What do you think?
Rate this book
The Trifold Age #1
The Pyramids of London
In a world where lightning sustained the Roman Empire, and Egypt's vampiric god-kings spread their influence through medicine and good weather, tiny Prytennia's fortunes are rising with the ships that have made her undisputed ruler of the air.
But the peace of recent decades is under threat. Rome's automaton-driven wealth is waning along with the New Republic's supply of power crystals, while Sweden uses fear of Rome to add to her Protectorates. And Prytennia is under attack from the wind itself. Relentless daily blasts destroy crops, buildings, and lives, and neither the weather vampires nor Prytennia's Trifold Goddess have been able to find a way to stop them.
With events so grand scouring the horizon, the deaths of Eiliff and Aedric Tenning raise little interest. The official verdict is accident: two careless automaton makers, killed by their own construct.
The Tenning children and Aedric's sister, Arianne, know this cannot be true. Nothing will stop their search for what really happened.
Not even if, to follow the first clue, Aunt Arianne must sell herself to a vampire.
But the peace of recent decades is under threat. Rome's automaton-driven wealth is waning along with the New Republic's supply of power crystals, while Sweden uses fear of Rome to add to her Protectorates. And Prytennia is under attack from the wind itself. Relentless daily blasts destroy crops, buildings, and lives, and neither the weather vampires nor Prytennia's Trifold Goddess have been able to find a way to stop them.
With events so grand scouring the horizon, the deaths of Eiliff and Aedric Tenning raise little interest. The official verdict is accident: two careless automaton makers, killed by their own construct.
The Tenning children and Aedric's sister, Arianne, know this cannot be true. Nothing will stop their search for what really happened.
Not even if, to follow the first clue, Aunt Arianne must sell herself to a vampire.
366 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2015
16 people are currently reading
1513 people want to read
About the author
Andrea K. Höst
24 books821 followersBorn in Sweden and raised in Australia, Andrea K Höst currently lives in Sydney. She writes fantasy, but wanders occasionally into science fantasy.
Her novel "The Silence of Medair" was a finalist for the 2010 Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel. Her novella "Forfeit" won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novella.
She also occasionally publishes romance under the name Karan K Anders.
Her novel "The Silence of Medair" was a finalist for the 2010 Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel. Her novella "Forfeit" won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novella.
She also occasionally publishes romance under the name Karan K Anders.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
Read
March 10, 2015This book illustrates the best of indie freedom.
This is not to denigrate traditional publishing. I like traditional publishing! But it has its limitations: supposing one reaches an enthusiastic editor (and I don’t know why traditional publishers are not all over Australian writer Höst–or maybe they have been but she’s determined on the indie course) but anyway, supposing this book jazzed an editor as much as it jazzed me, where would the sales force slot it? There are dual POVs, equally important: three teens whose parents died under very mysterious circumstances, and their 36 year old aunt, who inherits their guardianship and is determined to find out why they died. Her POV is that of an adult, the kids are kids, their motivations believable when they pitchfork themselves into trouble with all the best intentions. Steampunk or alternate history? Fantasy or mystery? It is all of these things!
This is the kind of freedom that Dickens and George Eliot and Mrs. Gaskell had during the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth unslottable-at-the-time writers like Harper Lee and Tolkien. Breaking marketing rules makes a book more difficult to categorize, but when the story works, the reader finds herself in a landscape without the predictable road maps. And this book worked like gangbusters for me me– a few weeks ago, I was stuck for over twelve hours in a hotel lobby. The manuscript that became this book happened to arrive that morning for beta read, so I sat down on a comfy couch with a bottle of water and time simply zipped by, permitting me to read the entire book without interruption.
This is the first of a five book arc, splendidly setting up a steampunky alternate Europe in which England is divided into dragonates, protected by weather vampires who bring ancient Egyptian culture to England, that is, Pyrtennia. The Roman Empire maintains its predominance through harnesses lightning, which powers their airships. The AU here is immensely cool.
When the book opens, Rian, the aunt, is deliberately selling herself to one of these vampires for a ten year contract in order to begin to solve the mystery, but with the spectacular crash through a window in a high storm, her careful plans are blasted to smithereens, and the race against time is on.
Fascinating worldbuilding–complicated and appealing female characters with all kinds of agency, and interesting conflicts between proper reticence and fierce emotion–contrasting POVs in a way that I love–rarely have I passed a day so pleasantly. The mystery is solved, setting up much bigger questions, making me really look forward to the entire arc. I want to spend lots of time in this world.
This is not to denigrate traditional publishing. I like traditional publishing! But it has its limitations: supposing one reaches an enthusiastic editor (and I don’t know why traditional publishers are not all over Australian writer Höst–or maybe they have been but she’s determined on the indie course) but anyway, supposing this book jazzed an editor as much as it jazzed me, where would the sales force slot it? There are dual POVs, equally important: three teens whose parents died under very mysterious circumstances, and their 36 year old aunt, who inherits their guardianship and is determined to find out why they died. Her POV is that of an adult, the kids are kids, their motivations believable when they pitchfork themselves into trouble with all the best intentions. Steampunk or alternate history? Fantasy or mystery? It is all of these things!
This is the kind of freedom that Dickens and George Eliot and Mrs. Gaskell had during the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth unslottable-at-the-time writers like Harper Lee and Tolkien. Breaking marketing rules makes a book more difficult to categorize, but when the story works, the reader finds herself in a landscape without the predictable road maps. And this book worked like gangbusters for me me– a few weeks ago, I was stuck for over twelve hours in a hotel lobby. The manuscript that became this book happened to arrive that morning for beta read, so I sat down on a comfy couch with a bottle of water and time simply zipped by, permitting me to read the entire book without interruption.
This is the first of a five book arc, splendidly setting up a steampunky alternate Europe in which England is divided into dragonates, protected by weather vampires who bring ancient Egyptian culture to England, that is, Pyrtennia. The Roman Empire maintains its predominance through harnesses lightning, which powers their airships. The AU here is immensely cool.
When the book opens, Rian, the aunt, is deliberately selling herself to one of these vampires for a ten year contract in order to begin to solve the mystery, but with the spectacular crash through a window in a high storm, her careful plans are blasted to smithereens, and the race against time is on.
