Arm of the Sphinx – Book Review
Thomas Senlin and his crew of aeronauts continue their madcap quest to rescue his wife Marya from the Tower of Babel.
After Senlin escapes New Babel with a crew of compatriots aboard a pirate airship, they set about finding a way into the Pelphia ringdom, where he believes a wifemonger may have taken Marya. Their first destination is the Golden Zoo, where a group of rebellious hods offers hope of taking the slave’s route into Pelphia. But Senlin has been keeping a secret from the crew, his Crumb induced hallucinations have not stopped, and he is haunted by an apparition of his wife. The Stonecloud’s journey will take them to the heights of the tower, and into the lair of the enigmatic Sphinx. Will their loyalty to each other overcome the machinations of the Sphinx, or will their quest fall apart in the face of stunning revelations?
The imagination in this story continues to bring a smile to my face. The steam punk aesthetic is ratcheted up a notch in this installment. Clockwork automatons and other mindboggling inventions make the Sphinx’s lair into a place of wonder and the Stonecloud as a moveable stage left me giddy with a sense of adventure. I believe these books belong on the shelf next to the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. This is not only a series for genre diehards, it can be read and adored by anyone with a healthy imagination. Everything clicks, there is an artful simplicity to the setting that allows for the episodic nature of the narrative to work. Each milieu is a new set of tropes and conventions that builds on the same overall aesthetic. The result is a tower that has the vibrancy to achieve iconic status in the fantasy genre.
As in Senlin Ascends, a lovable and eccentric cast of characters will delight readers with their antics and the genuine pathos they evoke. The relationships evolving aboard the Stonecloud are nuanced and rewarding. For instance, we’ve known since book one that there is romantic tension building between Tom and Edith. This dynamic is intricate. My feelings about it are intricate. Tom’s affection for Marya is essential to his quest and his quest is essential to the crew’s morale and purpose. But Tom and Edith depend on each or, confide in each other. They work. It’s the kind of ‘will they or won’t they’ that transcends trashy romance tropes to the sort of inner turmoil that is genuinely heartbreaking and utterly compelling. As a reader, I don’t know what I want. Imagine poor Tom and Edith trying to sort it out!
The structure of the novel’s plot has some intriguing aspects that are unexpected, but not unsatisfying. The episodic nature I discussed above can distort reader expectations in odd ways. Without getting into spoilers about where the crew goes or what they achieve, I had anticipated the Stonecloud would do certain things and visit certain locales which they did not. To say that this is disappointing is wrong. The path Senlin and his crew do take is quite enjoyable. It simply required a recalibration of my expectations in a way that functioned quite differently from a plot twist. In the end, the novel’s denouement focuses on the resolution of character conflict more than the achievement of plot goals. And in that Bancroft knocked it out of the park. This is the kind of book that takes you a moment to collect yourself and your thoughts after you turn the final page, the kind of book you find yourself recommending to loved ones in hopes of sharing your journey.
I’ve already ordered my copy of the Hod King, book three of the Books of Babel. This series is a jaunty adventure, peppered with moments of whimsy, emotion, and wonder. It is well written, well-paced, and fantastically imagined. So, if you’ll excuse me, I have another installment to enjoy.
