ever so slightly short of the mark, and I believe it's developmental in the sense that we don't dig deep enough into Isten, in terms of her motivations and her sudden about-face near the end when she has to turn from rogue to hero. We have hints of a wonderful interplay between her and her polar opposite, but I feel as if the story wasn't quite driven far enough for this to feel satisfying. After a promising start, the novel flounders and eventually rushes to tie up loose ends in what feels like a slightly haphazard fashion that left me needing a stronger resolution. Kinda like me sitting back at the end, saying, "Is this it?" There was a particular thread involving the Exiles and a secondary character that could have been foregrounded more to help create a greater sense of upping the stakes and lending more of a sense of urgency.
If you're in the mood for a slice of GrimDark with serious Gothic flavouring, then yeah, this will be your jam. There were some great ideas here, and a simply fabulous setting that's begging a deeper plunge, but I would have loved to have seen more in terms of better realised structure and deeper character development.
February 7, 2021
I like my books weird - which is no secret to anyone who follows me - and this book is brimming with it. It centers around a city that is not stuck in time and space and instead moves from place to place (presumably even planet to planet, but that isn't mentioned). As a result, this city has multiple species in it, all with their own biology. It's the perfect groundwork for some serious cultural weirdness, which I'm a serious sucker for.
So why only the three stars?
Because so little is done with it. The only reason why the city's moving is relevant is so that the protagonist can't get home and has something she can want. I know very little about the place Athanor is in during the book.
Also, pretty much everyone who matters in the book is human. There's a rival gang that's not, that has some weird biology, but that's the only weird species out there. The rest is all just background information for a plot that is... honestly, pretty standard. About a rebellious princess who really wants to go home and has squandered her life since she's been gone.
I wish the whole concept could've been fleshed out a lot more, because I probably would've sung this book's praises. I found this book pretty short for an epic fantasy; I think, had this been the size of The Final Empire, I would've loved it.
Also, a note on the ending of the story:
Seriously though, the concept of a city moving from planet to planet because magic is really cool, and if anyone knows a book that does a similar thing but is fleshed out better - I'd love to hear it.
So why only the three stars?
Because so little is done with it. The only reason why the city's moving is relevant is so that the protagonist can't get home and has something she can want. I know very little about the place Athanor is in during the book.
Also, pretty much everyone who matters in the book is human. There's a rival gang that's not, that has some weird biology, but that's the only weird species out there. The rest is all just background information for a plot that is... honestly, pretty standard. About a rebellious princess who really wants to go home and has squandered her life since she's been gone.
I wish the whole concept could've been fleshed out a lot more, because I probably would've sung this book's praises. I found this book pretty short for an epic fantasy; I think, had this been the size of The Final Empire, I would've loved it.
Also, a note on the ending of the story:
Seriously though, the concept of a city moving from planet to planet because magic is really cool, and if anyone knows a book that does a similar thing but is fleshed out better - I'd love to hear it.
April 2, 2020
It is quite good and fascinating, but then ends very abruptly. I'm wondering if there are plans for a sequel.
April 12, 2022
Well written and lots of interesting ideas. Unfortunately, the plot is a little all over the place and the ending felt anticlimactic. I also struggled to connect to any of the characters.
January 25, 2019
Isten and her gang have been exiled to the city of Athanor, a city set adrift in space and time by the alchemists who control it. Known as Curious Men, the alchemists reign through fear, violence and control, leaving the city's inhabitants half starving and struggling to survive. Isten and her gang dream of revolution, but first Isten must battle her own demons.
This book intrigued me. I chose it from NetGalley based on the cover and the description. I expected it to be a little different to some of my normal reads but the idea of alchemy and the Curious Men caught my interest.
As I started reading I found the book a little difficult to get into, a feeling which never really abated. I found that I never really knew what was going on, or why. The premise of the book definitely worked, but for me there needed to be more of an explanation of how Athanor worked, why the Exiles were exiles, and also about the Curious Men and their alchemy. I never really felt like I had a good understanding of the city or the characters, and so I didn't oreally get into the book properly.
As a protagonist I found Isten very difficult to like. All through the book she seemed to have very few redeeming features. She was deemed a leader from the start but we had no understanding as to why, and that made it difficult to believe that the Exiles would follow her. I also felt she came across as a very young or immature character, which didn't fit with what she was being asked to do.