Fascinating worldbuilding–complicated and appealing female characters with all kinds of agency, and interesting conflicts between proper reticence and fierce emotion–contrasting POVs in a way that I love–rarely have I passed a day so pleasantly. The mystery is solved, setting up much bigger questions, making me really look forward to the entire arc. I want to spend lots of time in this world.
Read
February 28, 2015This was one of the more challenging books for me to write, just because when you start with an alt history of _our_ world you suddenly find yourself with the problem of how complex our world is. So many countries, so many different peoples, so many stories.
It amazed me, doing the research for this book, how much I didn't know about my own world. A million layers of civilisation, most forgotten, or half-remembered, or barely understood. I've read and seen stories about Egyptians all my life, but until I started properly reading about it, I didn't know what mummies were actually _for_. [And even the most knowledgeable Egyptologist can only have an imperfect understanding of a culture lost to sand.] So, anyway, alt history=HARD.
The story itself is going to sit across a dozen genres. Alt history, because I started with Earth. It's steampunk because dirigibles, but it's certainly not Victorian. It's going to read YA or even middle grade to some people, but one of its protagonists is thirty-six. It's science fiction (apparently that's where steampunk sits) and it does amuse itself with a technological impact, but it is, of all my books, the most full of the numinous, the strange and wondrous things that fantasy uses to catch your breath and then turn it to dragons.
There are quite a few dragons.
Anyway, this is a big venture for me - the first time I've embarked on a long series (five books, plus probably some shorts). I hope you all enjoy it!
It amazed me, doing the research for this book, how much I didn't know about my own world. A million layers of civilisation, most forgotten, or half-remembered, or barely understood. I've read and seen stories about Egyptians all my life, but until I started properly reading about it, I didn't know what mummies were actually _for_. [And even the most knowledgeable Egyptologist can only have an imperfect understanding of a culture lost to sand.] So, anyway, alt history=HARD.
The story itself is going to sit across a dozen genres. Alt history, because I started with Earth. It's steampunk because dirigibles, but it's certainly not Victorian. It's going to read YA or even middle grade to some people, but one of its protagonists is thirty-six. It's science fiction (apparently that's where steampunk sits) and it does amuse itself with a technological impact, but it is, of all my books, the most full of the numinous, the strange and wondrous things that fantasy uses to catch your breath and then turn it to dragons.
There are quite a few dragons.
Anyway, this is a big venture for me - the first time I've embarked on a long series (five books, plus probably some shorts). I hope you all enjoy it!
March 18, 2015
Though typical of Höst's work (and those who have read my reviews at all know I mean that in the best possible way), I wouldn't recommend this one to start. The reason for that is mainly that this one has a lot more to digest up front from her usual—not just names of important characters, but entire cultures and a remapped England and magical terminology and, well, stuff. It was maybe the first third before I felt I could read with confidence (and even then I still had to remind myself what some of the special terms probably meant).
But oh, the payoff is worth that struggle in the start. And here's the thing: I can't think of any way to have gotten this world out there without that difficult adjustment period. Pyramids has a lot of weight behind it. By which I mean not just the fantastic world building but the way the characters inhabit that world is fantastically well-integrated. These are not modern (or semi-modern) transplants into a world slightly changed from our own. Not only is the world a fantastically altered historical re-imagining, but the characters who inhabit it fit naturally and organically into both the world and the plot they hatch trying to solve the murder or their family members.
Which makes this book an amazing achievement because Höst can't afford to info-dump without losing the urgency her plot requires. So I don't begrudge a little effort tracking the characters. At least, not when doing so is immediately rewarding and with the plot driving me forward with a fast pace and natural flow that hooked me from the start and kept me hooked until I finished.
I think I'll leave it at that. Good story, an unbelievably complex world that is conveyed without losing momentum with an engaging plot and characters I fell effortlessly in harmony with. Plus, bonus, this is part of a series so I look forward to more to come. And kudos to Höst for pulling together an ending that was exactly enough closure to feel complete and yet leave me eager for more. I can hardly wait for the next (though I fear it may be some months, or years, away).
But oh, the payoff is worth that struggle in the start. And here's the thing: I can't think of any way to have gotten this world out there without that difficult adjustment period. Pyramids has a lot of weight behind it. By which I mean not just the fantastic world building but the way the characters inhabit that world is fantastically well-integrated. These are not modern (or semi-modern) transplants into a world slightly changed from our own. Not only is the world a fantastically altered historical re-imagining, but the characters who inhabit it fit naturally and organically into both the world and the plot they hatch trying to solve the murder or their family members.
Which makes this book an amazing achievement because Höst can't afford to info-dump without losing the urgency her plot requires. So I don't begrudge a little effort tracking the characters. At least, not when doing so is immediately rewarding and with the plot driving me forward with a fast pace and natural flow that hooked me from the start and kept me hooked until I finished.
I think I'll leave it at that. Good story, an unbelievably complex world that is conveyed without losing momentum with an engaging plot and characters I fell effortlessly in harmony with. Plus, bonus, this is part of a series so I look forward to more to come. And kudos to Höst for pulling together an ending that was exactly enough closure to feel complete and yet leave me eager for more. I can hardly wait for the next (though I fear it may be some months, or years, away).
May 15, 2016
2/5; 2 stars; C+
I have given a lot of thought to how I should rate this book but the bottom line is, if I wasn't doing a buddy read, I would have abandoned it in the middle. I feel disloyal saying this because I like other books by this author, very much.
The book starts out well. I was interested in the world building. The different ideas about vampires, geography, paths to the afterlife, were all very intriguing. I thought the main female character, Rian, had potential as well as the three children in her care.
But, it kind of went to hell in the middle section. There was so much complexity added and different ideas, theological, mythological, etc that I lost the gist of the story. The last part was interesting again and fairly clear. I think this would have been a three or more star book for me if the main story line could have been extracted from the jumble in the middle.
The characters in this book had a lot going for them but I felt there were too many unfinished aspects to their development so I wasn't that invested in them, even by the end of the book.
At the end of the day, I felt like I needed a geographical map, a mythological map, and a couple of flow charts in order to find some clarity. When confusion over rules my curiosity, I am done.
