Fantasy

The City We Became

The City We Became

  • Downloads：1025
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-27 08:52:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：N.K. Jemisin
  • ISBN：0356512681
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Five New Yorkers must come together in order to defend their city。

Every city has a soul。 Some are as ancient as myths， and others are as new and destructive as children。 New York City？ She's got five。

But every city also has a dark side。 A roiling， ancient evil stirs beneath the earth， threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all。

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Reviews

Mike Schuh ，

1。5 - I tried with his book， but it didn’t go anywhere in terms of plot or story。 For close to half the book nothing really happened， and while the idea of the person being a metaphor for a city is great – the execution the book was rather dismal。

Ashlie ，

I want to try something new with my reviews。 Yeah， I could start again with OH WOW。 HOW DID I GET SO BEHIND。 AGAIN。 But snooze， amiright？ Instead， I want to use the system that my local library book club does。 We always go around the room and give a rating （check， already part of Cannonball and Goodreads） and then sum up our feelings on the book in one word。 I'm going to let you know now， I'm a bit of a cheat and I will do a compound word or really a sentence or whatever moves me。 Much like PeeW I want to try something new with my reviews。 Yeah， I could start again with OH WOW。 HOW DID I GET SO BEHIND。 AGAIN。 But snooze， amiright？ Instead， I want to use the system that my local library book club does。 We always go around the room and give a rating （check， already part of Cannonball and Goodreads） and then sum up our feelings on the book in one word。 I'm going to let you know now， I'm a bit of a cheat and I will do a compound word or really a sentence or whatever moves me。 Much like PeeWee Herman， I'm a rebel。In One Word: MesmerizingCannonball Read Bingo Square: CityscapeI had a complicated relationship with this book。 First and foremost， I am an N。K。 Jemisin fan for life。  The Broken Earth trilogy was spellbinding and her short stories are beyond reproach， and I mean， You don't get a third Hugo award for messing around。 But she is so smart and clever with her writing that it can be intimidating as a reader。 I have to reread phrases and passages because I feel like I'm missing something and whelp， typically I am！This book is no different。 Jemisin keeps you on your toes。 If you are looking for a relaxing book， this isn't it。 But if you want something imaginative and how-does-someone-even-think-of-this creative， look no further: but know that she is going to make you work for it。 The city of New York has to defend itself from an ancient evil， and five citizens are tapped as living avatars and have to fight for themselves， the city， and if it really goes awry， the fate of the world。 This book covers a lot of ground， both the little ground of New York and as usual she is saying a lot about the current political comment: immigration， race， art， identity， pre-destination， it's all fair game。 （See what I mean about how does anyone think of this？！）I think if I had a pre-existing history with New York I would have given this a 4， maybe a 5 even。 So much of this book is a commentary on the city， but I've only visited once and don't really have any connection to it。 For that reason， I plodded along a bit because the details of the boroughs and locations meant nothing to me。 If she'd set this in New Orleans which is in my home state， the connection would have been different。 Will I read the next in the series？ You bet， but it's not going to be a book that I have on pre-order， but I will recommend it to others。 。。。more

Adriana ，

Giving this one star because it’s very rare that I don’t finish a book but I got up to page 40 & realized I didn’t understand what was happening and didn’t care enough to keep reading :（ I kept getting distracted & couldn’t see in my mind what was being described at all。 Had to put it down because life is too short to waste your time on crappy books。

Jemppu ，

This cast has pestered me since the first reading。 Over a year hence， I'm happy to finally throw here some 'art inspired by'。 twitter | instagram This cast has pestered me since the first reading。 Over a year hence， I'm happy to finally throw here some 'art inspired by'。 twitter | instagram 。。。more

Elisabeth ，

What a cool way to make a city come to life！ I thought this was fresh and original and makes you feel like you're really getting to know New York city and （lots of） its facets。 The main characters all felt distinct and I enjoyed getting their different perspectives and was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't one that bored me （it happens）。 Looking forward to reading how the story continues！ What a cool way to make a city come to life！ I thought this was fresh and original and makes you feel like you're really getting to know New York city and （lots of） its facets。 The main characters all felt distinct and I enjoyed getting their different perspectives and was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't one that bored me （it happens）。 Looking forward to reading how the story continues！ 。。。more