The ending of the book was conclusive, I felt like Hinks tied up all of the loose ends and it felt satisfactory. I wasn't left wondering what happened to certain characters.
All that said I still enjoyed the read. If anything the main drawback for me was that things moved too quickly and I didn't get to feel the world properly. I would've loved this to be a 3 book series, one book about the fight with the Aroc brothers, one about Isten and Alzen, and one about the uprising and revolution. I feel like that would have given more depth to the world, and could have explored the characters in more detail.
Overall I'm giving 3*. Despite it sounding like a negative review I didn't dislike the book. I liked Hinks' writing style and I loved the idea and the plotline. For me I just felt this could have been more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an arc in exchange for an honest review
This book intrigued me. I chose it from NetGalley based on the cover and the description. I expected it to be a little different to some of my normal reads but the idea of alchemy and the Curious Men caught my interest.
As I started reading I found the book a little difficult to get into, a feeling which never really abated. I found that I never really knew what was going on, or why. The premise of the book definitely worked, but for me there needed to be more of an explanation of how Athanor worked, why the Exiles were exiles, and also about the Curious Men and their alchemy. I never really felt like I had a good understanding of the city or the characters, and so I didn't oreally get into the book properly.
As a protagonist I found Isten very difficult to like. All through the book she seemed to have very few redeeming features. She was deemed a leader from the start but we had no understanding as to why, and that made it difficult to believe that the Exiles would follow her. I also felt she came across as a very young or immature character, which didn't fit with what she was being asked to do.
The ending of the book was conclusive, I felt like Hinks tied up all of the loose ends and it felt satisfactory. I wasn't left wondering what happened to certain characters.
All that said I still enjoyed the read. If anything the main drawback for me was that things moved too quickly and I didn't get to feel the world properly. I would've loved this to be a 3 book series, one book about the fight with the Aroc brothers, one about Isten and Alzen, and one about the uprising and revolution. I feel like that would have given more depth to the world, and could have explored the characters in more detail.
Overall I'm giving 3*. Despite it sounding like a negative review I didn't dislike the book. I liked Hinks' writing style and I loved the idea and the plotline. For me I just felt this could have been more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an arc in exchange for an honest review
October 13, 2019
Absolutely one of my now favorite books. No character that I didn’t like I this. The main character is flawed well and the story and setting was amazing. Very different from what I have read recently and is amazing I even finish a book within 2 days.
I will be searching for Hinks’ books more often now and hoping they are as amazing as The Ingenious is.
I will be searching for Hinks’ books more often now and hoping they are as amazing as The Ingenious is.
July 6, 2019
My Rating : 4🌟
I was NOT expecting the book to end like that ! And I absolutely loved it !! This book dealt with a lot of difficult topics, and even though I think the rendering could have been different, I absolutely loved how the storyline progressed! I was a little confused when I started reading because there was no introduction or context, but it built itself very quickly and I enjoyed my time with this book ! I am just a little sad that I didn't get to read more about Brast 😪
Detailed review coming soon !
I was NOT expecting the book to end like that ! And I absolutely loved it !! This book dealt with a lot of difficult topics, and even though I think the rendering could have been different, I absolutely loved how the storyline progressed! I was a little confused when I started reading because there was no introduction or context, but it built itself very quickly and I enjoyed my time with this book ! I am just a little sad that I didn't get to read more about Brast 😪
Detailed review coming soon !
December 11, 2022
The worldbuilding and concept are both very cool. The trouble is that the pacing is just incredibly meandering and the characters, though I like the idea of them a lot, just aren’t really engaged with beyond a cursory, surface level.
July 26, 2021
Initial/immediate reaction to finishing: Impressive all Isten managed to plan and do, considering how drugged up she was through all of this. Good thing she had at least one person devoted to her to help.
Full review:
The city of Athanor is a place out of time and space, briefly attaching to new places for trade and to expand itself. It is ruled and guided by the Elect, men who wield magic to ensure the safety and security of this floating city and who are near myths to the mundane populace. Despite the magic of Athanor, poverty and drug addiction, especially to cinnabar, are rampant, as Isten, leader of the Exiles, knows far too well. She and her fellow Exiles come from one of Athanor’s many stops, and have been stuck in Athanor for many years, sinking a toe-hold into the drug trade and trying to keep their revolution alive until they can return home. Except for the past year, Isten has succumbed to guilt and her addictions, and the Exiles have lost any power they once held in the slums. Now, though, she has a chance to make things right by teaming up with Phrater Alzen, one of the Elect. She might not even have to sell her soul to do it, but with Alzen’s demands growing, she just might realize some prices are not worth paying.