I have given a lot of thought to how I should rate this book but the bottom line is, if I wasn't doing a buddy read, I would have abandoned it in the middle. I feel disloyal saying this because I like other books by this author, very much.
The book starts out well. I was interested in the world building. The different ideas about vampires, geography, paths to the afterlife, were all very intriguing. I thought the main female character, Rian, had potential as well as the three children in her care.
But, it kind of went to hell in the middle section. There was so much complexity added and different ideas, theological, mythological, etc that I lost the gist of the story. The last part was interesting again and fairly clear. I think this would have been a three or more star book for me if the main story line could have been extracted from the jumble in the middle.
The characters in this book had a lot going for them but I felt there were too many unfinished aspects to their development so I wasn't that invested in them, even by the end of the book.
At the end of the day, I felt like I needed a geographical map, a mythological map, and a couple of flow charts in order to find some clarity. When confusion over rules my curiosity, I am done.
Read
April 29, 2015This is a confident, capering, chaotic salamagundi of a book, which unapologetically demands the reader drink from the fire hose. It is a dense fruitcake of unfamiliar nuts and glazed fruits hitherto unknown, artificially coloured in scarlet and teal and various colours only visible to bees.
Needless to say from the sentences above, I loved the sheer number and density of unfamiliar things and ideas in the world of the Pyramids of London. Any world that is profoundly different from our own should have an initially overwhelming number of new things to absorb.
Needless to say from the sentences above, I loved the sheer number and density of unfamiliar things and ideas in the world of the Pyramids of London. Any world that is profoundly different from our own should have an initially overwhelming number of new things to absorb.
May 16, 2015
This novel shouldn’t work. Just about every kind of mythology together with gods, vampires, automatons, steampunk, political conflict, alternate history containing both familiar and the unfamiliar elements from our world, and adult and child/teen points of view in one book - it should be a hopeless mashup. It does require some focused attention from the reader – and at times it’s just a tad too complicated for its own good – but I enjoyed the ride enormously.
I loved the world-building, I loved the characters and as always I love Höst's quirky style. I love the way she just drops the reader into the complex soup of a rich world with intricate characters and expects us to work it all out for ourselves. And there is an awful lot to take in with this novel – not only a completely unique world but one containing a dazzling plurality. As always, Höst is expert at showing us, with all the subtlety and complexity they deserve, her characters negotiating the choices given them in ways that fit their temperaments and their pasts.
I did have some difficulty buying the dazzling precocity of the children/teens (especially Eleri) – sure, they come from a gifted family, but their their huge role in unravelling the mystery stretched my credibility somewhat. This is really a tiny quibble, though.
Another small, but slightly more weighty, reservation is the way (as in some of her earlier books) I sometimes found Höst's prose somewhat opaque. I sometimes found my appreciation of her distinctive prose stye at odds with befuddlement at the sentence level. There were, at times, sentences and paragraphs that I had to re-read and re-read again for simple meaning. Sometimes I was unclear about the sequence of what was happening, or, in sentences where two characters were mentioned and then just a pronoun, I was left scratching my head to figure out which character was being referred to. I can’t help but feel that a more thorough edit could have ironed out these irritating details. Of course, maybe it’s just me, because I don’t think anyone else has mentioned this issue in reviews. In any case, neither of my quibbles is enough to stop me being bowled over by the sheer inventiveness of this novel and I can’t wait to read more about this world and its characters.
I loved the world-building, I loved the characters and as always I love Höst's quirky style. I love the way she just drops the reader into the complex soup of a rich world with intricate characters and expects us to work it all out for ourselves. And there is an awful lot to take in with this novel – not only a completely unique world but one containing a dazzling plurality. As always, Höst is expert at showing us, with all the subtlety and complexity they deserve, her characters negotiating the choices given them in ways that fit their temperaments and their pasts.
I did have some difficulty buying the dazzling precocity of the children/teens (especially Eleri) – sure, they come from a gifted family, but their their huge role in unravelling the mystery stretched my credibility somewhat. This is really a tiny quibble, though.
Another small, but slightly more weighty, reservation is the way (as in some of her earlier books) I sometimes found Höst's prose somewhat opaque. I sometimes found my appreciation of her distinctive prose stye at odds with befuddlement at the sentence level. There were, at times, sentences and paragraphs that I had to re-read and re-read again for simple meaning. Sometimes I was unclear about the sequence of what was happening, or, in sentences where two characters were mentioned and then just a pronoun, I was left scratching my head to figure out which character was being referred to. I can’t help but feel that a more thorough edit could have ironed out these irritating details. Of course, maybe it’s just me, because I don’t think anyone else has mentioned this issue in reviews. In any case, neither of my quibbles is enough to stop me being bowled over by the sheer inventiveness of this novel and I can’t wait to read more about this world and its characters.
May 16, 2015
When starting 60%+ I realized I was skimming heavily, I decided to call it a day, and DNF it.
Update: I skim-read to the end to see where it was going. Nothing changed my thoughts.
My mother used to say that art is purely personal, and I can't agree more after reading this book. She used to say she wouldn't want a Picasso in her home, even if she recognized his mastery fully. In the same way I realize this book has a great, stunning world, but I can't in any way connect with it.
Some of it is due to lack of connection to the characters, mostly due to their age. I have nothing much to say to or hear from children and teens. And they weren't particularly interesting to start.
Unfortunately, I couldn't appreciate the 30 yo (but hey looking 17) aunt. (By the way I'm not sure why her looking 17 was important for the story.)
She was an automaton like those her family workshop produced. Nothing really moved her, I felt no emotion. Oh, I was told she shoved them away, but I couldn't feel them at all. There was no struggle.
To this lack of love for the characters, add a slow, slow moving plot. Nothing really happened.
I'm now at 70% and I could shorten the plot to a one line story. Plus, this reaction of mine made me struggle even more with some very confusing tidbits...
Note that, like all Ms Host's stories, The Pyramids has unconventional romantic interest, and I use the term lightly, because it's really passing. (There's no romantic thread at all here.) Here, though, the unconventional is the norm, not a side story. Kudos.
I'm sorry, as I love some of Ms Host's books. But clearly this is not the one for me. Please read Jacob five star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Update: I skim-read to the end to see where it was going. Nothing changed my thoughts.