Laura ，

Right book， wrong time？

Udinaldo Júnior ，

3，5

Jules Q ，

Weird。 Very weird， inventive， and creepy at times， yet enjoyable enough to finish the story。 I didn’t *love* this book， but I appreciate the ways Jemisin used science fiction as commentary on racism and xenophobia。 I *didn’t* enjoy the pervasive f-bombs from start to finish， but the language fit the characters and the “idea” of New York City so I endured it。 I’ll try another book by the author to see if I really like her work， but this one title isn’t enough to say I’m a fan。 Yet。

Tess ，

Read this for a class and honestly enjoyed it more than expected。 I felt like her writing was very abstract/confusing sometimes but overall a great style and a really interesting concept， and the deeper themes through out were v interesting

Ellen ，

I waited for this book to come into the library for months， but it just didn’t do it for me。 I’m still intrigued but the idea - the human embodiments of the boroughs coming together to save the city - but I was not impressed by the execution。 A tighter narrative would’ve gone such a long way， but instead the pages went on and on with overly stereotyped characters， mentions of place after place those pesky tourists will never see （but will delight at feeling like they have some inside scoop！）， an I waited for this book to come into the library for months， but it just didn’t do it for me。 I’m still intrigued but the idea - the human embodiments of the boroughs coming together to save the city - but I was not impressed by the execution。 A tighter narrative would’ve gone such a long way， but instead the pages went on and on with overly stereotyped characters， mentions of place after place those pesky tourists will never see （but will delight at feeling like they have some inside scoop！）， and all those snarky parenthetical asides… almost as bad as endless ellipses and m-dashes， no？ I feel mean writing this - 5 years in Manhattan maybe？ - but for all the hype The City We Became felt overwrought yet underwhelming to me。 。。。more

Krysten ，

The audiobook narration was perfection。 The plot was so unique。 I absolutely loved the whole experience。 Each character had their own unique story telling， they spoke so true to their boroughs and I just loved the love of New York。 The ending wrapped up a little too neatly and quickly in my personal opinion， but that doesn’t affect my 5 star rating because this is probably going to be my favorite book of 2021。

Kylie ，

Come， then， City That Never Sleeps。 Let me show you what lurks in the empty spaces where nightmares dare not tread。 Content Warnings: unreality， body horror， violence， amnesia， sexual assault， white supremacist groups， racism。 As always， N。K。 Jemisin's voice and writing is enchanting， descriptive， and immensely enjoyable。 The description is poetic and mythic without ever dragging or passing over to pretentious and purple， and the plot zips along at no-nonsense pace。 It is joy to discover this Come， then， City That Never Sleeps。 Let me show you what lurks in the empty spaces where nightmares dare not tread。 Content Warnings: unreality， body horror， violence， amnesia， sexual assault， white supremacist groups， racism。 As always， N。K。 Jemisin's voice and writing is enchanting， descriptive， and immensely enjoyable。 The description is poetic and mythic without ever dragging or passing over to pretentious and purple， and the plot zips along at no-nonsense pace。 It is joy to discover this multi-universe New York City and the dimensional characters within。 This story is weird and wonderful， drawing from Lovecraft （with disdain and scorn for his prejudiced conclusions） to craft a world where cities are alive and new cities live under constant threat from an eldritch terror of an Enemy。 I cannot wait to see where the next two installments take us。 My only complaint for this novel （and it is a small one） is that much like every novel that takes place in New York City。。。 the routes that characters take to their destinations are exhaustively detailed and researched。 And if you， like me， do not really care which intersection of streets they are in at any given moment。。。 it can become a little overwhelming。 。。。more

Nick ，

Fantastic idea and some of the voices were bristling， but overall I felt it was a bit rough and unready， like it had been rushed out: the plot was episodic and too often I found myself hearing NK's own voice puncturing the story， waxing elegiac about New York or making some extraneous political asides quite crudely。 Still， the idea was strong enough to keep me interested。 Fantastic idea and some of the voices were bristling， but overall I felt it was a bit rough and unready， like it had been rushed out: the plot was episodic and too often I found myself hearing NK's own voice puncturing the story， waxing elegiac about New York or making some extraneous political asides quite crudely。 Still， the idea was strong enough to keep me interested。 。。。more