I didn’t expect this to be happy, but I also didn’t expect the main character Isten to be on drugs/drunk for most of the novel’s events. Athanor, despite its glittering gold and magic, is dark and dirty at its heart – the slums where most of its inhabitants live in poverty and most of the story takes place. The descriptions of places are vivid, but they also tend to be lumped into a paragraph or two like an opening shot of a movie panning the scene. Isten also has some interesting relationships with the people in her life, as she is the appointed and expected leader of the Exiles because of a mark on her arm. Even as she consistently lets them down, they keep following her from one mildly successful scheme to the next. Phrater Alzen’s machinations made for some interesting developments, though the end felt a bit forced and not very smoothly done.
Isten’s mark comments, plus a bit about the very end resolution:
Athanor itself is a city of kidnappees – each time Athanor makes conjunction with a new place/time, it steals away a bit of that world and the people fortunate (unfortunate?) enough to be in that location at the time of conjunction. There are probably willing immigrants, too, as the Exiles seem to at least partially be (they are political refugees from a dictatorial emperor in their homeland). However, because we see mostly the slums and gang-ridden areas of Athanor and our only counterpoint is the elite riches of the Elect above it all, there does not seem to be much middle ground for any mundane inhabitant of Athanor to be, well, doing well for themselves, let alone happy. Since we do see quite a lot of the slums and the gangs who control the drugs which tie it all together, we also get to meet a wide range of the city’s extremely diverse inhabitants. Having come from many worlds, not all are human or even humanoid. The Saraca river especially has some creative inhabitants. We get to see a much of this diversity through how Isten manages her dealings with Alzen and the Aroc Brothers, and that is probably where this book is strongest: showing off Athanor and the broken people who inhabit this magical and bizarre city. Even—especially—in a city which is supposed to be incredibly grandiose and impressive, full of riches and magic and ideals, the contrast of that claim with what we actually see is stunning. I guess this is contrast is what makes this a grimdark fantasy? At any rate, these elements are part of what shine in this story, as Hinks has created a vivid magical city and puts both its greatness and its darkness on full display.
As for the characters, we mostly follow Isten, leader of the Exiles, and at turns Phrater Alzen. We meet Isten’s fellow Exiles such as Puthnok, the little revolutionary who writes their manifesto on the walls. Gombus, the old father figure who has taken care of Isten as best as he is able since she was young. Brast, who is devoted to Isten despite all her flaws. Colcrow, an Exile who does his own thing and does well for himself. Lorinc, steadfast and strong, willing to give Isten yet another chance. There are also the Sisters of Solace, a sort of combination brothel/place of healing/place to get drugged up, where Isten has spent the past year following something terrible she did (which, honestly, her guilt about it was built up far better than the importance of meaning of what she did. More on that below). There are also the Aroc Brothers, a rival gang who in Isten’s year-long absence hiding away from the world with the Sisters of Solace have taken over the seedy dealings once divided between them and the Exiles. Of course, there is also Phrater Alzen and his experiments in alchymia, pushing the envelope further than any other phrater has done in ages and through highly questionable methods.
Isten has a way of cajoling and using the people around her to do what she needs to do. Possibly more impressive than Brast’s near-blind devotion to her and the other Exiles’ willingness to forgive her shortcomings is her ability to come up with and execute remotely successful plans considering she is in an essentially constant state of drug-induced haze. Even her last plan, though conceived while using drugs and alcohol, ultimately works despite it requiring her to sober up. Or at least, that’s the way she views it, because honestly I don’t see how still being under the influence would have so negatively influenced what she had planned when she’d done so well with everything else while on various drugs. It seemed more of an artificial plot point, that for her to really succeed the only way to do so was to sober up, despite all the evidence to the contrary of her ability to get things done while still on drugs and alcohol.
I’m going to spend a minute talking about the very end here:
I gave this two and a half stars rounded up initially, before writing up this review, but I’m rounding it down to two stars instead. It was “just okay” by the end in my opinion and I can’t see taking the time to reread it. Maybe a second visit later when I’m in a different reading mood might be warranted; probably I’ll just pass it along.