My mother used to say that art is purely personal, and I can't agree more after reading this book. She used to say she wouldn't want a Picasso in her home, even if she recognized his mastery fully. In the same way I realize this book has a great, stunning world, but I can't in any way connect with it.
Some of it is due to lack of connection to the characters, mostly due to their age. I have nothing much to say to or hear from children and teens. And they weren't particularly interesting to start.
Unfortunately, I couldn't appreciate the 30 yo (but hey looking 17) aunt. (By the way I'm not sure why her looking 17 was important for the story.)
She was an automaton like those her family workshop produced. Nothing really moved her, I felt no emotion. Oh, I was told she shoved them away, but I couldn't feel them at all. There was no struggle.
To this lack of love for the characters, add a slow, slow moving plot. Nothing really happened.
I'm now at 70% and I could shorten the plot to a one line story. Plus, this reaction of mine made me struggle even more with some very confusing tidbits...
Note that, like all Ms Host's stories, The Pyramids has unconventional romantic interest, and I use the term lightly, because it's really passing. (There's no romantic thread at all here.) Here, though, the unconventional is the norm, not a side story. Kudos.
I'm sorry, as I love some of Ms Host's books. But clearly this is not the one for me. Please read Jacob five star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 2, 2017
Highly recommended!
Similar in tone to the Parisol Protectorate books -- but not at all in content or plot. The heroine Rian is very calm, and perhaps flippent at times -- at least to outward appearances.
Very intriguing alternate universe where Rome powers all their engineering with 'fulgite'(aka lightning) rocks, Egypt is ruled by 'stone bloods' (aka Vampyres) and Britain is three seperate countries -- but instead of ruling the seas 'England' (sorry the book name has slipped my mind Pyr... Pr..gah i'm horrid with names) rules the skies via airship & is ruled by three queens that are avatars of a threefold goddess.
As one would expect with airships there are also anamatrons running about -- also powered by the Roman fulgite.
Complex and quick moving plot, adults that are adults and children that act like kids. (Main plot thread, Rian's brother & wife are killed in an 'accident' leaving behind three children. All four believe it was actually a murder which begins the entire adventure).
Last Logged: March 11/15
Similar in tone to the Parisol Protectorate books -- but not at all in content or plot. The heroine Rian is very calm, and perhaps flippent at times -- at least to outward appearances.
Very intriguing alternate universe where Rome powers all their engineering with 'fulgite'(aka lightning) rocks, Egypt is ruled by 'stone bloods' (aka Vampyres) and Britain is three seperate countries -- but instead of ruling the seas 'England' (sorry the book name has slipped my mind Pyr... Pr..gah i'm horrid with names) rules the skies via airship & is ruled by three queens that are avatars of a threefold goddess.
As one would expect with airships there are also anamatrons running about -- also powered by the Roman fulgite.
Complex and quick moving plot, adults that are adults and children that act like kids. (Main plot thread, Rian's brother & wife are killed in an 'accident' leaving behind three children. All four believe it was actually a murder which begins the entire adventure).
Last Logged: March 11/15
March 18, 2015
I found the first half very confusing but the latter half picked up for me. I liked the worldbuilding and how vampires were portrayed, it's just that I felt like I didn't understand what was going on during the first half. I enjoyed reading this but didn't love it as much as the author's other series (Touchstone and Medair). Still looking forward to the sequel!
December 31, 2021
I’m a diehard AKH fan, but I admit to feeling a bit nervous about this book when I first read the blurb – talk about everything and the kitchen sink…
But I needn’t have worried. Although it’s the kind of book that drops you in the middle of the action, and trusts you to work out the details for yourself (my favourite!), it was never overwhelming, and everything fell into place fairly quickly – yes, vampires, pyramids, airships, and well, everything else somehow worked together in this incredibly inventive alternate-history setting. And characterisation or story isn’t sacrificed for world-building either.
PYRAMIDS features what I’m starting to think of as trademark Höst – strong female protagonists, a diverse cast of characters, and as bonus, a narrative that subtly challenges gender assumptions. Or at least, it challenged mine – specifically, I liked how it made me think about how often I unconsciously default to assuming male for certain occupations.
Story-wise, I was caught up from the start – we begin in the POV of Rian (or Arianne), who’s trying to investigate her brother and his wife’s deaths by infiltrating a vampire’s household (though not vampires as we know them…), but her plans rapidly goes awry. Massively awry. The other POV character is Eluned, Rian’s orphaned niece, who, together with her siblings, is determined to gain justice for her parents, while coping with the upheaval of being sent to live with an hitherto-unknown aunt. The plot is a complicated one (one could even say painfully complicated at times), but it all comes together satisfyingly in the end.
I’m of two minds around the use of dual POVs – my main objection is along the lines of “I love Rian! I don’t want to switch to Eluned’s POV… oh heck, I love Eluned, I don’t want to go back to Rian”. But I also enjoyed seeing the characters from different perspectives – Höst tends to write stiff upper-lip kind of characters (you can tell she hits all my buttons, right?), so this was an interesting way of seeing behind the facade, so to speak.
I don’t want to give too much away about what happens in this book, because a large part of my enjoyment came from not knowing how the story would unfurl as it takes several unexpected directions. All I’ll say is that I’m glad this is the start of a series, because it feels as though there’s so many more stories for Höst to tell in this world – and I want to know what happens next.
******
A version originally published on my blog: https://bookdaze.wordpress.com/2015/0...
But I needn’t have worried. Although it’s the kind of book that drops you in the middle of the action, and trusts you to work out the details for yourself (my favourite!), it was never overwhelming, and everything fell into place fairly quickly – yes, vampires, pyramids, airships, and well, everything else somehow worked together in this incredibly inventive alternate-history setting. And characterisation or story isn’t sacrificed for world-building either.
PYRAMIDS features what I’m starting to think of as trademark Höst – strong female protagonists, a diverse cast of characters, and as bonus, a narrative that subtly challenges gender assumptions. Or at least, it challenged mine – specifically, I liked how it made me think about how often I unconsciously default to assuming male for certain occupations.
