The Sword and Laser discussion

I don't know about others, but most of the problem I had while reading this book were its many similarities to Imajica. For those who haven't read it (lucky you... I envy you experiencing John Fury Zacharias called Gentle, Jude, and especially Pie 'oh Pah, for the first time), Imajica has a similar concentric-alternate-universes-centred-around-London conceit. Called Dominions there. As with ADOSM, our London (and Earth) is the furthest Dominion from the centre (the Fifth Dominion), and the least magical, because it has also been sealed off from the others due to the misuse of magic in the past. And, without giving anything away, there's a strong possibility of said division being removed through the actions of the characters (protagonists and villains both) as the story progresses.

Similarities in fantasy normally don't bother me all that much, any more than they do in crime fiction, or jazz music. Even when, as here, I felt the similarities were not accidental. The problem was how superficially they were done.

As someone else has pointed out, we visit three of the four Londons in this book, but each could have been named anything, really, for all the character they have in the text. Grey London has Mad King George, but not much else besides a tavern and a wharf. This is different than Imajica's London, which might well have been a love song to a London Barker was leaving for America, at the time. But Yzorrderex (sp?) is just as lively and vibrant. Can anyone say the same of White London, after reading... hell even of Red London?

Yes, I agree the problem isn't the borrowing of ideas of previous works. That happens all the time and is the bedrock of creativity. The trouble starts when the author borrows but then doesn't expand, subvert, or otherwise change the idea enough to make it their own.

I had a similar feeling when I got to the (view spoiler)[ Stone Forest of statues in the White London palace courtyard. It's a near perfect copy of The White Witch's courtyard in the Narnia books which is its own derivative of the Medusa story from Greek Mythology.

The trouble for me is that the description in ADSoM was very generic and lacked the specificity that CS Lewis used to such great effect. He makes a point of getting the reader to understand these are unique individuals, where as Schwab just treated them like wallpaper. I felt no more pathos for the forest of generic human sculpture than I do when watching Godzilla stomp a city full of tiny identical strangers. Less actually , because she doesn't try to overwhelm you with the enormity of the numbers of statues either. Which could have been an effective alternate way to use the idea. (hide spoiler)]

Honestly, I wasn't reminded of Imajica at all while reading this book. I can see what you're saying about the Dominions, but it really didn't come to mind for me. Although here Kell explains that the alternate Londons are stacked like pages in a book, and that's why you must go through them in order; whereas we know the five dominions, when reconciled, made a circle, which is what at the end...well, you know what happens ;)

By the way, I LOVED Imajica

Imajica is awesome.