Favorite quote:
“[…] Bravery is exposing yourself to hope, daring to love, daring to believe, to risk failure.[…]” – page 285
Typos:
(Note: I noticed that instances seemed to increase considerably in the last third of the book, at least as far as I wasn’t actively searching for them at any point.)
... to bring the other Exiles to back to our cause," - page 21 - an extra 'to'
…Alzen donned his ceremonial helmet as waded off up the muddy riverbank, … - page 175 – should be "as he waded"
“And what use is all this cinnabar to us if we have to sell it so cheaply? “It sounds like a lot of work for little gain.” – page 193 – extraneous opening quotation marks in between these two sentences
At its heart, in the districts around Verulum Square, the city’s original form could still be seen: domes and minarets, maned and robed in golden spines, but essentially unchanged for thousands of years, but the outer reaches of Athanor bore little resemblance to traditional architecture, devolving into a baffling nest of organic shapes. – page 213 – Especially with the two “, but” phrases, this is exceptionally long, and should really be broken into two sentences at least.
He stared it as if it were a serpent. – page 267 – should be “He stared at it”
…into the hovel asAlzen pushed his way back… page 269 – missing a space: “as Alzen”
Ostan shook his head confused. – page 282 – seems to me like there should be a comma after “head”: Ostan shook his head, confused.
Then he stopped at the door looked back. – page 291 – should be “at the door and looked back.”
How could even Colcrow could be capable of that? – page 292 – remove the second “could”
…that you will die in fraction of a second, … - page 332 – should be “in a fraction of a second”
Full review:
The city of Athanor is a place out of time and space, briefly attaching to new places for trade and to expand itself. It is ruled and guided by the Elect, men who wield magic to ensure the safety and security of this floating city and who are near myths to the mundane populace. Despite the magic of Athanor, poverty and drug addiction, especially to cinnabar, are rampant, as Isten, leader of the Exiles, knows far too well. She and her fellow Exiles come from one of Athanor’s many stops, and have been stuck in Athanor for many years, sinking a toe-hold into the drug trade and trying to keep their revolution alive until they can return home. Except for the past year, Isten has succumbed to guilt and her addictions, and the Exiles have lost any power they once held in the slums. Now, though, she has a chance to make things right by teaming up with Phrater Alzen, one of the Elect. She might not even have to sell her soul to do it, but with Alzen’s demands growing, she just might realize some prices are not worth paying.
I didn’t expect this to be happy, but I also didn’t expect the main character Isten to be on drugs/drunk for most of the novel’s events. Athanor, despite its glittering gold and magic, is dark and dirty at its heart – the slums where most of its inhabitants live in poverty and most of the story takes place. The descriptions of places are vivid, but they also tend to be lumped into a paragraph or two like an opening shot of a movie panning the scene. Isten also has some interesting relationships with the people in her life, as she is the appointed and expected leader of the Exiles because of a mark on her arm. Even as she consistently lets them down, they keep following her from one mildly successful scheme to the next. Phrater Alzen’s machinations made for some interesting developments, though the end felt a bit forced and not very smoothly done.
Isten’s mark comments, plus a bit about the very end resolution:
Athanor itself is a city of kidnappees – each time Athanor makes conjunction with a new place/time, it steals away a bit of that world and the people fortunate (unfortunate?) enough to be in that location at the time of conjunction. There are probably willing immigrants, too, as the Exiles seem to at least partially be (they are political refugees from a dictatorial emperor in their homeland). However, because we see mostly the slums and gang-ridden areas of Athanor and our only counterpoint is the elite riches of the Elect above it all, there does not seem to be much middle ground for any mundane inhabitant of Athanor to be, well, doing well for themselves, let alone happy. Since we do see quite a lot of the slums and the gangs who control the drugs which tie it all together, we also get to meet a wide range of the city’s extremely diverse inhabitants. Having come from many worlds, not all are human or even humanoid. The Saraca river especially has some creative inhabitants. We get to see a much of this diversity through how Isten manages her dealings with Alzen and the Aroc Brothers, and that is probably where this book is strongest: showing off Athanor and the broken people who inhabit this magical and bizarre city. Even—especially—in a city which is supposed to be incredibly grandiose and impressive, full of riches and magic and ideals, the contrast of that claim with what we actually see is stunning. I guess this is contrast is what makes this a grimdark fantasy? At any rate, these elements are part of what shine in this story, as Hinks has created a vivid magical city and puts both its greatness and its darkness on full display.