Story-wise, I was caught up from the start – we begin in the POV of Rian (or Arianne), who’s trying to investigate her brother and his wife’s deaths by infiltrating a vampire’s household (though not vampires as we know them…), but her plans rapidly goes awry. Massively awry. The other POV character is Eluned, Rian’s orphaned niece, who, together with her siblings, is determined to gain justice for her parents, while coping with the upheaval of being sent to live with an hitherto-unknown aunt. The plot is a complicated one (one could even say painfully complicated at times), but it all comes together satisfyingly in the end.
I’m of two minds around the use of dual POVs – my main objection is along the lines of “I love Rian! I don’t want to switch to Eluned’s POV… oh heck, I love Eluned, I don’t want to go back to Rian”. But I also enjoyed seeing the characters from different perspectives – Höst tends to write stiff upper-lip kind of characters (you can tell she hits all my buttons, right?), so this was an interesting way of seeing behind the facade, so to speak.
I don’t want to give too much away about what happens in this book, because a large part of my enjoyment came from not knowing how the story would unfurl as it takes several unexpected directions. All I’ll say is that I’m glad this is the start of a series, because it feels as though there’s so many more stories for Höst to tell in this world – and I want to know what happens next.
******
A version originally published on my blog: https://bookdaze.wordpress.com/2015/0...
December 19, 2015
[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
Good ideas in terms of world building, although in general, I found the novel a little confusing.
Lots of concepts introduced here, with references to our world: Prytennia is obviously Britain, the Roman Empire and Egypt speak for themselves, and so it was very easy to picture the setting, geographically speaking. There's still royalty in "Britain": check. Lutèce is Paris: check (shall I admit to knowing quite a few cities' old Roman names thanks to "Asterix"?). Various deities associated to various cults, like Cernunnos or Lakshmi: check. At first, it may look like a mish-mash, but it makes a lot of sense in a context where, many centuries ago, the Gods "Answered" people's prayers and actually descended on the world, or made themselves incarnate in other ways. The Egyptian "gods", for instance, who gave birth to several strains of vampirism, each with its own powers (the Shu control winds, the Thoth-den use their blood to heal people, the Ma'at can tell who's lying...). Or Sulis (who in our world used to be worshipped at Bath), who manifests herself through three women, the Suleviae. For someone who knows a little about mythology, or even knows the very basics and wants to learn more, this book gives a few tracks to follow.
However, I didn't get the same feeling here I got from the blurb. Prytennia's climate seems to be warm (I immediately imagined cities close to the desert, with people wearing "skirts" instead of trousers), but I didn't feel the urgency of being "under attack from the wind itself". The political intrigues from the Swedes, through their representative Gustav, seemed to be more of an afterthought than something that would really affect Prytennia. The "selling oneself to a vampire" part didn't seem that bad: more a contract for a decade or so, without aging, and I guess there are so many worse ways to indenture oneself. I don't know if this came from the plot itself (Arianne and her nieces and nephew investigating to know what happened to the dead parents) or from the narrative, the way it was woven. Maybe I was expecting something else.
I also couldn't push myself to really care for the characters. Arianne's calm take on basically everything dampened the predicament she was in (potentially turning into a vampire against her will—that's not a spoiler, you know about it in the very first chapters). The romantic interests came a little out of nowhere, and I'm not sure if they were exactly important when pitched against the backdrop of "who dunnit" and "there's a secret behind what our parents were working on". When some characters disappeared, I wasn't so invested, because I hadn't gotten to know them more beforehand, and they were more sidenotes for me than people. Mostly I felt that the characters were removed from themselves, dispassionately looking at their own lives from afar, and so in turn I looked at them from afar, too.
Still, I liked the world developed here. Perhaps a bit too much was shoved in the reader's face from the beginning (any book that needs a glossary tends to be of that kind), but some more careful reading on my part allowed me to quickly grab what it was all about. And it's definitely a good thing that a lot of the characters are women, and they do Important Things, and it's completely normal because women in this world get to do Important Things all the time anyway, and it's not only the men's turf. (The Queen is part of a goddess incarnate and gets to mingle with dragons, one of the princesses commands a very special kind of guard/spies, girls get to study engineering and can land apprenticeships in workshops, or even have workshops of their own, without society making them feel "improper"... Etc.)
I may decide to grab the second volume at some point. I don't know yet. I'm hovering around the 2.5 stars mark here, in between some parts I found "OK" and others that made me think "this is a good idea, I like it". (Vampires especially: they aren't emo creatures, they become like that due to a symbiotic relationship with specific strains living in their blood, they have souls, they believe in an Egyptian-like Otherworld where they have to strengthen their ba before being able to carry on.) If the next book can get past the somewhat-confusing approach to this world, and focuses more on the characters in a way that would make me feel involved, then I'll be interested.
Good ideas in terms of world building, although in general, I found the novel a little confusing.
Lots of concepts introduced here, with references to our world: Prytennia is obviously Britain, the Roman Empire and Egypt speak for themselves, and so it was very easy to picture the setting, geographically speaking. There's still royalty in "Britain": check. Lutèce is Paris: check (shall I admit to knowing quite a few cities' old Roman names thanks to "Asterix"?). Various deities associated to various cults, like Cernunnos or Lakshmi: check. At first, it may look like a mish-mash, but it makes a lot of sense in a context where, many centuries ago, the Gods "Answered" people's prayers and actually descended on the world, or made themselves incarnate in other ways. The Egyptian "gods", for instance, who gave birth to several strains of vampirism, each with its own powers (the Shu control winds, the Thoth-den use their blood to heal people, the Ma'at can tell who's lying...). Or Sulis (who in our world used to be worshipped at Bath), who manifests herself through three women, the Suleviae. For someone who knows a little about mythology, or even knows the very basics and wants to learn more, this book gives a few tracks to follow.
However, I didn't get the same feeling here I got from the blurb. Prytennia's climate seems to be warm (I immediately imagined cities close to the desert, with people wearing "skirts" instead of trousers), but I didn't feel the urgency of being "under attack from the wind itself". The political intrigues from the Swedes, through their representative Gustav, seemed to be more of an afterthought than something that would really affect Prytennia. The "selling oneself to a vampire" part didn't seem that bad: more a contract for a decade or so, without aging, and I guess there are so many worse ways to indenture oneself. I don't know if this came from the plot itself (Arianne and her nieces and nephew investigating to know what happened to the dead parents) or from the narrative, the way it was woven. Maybe I was expecting something else.