Katherine ，

4。5*

Thomas Womack ，

Five characters discover they've been chosen to be the incarnations of the five boroughs of New York City， ready to serve in a ritual to bring the city itself to life。 But there are things out there that view new cities as competition to be devoured 。。。 Five characters discover they've been chosen to be the incarnations of the five boroughs of New York City， ready to serve in a ritual to bring the city itself to life。 But there are things out there that view new cities as competition to be devoured 。。。 。。。more

harmony ，

I don’t think this book was bad I just honestly did not care。 Maybe i’m to dumb but i was just confused for most of the book and had to force myself to keep reading。 Pretty unenjoyable

Qetszler ，

Oh my word。 Without question， this was one of the most creatively written and adventurous books I have consumed in my lifetime。 The way that the horror lined up with real world events and how the Enemy would use actual hate methods to harass the characters was brilliance on the part of Jemisin。 This novel does an amazing job at demonstrating Racial and Gender-based micro-aggression as utilized by people in exorbitant amounts of power， often times to terrifying effect。 "Abusers know kids like thi Oh my word。 Without question， this was one of the most creatively written and adventurous books I have consumed in my lifetime。 The way that the horror lined up with real world events and how the Enemy would use actual hate methods to harass the characters was brilliance on the part of Jemisin。 This novel does an amazing job at demonstrating Racial and Gender-based micro-aggression as utilized by people in exorbitant amounts of power， often times to terrifying effect。 "Abusers know kids like this are the ones who sometimes grow up - if the abusers don't kill them first - to fix the world wherever its broken。 Enough kids like this means the end of abusers。"As an individual who was abused throughout childhood and is now working very hard at becoming a Social Worker， I cannot describe how much those words meant to me。Thank you for this read， NK Jemisin。 I am so excited for the next book in the series。 ❤ 。。。more

Marie ，

This book was so weird。 Way too complex and imaginative for my small brain。 I couldn't even make sense of the reviews。 And I am clearly in the minority。 So much cursing that if you were to remove it all， I'm not sure much would be left。 Even the audio was strange， the maniacal laugh that I hope won't haunt me。 But I listened to all 16 hrs （I deserve a star for that！） And I'm not sure I've ever been so relieved to finish a book before and cross it off my list！ This book was so weird。 Way too complex and imaginative for my small brain。 I couldn't even make sense of the reviews。 And I am clearly in the minority。 So much cursing that if you were to remove it all， I'm not sure much would be left。 Even the audio was strange， the maniacal laugh that I hope won't haunt me。 But I listened to all 16 hrs （I deserve a star for that！） And I'm not sure I've ever been so relieved to finish a book before and cross it off my list！ 。。。more

Alice ，

Loved the book。 Made me miss NYC！ Awaiting the sequels！！！，

Carolina Carriço ，

DNF @ 41% I wasn’t interested in this story， the chapter are super long， and reading became a chore。 It isn’t bad。 But not my cup of tea。

Estephania ，

In this books cities are more than places and well there's is a lot more going on all around in many ways。 We follow characters all over New York City as they are chosen to defend the city from forces only apparent to those who will fight for it。 Overall the characters are diverse in gender， race， ethnicity， time in NYC， age， and socioeconomics， much like New York itself。 The world building takes you from 1 to 100 but Jemison does it believably。 Her characters are distinct and yet there is so mu In this books cities are more than places and well there's is a lot more going on all around in many ways。 We follow characters all over New York City as they are chosen to defend the city from forces only apparent to those who will fight for it。 Overall the characters are diverse in gender， race， ethnicity， time in NYC， age， and socioeconomics， much like New York itself。 The world building takes you from 1 to 100 but Jemison does it believably。 Her characters are distinct and yet there is so much action and information and I'm not even aware when she did it all， but I was not lost。 I encourage this book if you enjoy group dynamics （this book gave me IT by Stephen King vibes）。 There are uncomfortable moments because， as I mentioned， there is a diverse group and some characters are bigoted/prejudice/racist。 （It made me so irritated at times， but the author never justifies these opinions） 。。。more