As for the characters, we mostly follow Isten, leader of the Exiles, and at turns Phrater Alzen. We meet Isten’s fellow Exiles such as Puthnok, the little revolutionary who writes their manifesto on the walls. Gombus, the old father figure who has taken care of Isten as best as he is able since she was young. Brast, who is devoted to Isten despite all her flaws. Colcrow, an Exile who does his own thing and does well for himself. Lorinc, steadfast and strong, willing to give Isten yet another chance. There are also the Sisters of Solace, a sort of combination brothel/place of healing/place to get drugged up, where Isten has spent the past year following something terrible she did (which, honestly, her guilt about it was built up far better than the importance of meaning of what she did. More on that below). There are also the Aroc Brothers, a rival gang who in Isten’s year-long absence hiding away from the world with the Sisters of Solace have taken over the seedy dealings once divided between them and the Exiles. Of course, there is also Phrater Alzen and his experiments in alchymia, pushing the envelope further than any other phrater has done in ages and through highly questionable methods.
Isten has a way of cajoling and using the people around her to do what she needs to do. Possibly more impressive than Brast’s near-blind devotion to her and the other Exiles’ willingness to forgive her shortcomings is her ability to come up with and execute remotely successful plans considering she is in an essentially constant state of drug-induced haze. Even her last plan, though conceived while using drugs and alcohol, ultimately works despite it requiring her to sober up. Or at least, that’s the way she views it, because honestly I don’t see how still being under the influence would have so negatively influenced what she had planned when she’d done so well with everything else while on various drugs. It seemed more of an artificial plot point, that for her to really succeed the only way to do so was to sober up, despite all the evidence to the contrary of her ability to get things done while still on drugs and alcohol.
I’m going to spend a minute talking about the very end here:
I gave this two and a half stars rounded up initially, before writing up this review, but I’m rounding it down to two stars instead. It was “just okay” by the end in my opinion and I can’t see taking the time to reread it. Maybe a second visit later when I’m in a different reading mood might be warranted; probably I’ll just pass it along.
Favorite quote:
“[…] Bravery is exposing yourself to hope, daring to love, daring to believe, to risk failure.[…]” – page 285
Typos:
(Note: I noticed that instances seemed to increase considerably in the last third of the book, at least as far as I wasn’t actively searching for them at any point.)
... to bring the other Exiles to back to our cause," - page 21 - an extra 'to'
…Alzen donned his ceremonial helmet as waded off up the muddy riverbank, … - page 175 – should be "as he waded"
“And what use is all this cinnabar to us if we have to sell it so cheaply? “It sounds like a lot of work for little gain.” – page 193 – extraneous opening quotation marks in between these two sentences
At its heart, in the districts around Verulum Square, the city’s original form could still be seen: domes and minarets, maned and robed in golden spines, but essentially unchanged for thousands of years, but the outer reaches of Athanor bore little resemblance to traditional architecture, devolving into a baffling nest of organic shapes. – page 213 – Especially with the two “, but” phrases, this is exceptionally long, and should really be broken into two sentences at least.
He stared it as if it were a serpent. – page 267 – should be “He stared at it”
…into the hovel asAlzen pushed his way back… page 269 – missing a space: “as Alzen”
Ostan shook his head confused. – page 282 – seems to me like there should be a comma after “head”: Ostan shook his head, confused.
Then he stopped at the door looked back. – page 291 – should be “at the door and looked back.”
How could even Colcrow could be capable of that? – page 292 – remove the second “could”
…that you will die in fraction of a second, … - page 332 – should be “in a fraction of a second”
January 6, 2019
« The Ingenious » was a very good surprise ! I was a little anxious about this read because, if the book’s presentation appealed to me, I was afraid it’d be very dark, as fantasy tends to be, with graphic violence à gogo.
But fortunately my fears were unfounded: if the town of Athanor where lives the heroine, Isten, is for a huge part of it a pit of injustice and misery, and if the story tells about deaths and violence, nothing is unbearable, no gratuitous scenes of torture and death are offered to the supposedly avid reader!
A great read for people like me, who like imaginative fantasy books but don’t stand reading about atrocity.
The world imagined by the author is original and fun to discover along the story. The atmosphere is meticulously depicted (maybe a little to much on the grim side, as the descriptions about piss, vomit, rats, decrepitude, blood, filth are omnipresent) and makes for a credible and comfortable read.