I also couldn't push myself to really care for the characters. Arianne's calm take on basically everything dampened the predicament she was in (potentially turning into a vampire against her will—that's not a spoiler, you know about it in the very first chapters). The romantic interests came a little out of nowhere, and I'm not sure if they were exactly important when pitched against the backdrop of "who dunnit" and "there's a secret behind what our parents were working on". When some characters disappeared, I wasn't so invested, because I hadn't gotten to know them more beforehand, and they were more sidenotes for me than people. Mostly I felt that the characters were removed from themselves, dispassionately looking at their own lives from afar, and so in turn I looked at them from afar, too.
Still, I liked the world developed here. Perhaps a bit too much was shoved in the reader's face from the beginning (any book that needs a glossary tends to be of that kind), but some more careful reading on my part allowed me to quickly grab what it was all about. And it's definitely a good thing that a lot of the characters are women, and they do Important Things, and it's completely normal because women in this world get to do Important Things all the time anyway, and it's not only the men's turf. (The Queen is part of a goddess incarnate and gets to mingle with dragons, one of the princesses commands a very special kind of guard/spies, girls get to study engineering and can land apprenticeships in workshops, or even have workshops of their own, without society making them feel "improper"... Etc.)
I may decide to grab the second volume at some point. I don't know yet. I'm hovering around the 2.5 stars mark here, in between some parts I found "OK" and others that made me think "this is a good idea, I like it". (Vampires especially: they aren't emo creatures, they become like that due to a symbiotic relationship with specific strains living in their blood, they have souls, they believe in an Egyptian-like Otherworld where they have to strengthen their ba before being able to carry on.) If the next book can get past the somewhat-confusing approach to this world, and focuses more on the characters in a way that would make me feel involved, then I'll be interested.
March 14, 2016
Outstanding.
This book shouldn't work. Vampires and mythology and a totally reimagined world with elements of steampunk. It shouldn't but it does. Everything fits together seamlessly thanks to Höst's superior storytelling. I thought the lore and world might be seriously confusing, but it wasn't - it took a bit to get into but I loved how complex it was.
The characters were great - Makepeace was my favourite, and I'm really hoping the sequel isn't all about the kids as it sounds because I NEED more Comfrey and Arianne.
This book combines good old fashioned adventure, mystery, and paranormal, and it is thoroughly entertaining. There's so much I could praise - the blend of mythologies, the interesting monarchies, the promise of DRAGONS, the mythical creatures, the automaton thing, the vampire bond, the family relationships. EVERYTHING is so good. But what really stands out is the writing. Probably one of the best written books I've read in a while.
If you like original worlds, entertaining fantasy, and character driven stories, you have to read Pyramids of London.
This book shouldn't work. Vampires and mythology and a totally reimagined world with elements of steampunk. It shouldn't but it does. Everything fits together seamlessly thanks to Höst's superior storytelling. I thought the lore and world might be seriously confusing, but it wasn't - it took a bit to get into but I loved how complex it was.
The characters were great - Makepeace was my favourite, and I'm really hoping the sequel isn't all about the kids as it sounds because I NEED more Comfrey and Arianne.
This book combines good old fashioned adventure, mystery, and paranormal, and it is thoroughly entertaining. There's so much I could praise - the blend of mythologies, the interesting monarchies, the promise of DRAGONS, the mythical creatures, the automaton thing, the vampire bond, the family relationships. EVERYTHING is so good. But what really stands out is the writing. Probably one of the best written books I've read in a while.
If you like original worlds, entertaining fantasy, and character driven stories, you have to read Pyramids of London.
March 18, 2024
DNF at 35%
I love this author. Loved every single book she wrote - except this one.
This world building is so complex and nothing is explained properly, just expecting the reader to follow each info dump to the next one. Next offence is different PoV- how utterly annoying when you cannot find your way out of such a complicated intrigue???
I love this author. Loved every single book she wrote - except this one.
This world building is so complex and nothing is explained properly, just expecting the reader to follow each info dump to the next one. Next offence is different PoV- how utterly annoying when you cannot find your way out of such a complicated intrigue???
August 3, 2023
This is kind of genre kryptonite for me: the moment I saw the description, I proceeded to fall down and read to death. It is extremely hard to classify, it is complex, it is full of a bunch of different trappings from a bunch of different genres, and in the hands of someone who didn't know what they were doing, things could have gone south very quickly.
Andrea K. Höst knew what she was doing.
I have a little bit of trouble saying precisely what age group I would recommend this to. It is certainly suitable for mature young adults, but I would hardly consider it a young adult book. It has children narrators, but I think most children would find the complexity a bit overwhelming. It also has dual viewpoints in that the other primary narrator is a full-grown woman, which lends an interesting perspective throughout as neither the children nor their aunt understand each other a bit, but we get to see both sides of things.
It's a mystery set in an alternate universe that bears a great resemblance to our own, had things gone very, very differently. It has Egyptian culture because Egypt is a world power because they have vampires. Vampires that are part court-manners-oriented and part ripping open skin and have their own mythology that is partly Egyptian and partly something else I have yet to clearly identify.
Also, there are steampunk-ish robots powered by some mixture of cool magic-y stones and science.
You see my confusion in describing this book in any really rational way?
But the thing is: it was great. It was really, really great. I loved the characters, I loved the alternating viewpoints, I loved the world that was built up and all of the guessing on what precisely was what, on what parts were drawn from a wide range of our own history and mythology and what parts were simply part of the mythology written for the book. Things are weaved together so beautifully I had trouble telling, which is honestly one of the best (and most difficult!) ways to manage mythology in a fantasy series.
I was impressed with how clever the characters were. Often intelligence and cleverness are informed traits in novel characters; I genuinely felt like these people were making good decisions and considering the ramifications as best they could with the information they had throughout. Even the children were clever, which is even harder to manage than clever adults.
The little hints of potential romance were sweet, but this is not a romance novel at all, and they were not the focus here. It added a certain flavor to the story and the world as well as expanding on the characters just a tad, but was never heavy-handed and (probably because of how clever the characters were) did not ever interfere in the real business of the novel.