Benjamin Jancewicz ，

I found this book difficult to get into。 I like the premise， but I didn’t quite get what the premise was until midway through the beginning。 I suppose that this is a drawback of using audiobooks， you don’t pull the book off the shelf， get enticed by the cover， and read the elevator pitch on the back。 I jumped into this just based on recommendations of this author。 I really love the way that she writes， but I found the read tough going。 I suspect that people who are most familiar with New York Ci I found this book difficult to get into。 I like the premise， but I didn’t quite get what the premise was until midway through the beginning。 I suppose that this is a drawback of using audiobooks， you don’t pull the book off the shelf， get enticed by the cover， and read the elevator pitch on the back。 I jumped into this just based on recommendations of this author。 I really love the way that she writes， but I found the read tough going。 I suspect that people who are most familiar with New York City will have a better understanding of it。 I have a peripheral understanding of the city， but don’t have all the details and nuance that really brings the story together。 Interestingly， I knew a lot about the station in the final scene， having researched it for urban expiration projects。The novel read sort of like a role-playing game， with multiple characters who are thrust together to figure out and thwart attack on their city。 The author writes in a heavily descriptive way， with riveting action scenes。 The book would make an excellent TV adaptation。 。。。more

Emily Saumure ，

Wanted to love this， cool concept but I just couldn’t get into it。 Painfully slow development。 Granted it does pick up a little in the second half but overall I think this book just wasn’t for me。

nami ，

Listen。 I want to love this book， I really do。 I love the concept and ideas and how it’s tackled。 But I couldn’t get past 120 pages。 The villain is making me scream， to be honest， and I’m only really interested in Manny and Brooklyn as of now。 I‘m not gonna get through this book。

Gabis ，

3，5⭐

Ana Miranda ，

*4，5 ❤

Rita ，

DNF'ed at 20%。 I really liked her writing style （the reason I'm giving it 2 stars） but the story wasn't for me， couldn't get into it DNF'ed at 20%。 I really liked her writing style （the reason I'm giving it 2 stars） but the story wasn't for me， couldn't get into it 。。。more

Amy Davies ，

This is probably one of the most unique plots and narratives ever I've read。 The idea is just mental but is executed so well。 For someone who has never been to New York， I have simultaneously been transported there and have such a yearning to actually travel there。 Each borough is brought to life so clearly， so vividly that you can feel the essence of each location。 It is incredibly diverse and doesn't shy away from the issues that each group of people who live in the boroughs experience。 New Yo This is probably one of the most unique plots and narratives ever I've read。 The idea is just mental but is executed so well。 For someone who has never been to New York， I have simultaneously been transported there and have such a yearning to actually travel there。 Each borough is brought to life so clearly， so vividly that you can feel the essence of each location。 It is incredibly diverse and doesn't shy away from the issues that each group of people who live in the boroughs experience。 New York is known to be a melting pot of cultures， so the diversity of interests， personalities and problems make such sense， whilst also being such a big community across each borough。I did find it slightly confusing at the beginning， and would probably have an even better idea of what each borough represents and how their inter-relationships work if I had a deeper and more personal understanding of New York， but I'll still pick up the sequel as soon as I can。 。。。more

Anders Høeg Nissen ，

Jemisin kører sin helt særlige fantasy gennem et Gaiman-filter， og alt er godt。 Det er streetsmart， funky， sjovt， spændende， fuldt af følelser og – lidt overraskende – ægthed， midt i en historie der er propfuld af multiverser， transdimensionale tentakler og en kamp mellem ældgamle væsner。

Julie ，

I enjoyed this， and the audiobook narrator/production is fantastic。 There were， however， parts that dragged on and made me impatient for characters to get going。 This concept is unlike anything I’ve ever read before， and I am intrigued to see how it unfolds over the series。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The City We Became

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The City We Became&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The City We Became&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0