Despite the world’s complexity (Athanor is a very special magical town and we won’t fully understand how much it is before the half of the book), the story is well written and easy to follow; not strenuous effort is demanded to remember complicated details (another frequent flaw of many fantasy books).
The characters are good, and the heroine is very likeable. Her psychology is coherent with her history of a chosen one who didn’t ask to be chosen as such, and who struggles to cope with her unbearable responsibilities and the consequences of that burden – her addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Magic is central in this book, but never explained in details, as « magicians » are the reigning people in this world, superior men who despise all commoners. Magic is described as a kind of an alchemy, powerful and mysterious, with beautiful metallic devices which give a slight steampunk vibe to the book.
A very good read, satisfying and intriguing!
(I thank Netgalley and Angry Robot for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)
But fortunately my fears were unfounded: if the town of Athanor where lives the heroine, Isten, is for a huge part of it a pit of injustice and misery, and if the story tells about deaths and violence, nothing is unbearable, no gratuitous scenes of torture and death are offered to the supposedly avid reader!
A great read for people like me, who like imaginative fantasy books but don’t stand reading about atrocity.
The world imagined by the author is original and fun to discover along the story. The atmosphere is meticulously depicted (maybe a little to much on the grim side, as the descriptions about piss, vomit, rats, decrepitude, blood, filth are omnipresent) and makes for a credible and comfortable read.
Despite the world’s complexity (Athanor is a very special magical town and we won’t fully understand how much it is before the half of the book), the story is well written and easy to follow; not strenuous effort is demanded to remember complicated details (another frequent flaw of many fantasy books).
The characters are good, and the heroine is very likeable. Her psychology is coherent with her history of a chosen one who didn’t ask to be chosen as such, and who struggles to cope with her unbearable responsibilities and the consequences of that burden – her addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Magic is central in this book, but never explained in details, as « magicians » are the reigning people in this world, superior men who despise all commoners. Magic is described as a kind of an alchemy, powerful and mysterious, with beautiful metallic devices which give a slight steampunk vibe to the book.
A very good read, satisfying and intriguing!
(I thank Netgalley and Angry Robot for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)
April 3, 2025
This was a "blind read" for me, and I'm guilty of judging a book by it's cover. I'd never heard of this book before but thought it looked interesting when I saw it in the book store. The mysterious city and symbols on the cover caught my eye, and the blurb on the back made it sound like something I would enjoy. I didn't buy the book that day, but for some reason I kept thinking about it, so I ordered it online around a week later.
I was prepared to be a bit lost going in, having read multiple reviews here saying that the book throws you in the deep end with little to no knowledge of setting or character motives. This is something I usually dislike, but I found that it wasn't the case at all in this situation. Maybe it's because I had read several reviews as research and knew just a few facts, such as the setting of a mysterious traveling city, and a cast of political exiles and mysterious alchemist rulers. But even the blurb fills you in on these things. And the characters' backstories, motives and goals were all made very clear to me throughout the book. I never found myself confused or wondering "Why did she do that?" Your experience may vary.
I absolutely loved the imagery of this book! The alchymia powers of the Curious Men, including their vehicles and constructs created such awesome visions in my head. But my favorite bit of world-building was the setting of Athanor. I'm a sucker for dark, mysterious cities as a setting, and the one presented here was stunning. To me, it almost felt as though the city of Athanor itself was as much of a character as Isten and the Exiles. A patchwork of architectures that's constantly expanding, so large that our characters mention that there are parts of the city they've never visited. This is a setting in which I'd love to see more stories.
But if I had any problem at all with the book, it's the lack of potential for sequels. The book concludes fairly abruptly, and also gives you a good idea on what happens next. Provided the status quo doesn't change, that next story would be rather boring. Instead, I think the opportunity here is to tell stories about the earlier days of Athanor, the origins and rise of the Curious Men, and possibly even the story of Isten's homeland and her mother's fight for revolution. I'll gladly read anything else set in this universe.
I was prepared to be a bit lost going in, having read multiple reviews here saying that the book throws you in the deep end with little to no knowledge of setting or character motives. This is something I usually dislike, but I found that it wasn't the case at all in this situation. Maybe it's because I had read several reviews as research and knew just a few facts, such as the setting of a mysterious traveling city, and a cast of political exiles and mysterious alchemist rulers. But even the blurb fills you in on these things. And the characters' backstories, motives and goals were all made very clear to me throughout the book. I never found myself confused or wondering "Why did she do that?" Your experience may vary.