The real business is solving the mystery and conspiracy that lead to the deaths of the relatives of the main characters, and it gets extremely twisted and complex the farther things go. I was not expecting the revelations towards the end, and I love getting caught up by surprise by something like that. It was a rather dark secret being kept, but I adore that sort of thing.
It is not an easy read. I don't mean that in a bad way at all, but because of everything that is going on, because of the terminology and mythology and character relationships built up, it is not something you can really read while doing something else. It requires some focus, and it is worth every bit of that focus. This is the only reason it took me so long to read: I wanted to give it the focus it deserved. Also, I didn't really want it to end.
I rarely give five stars to books; I'm exceedingly particular, but this book is absolutely worthy of them, and Andrea K. Höst has a new fan.
This book was provided to me for free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 1, 2015
Find this review & more @ bookishsilvertongue
I was given a free review copy through netgalley
Arianne Seaforth will become a vampire’s servant, if that’s what she needs to do to shed light on her brother’s death and provide for his orphaned children. But a vicious attack from a goddess’s protectors thrusts her in a world of royalty, gods, and political struggle for power sources. And she will have to play at that level to survive.
It took me so long to gather up my thoughts on this and review it, which is weird because I usually find it easy to review novels I really liked. And I adored The Pyramids of London. It was not perfect, but it was exactly my kind of book.
I mentioned when I was about halfway through, that this novel was everything I thought it would be, how I thought it would be. Now I’m done with it I must say it’s even more than that, in more ways than one.
For one, I didn’t expect the LGBT+ characters. I didn’t expect their feelings and experiences being so normalised (even with the young ones!!! No shitty “you’re too young to know your sexuality” excuses. And the crush feels so realistic, so close to actual teenagers crushes). There are romance-related drama and angst, but it’s never angsting about being attracted to the same sex. It’s not treated like anything shocking or given a big reveal. If you are straight, I probably can’t convey to you how good and relieving it is.
There were other little world-building tidbits that showed just how much the author is trying to break off from the dangerous speculative fiction trend of creating new worlds where bigotry is way too close to our own, without discussing it in the least. One thing I really appreciated, although it took me a while to catch it, was husbands taking their wives surname. It's a small thing, but it made my day.
I think in general worldbuilding is the novel’s strongest suit. I loved how everything, from magic to politics, turned around divinities. Although I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the gods’ portrayals (I hadn’t even heard about some of them), I found it original and well-thought out. It also allowed to have loads of different magic systems coexisting, and you all know I’m a sucker for magic systems.
It also featured its share of androids and other steampunk-ish artifacts, which I loved, even though they often felt like a gimmick. But, hey!, it was a cool gimmick and magically-powered steampunk is my ~aesthetic.
There were some things that created much of the plot’s tension, but were not dealt with extensively. There is still a chance for them in the sequels though, I guess.
The cast is huge for such a short novel, so I feel some were not given as much spotlight and development as they deserved. It’s not that they weren’t well-written or remarkable, some of them were quite memorable, but I feel I was only able to strike an emotional bond with a few of them. Not even all of the main cast. This might have to do with my own apathy, I find I struggle to care about anything other than university (I’m starting to fear it ruined my enjoyment of quite a few novels, like this one and The Thousand Names).
I was given a free review copy through netgalley
Arianne Seaforth will become a vampire’s servant, if that’s what she needs to do to shed light on her brother’s death and provide for his orphaned children. But a vicious attack from a goddess’s protectors thrusts her in a world of royalty, gods, and political struggle for power sources. And she will have to play at that level to survive.
It took me so long to gather up my thoughts on this and review it, which is weird because I usually find it easy to review novels I really liked. And I adored The Pyramids of London. It was not perfect, but it was exactly my kind of book.
I mentioned when I was about halfway through, that this novel was everything I thought it would be, how I thought it would be. Now I’m done with it I must say it’s even more than that, in more ways than one.
For one, I didn’t expect the LGBT+ characters. I didn’t expect their feelings and experiences being so normalised (even with the young ones!!! No shitty “you’re too young to know your sexuality” excuses. And the crush feels so realistic, so close to actual teenagers crushes). There are romance-related drama and angst, but it’s never angsting about being attracted to the same sex. It’s not treated like anything shocking or given a big reveal. If you are straight, I probably can’t convey to you how good and relieving it is.
There were other little world-building tidbits that showed just how much the author is trying to break off from the dangerous speculative fiction trend of creating new worlds where bigotry is way too close to our own, without discussing it in the least. One thing I really appreciated, although it took me a while to catch it, was husbands taking their wives surname. It's a small thing, but it made my day.
I think in general worldbuilding is the novel’s strongest suit. I loved how everything, from magic to politics, turned around divinities. Although I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the gods’ portrayals (I hadn’t even heard about some of them), I found it original and well-thought out. It also allowed to have loads of different magic systems coexisting, and you all know I’m a sucker for magic systems.
It also featured its share of androids and other steampunk-ish artifacts, which I loved, even though they often felt like a gimmick. But, hey!, it was a cool gimmick and magically-powered steampunk is my ~aesthetic.
There were some things that created much of the plot’s tension, but were not dealt with extensively. There is still a chance for them in the sequels though, I guess.
The cast is huge for such a short novel, so I feel some were not given as much spotlight and development as they deserved. It’s not that they weren’t well-written or remarkable, some of them were quite memorable, but I feel I was only able to strike an emotional bond with a few of them. Not even all of the main cast. This might have to do with my own apathy, I find I struggle to care about anything other than university (I’m starting to fear it ruined my enjoyment of quite a few novels, like this one and The Thousand Names).
March 20, 2015
I admit it, I am wowed by this book. It has so much of what I love, nothing that I don't, and it's put together amazingly well. This is a must-go-get-now kind of book. Science Fiction. Fantasy. Mythology. Conspiracies.
Our story begins after the death of Eiliff and Aedric Tenning. They leave three children behind in the care of Aedric's sister Arianne. Twins Eluned and Eleri Tenning are sixteen, younger brother Griff thirteen. All four believe the couple was murdered and an automaton, a secret commission, stolen. Arianne has to support the children financially and emotionally, which means helping them find out why their parents were killed. One of the few clues left behind leads her to Sheerside, the home of a powerful vampire. She plans to enter his service, no small commitment, in order to investigate and secure a place for her charges. It doesn't go at all as she planned.