I absolutely loved the imagery of this book! The alchymia powers of the Curious Men, including their vehicles and constructs created such awesome visions in my head. But my favorite bit of world-building was the setting of Athanor. I'm a sucker for dark, mysterious cities as a setting, and the one presented here was stunning. To me, it almost felt as though the city of Athanor itself was as much of a character as Isten and the Exiles. A patchwork of architectures that's constantly expanding, so large that our characters mention that there are parts of the city they've never visited. This is a setting in which I'd love to see more stories.
But if I had any problem at all with the book, it's the lack of potential for sequels. The book concludes fairly abruptly, and also gives you a good idea on what happens next. Provided the status quo doesn't change, that next story would be rather boring. Instead, I think the opportunity here is to tell stories about the earlier days of Athanor, the origins and rise of the Curious Men, and possibly even the story of Isten's homeland and her mother's fight for revolution. I'll gladly read anything else set in this universe.
November 27, 2018
(ARC review)
Isten is the hope of the Exiles, a ragtag bunch of rebels forced to flee their tyrant king. They have fled to Athanor, a floating city that relocates at the will of its aloof, magic-wielding ruling class, the Phraters. Her people want her to lead them home somehow, but Isten just wants to help them survive in a city of gross inequality. Battling past mistakes, self-doubt and addictions, she will enter unthinkable alliances in an attempt to lift her people to the top of the criminal food chain.
Darius Hinks’ The Ingenious is a book that has a steep learning curve but is well worth the effort. Both the setting and the characters have depth and creativity so you find yourself scrabbling initially to grasp what’s going on but, once you get into the flow, the story hooks into you. As you learn more about the power dynamics of Athanor and delve more deeply into Isten’s past, motivations and relationships, the more you want to see this flawed antagonist overcome and succeed.
The Ingenious is a real three-dimensional story. It has history and future as well as being a really good read. 5 out of 5 stars.
Isten is the hope of the Exiles, a ragtag bunch of rebels forced to flee their tyrant king. They have fled to Athanor, a floating city that relocates at the will of its aloof, magic-wielding ruling class, the Phraters. Her people want her to lead them home somehow, but Isten just wants to help them survive in a city of gross inequality. Battling past mistakes, self-doubt and addictions, she will enter unthinkable alliances in an attempt to lift her people to the top of the criminal food chain.
Darius Hinks’ The Ingenious is a book that has a steep learning curve but is well worth the effort. Both the setting and the characters have depth and creativity so you find yourself scrabbling initially to grasp what’s going on but, once you get into the flow, the story hooks into you. As you learn more about the power dynamics of Athanor and delve more deeply into Isten’s past, motivations and relationships, the more you want to see this flawed antagonist overcome and succeed.
The Ingenious is a real three-dimensional story. It has history and future as well as being a really good read. 5 out of 5 stars.
December 20, 2021
This one is a curious little book. I really enjoyed it, but it took a while to get into. The leading character had a grating effect on me initially, and wading through the dark underbelly of this world definitely gave me the distinct impression of wallowing in sewerage and swamps.
There are some interesting twists and turns in the plot and the construct of alchemy in this world is fascinating.
If you enjoy the darker constructs of sprawling cities, social darwinism and political debauchery, then this is a novel you may enjoy.
There are some interesting twists and turns in the plot and the construct of alchemy in this world is fascinating.
If you enjoy the darker constructs of sprawling cities, social darwinism and political debauchery, then this is a novel you may enjoy.
October 27, 2021
Actually pretty enjoyed this. It is dark. No prissy love stories or love triangles here!!
Drug abuse, sobriety, moving city, alchemy, different races/creatures.
It read well however it felt that there was some parts missing or skipped over and the ending felt rushed. Hence one star less.
Never read a book like it so I enjoyed the change.
Did leave me wanting a sequel as well.
Drug abuse, sobriety, moving city, alchemy, different races/creatures.
It read well however it felt that there was some parts missing or skipped over and the ending felt rushed. Hence one star less.
Never read a book like it so I enjoyed the change.
Did leave me wanting a sequel as well.
February 12, 2022
DNF - convoluted, confusing, unclear magic system. I may try it again at some point but my TBR pile is too massive to continue with this at the mo!
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