I love the idea of a world where Gods are as real as you and I are, with visible powers and each region's old religions flourishing to become living entities. I didn't find the various mythologies difficult to keep straight. Vampire-Pharoahs for Egypt, a female trinity monarchy for Prytannia( England, Wales, and part of Scotland), and the Tuatha de Danann in Danuin(Ireland).
Political conflicts appear to be centered mostly around gods and fulgate, the power-retaining rock that acts as a battery in most machines and equipment. The system is complex without being difficult. The world building occurs slowly, as details become relevant to the plot. I find it much easier to retain the details that way. There is a glossary at the back, but I didn't need to use it.
The characters are varied and wonderful. Arianne has a series of life-changing experiences, but doesn't become overwrought. She's very adept at hiding her emotions, which is both good and bad. Although she's able to remain clear-headed in nearly every situation, to the grieving children she appears aloof. All of them have difficulty reaching out and letting go. This is what I would expect so soon after the loss of parents and sibling and all the changes it thrust upon them.
The conspiracy was a good one. I didn't see it coming, but it wasn't far-fetched. I don't feel tricked, and the investigation was a thrilling ride. I especially like that the book ended on an ending, not a cliffhanger. Interest in the next book, for me, is based on my connection to the characters and the world rather than dangling bits I need to resolve.
The Pyramids of London is the first of five planned books in The Trifold Age series. This world is certainly big enough, and Ms. Host is certainly talented enough, to delight us with four more books in this setting.
Thank you NetGalley and Andrea K Höst for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Our story begins after the death of Eiliff and Aedric Tenning. They leave three children behind in the care of Aedric's sister Arianne. Twins Eluned and Eleri Tenning are sixteen, younger brother Griff thirteen. All four believe the couple was murdered and an automaton, a secret commission, stolen. Arianne has to support the children financially and emotionally, which means helping them find out why their parents were killed. One of the few clues left behind leads her to Sheerside, the home of a powerful vampire. She plans to enter his service, no small commitment, in order to investigate and secure a place for her charges. It doesn't go at all as she planned.
I love the idea of a world where Gods are as real as you and I are, with visible powers and each region's old religions flourishing to become living entities. I didn't find the various mythologies difficult to keep straight. Vampire-Pharoahs for Egypt, a female trinity monarchy for Prytannia( England, Wales, and part of Scotland), and the Tuatha de Danann in Danuin(Ireland).
Political conflicts appear to be centered mostly around gods and fulgate, the power-retaining rock that acts as a battery in most machines and equipment. The system is complex without being difficult. The world building occurs slowly, as details become relevant to the plot. I find it much easier to retain the details that way. There is a glossary at the back, but I didn't need to use it.
The characters are varied and wonderful. Arianne has a series of life-changing experiences, but doesn't become overwrought. She's very adept at hiding her emotions, which is both good and bad. Although she's able to remain clear-headed in nearly every situation, to the grieving children she appears aloof. All of them have difficulty reaching out and letting go. This is what I would expect so soon after the loss of parents and sibling and all the changes it thrust upon them.
The conspiracy was a good one. I didn't see it coming, but it wasn't far-fetched. I don't feel tricked, and the investigation was a thrilling ride. I especially like that the book ended on an ending, not a cliffhanger. Interest in the next book, for me, is based on my connection to the characters and the world rather than dangling bits I need to resolve.
The Pyramids of London is the first of five planned books in The Trifold Age series. This world is certainly big enough, and Ms. Host is certainly talented enough, to delight us with four more books in this setting.
Thank you NetGalley and Andrea K Höst for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2015
Okay. Okay. This basically has everything in it that I love - we have some steampunk, some interesting vampires, some other fun mythological creatures, with a big punch of Egyptian mythology.
So why didn't I love this book?
Honestly, I barely liked it at all.
I think what it boils down to is this - there is so much going on, with multiple levels of plot, some hints of a romance, three Series of Unfortunate Events style kids who are also running off to solve mysteries, and a Alexia Tarabotti-style, overly competent heroine. There's an almost-hint of romance, lots and lots of mysterious components, an apparently haunted automaton, and some large-scale, political-style intrigue.
There's just so much going on, that I have no idea what or where the focus of the story is supposed to be.
I think that if the author had focused on one or two of the aspects of her story, along with introducing her brand new world, it would have been fabulous.
And speaking of this new world, it is epic! Everything is so well-thought-out, and you really get a feeling of how things work. Vampires of from lines of Egyptian gods, each with different powers based on the godline. It's a fascinating idea, and the world built on it is fleshed out and actually makes sense, in a way. That was, by far, my favorite part of the story.
But, in the end, I'm giving it 2 stars, though I honestly went back and forth between 2 and 3. I guess 2.5?. There was a lot going on, and the overall plot seems interesting, but it's all just lost in everything that's going on.
So why didn't I love this book?
Honestly, I barely liked it at all.
I think what it boils down to is this - there is so much going on, with multiple levels of plot, some hints of a romance, three Series of Unfortunate Events style kids who are also running off to solve mysteries, and a Alexia Tarabotti-style, overly competent heroine. There's an almost-hint of romance, lots and lots of mysterious components, an apparently haunted automaton, and some large-scale, political-style intrigue.
There's just so much going on, that I have no idea what or where the focus of the story is supposed to be.
I think that if the author had focused on one or two of the aspects of her story, along with introducing her brand new world, it would have been fabulous.
And speaking of this new world, it is epic! Everything is so well-thought-out, and you really get a feeling of how things work. Vampires of from lines of Egyptian gods, each with different powers based on the godline. It's a fascinating idea, and the world built on it is fleshed out and actually makes sense, in a way. That was, by far, my favorite part of the story.
But, in the end, I'm giving it 2 stars, though I honestly went back and forth between 2 and 3. I guess 2.5?. There was a lot going on, and the overall plot seems interesting, but it's all just lost in everything that's going on.
June 12, 2016
My imaginary letter to the author:
Dear Ms Höst,
PLEASE GIVE ME A SEQUEL. NOW. PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU.
Regards,
A rabid fan.
So, yeah, obviously liked the book a whole lot. A fantastic read for anyone who likes unconventional, well-thought out worlds (OMG that world!), strong female protagonists and an unpredictable plot. I didn't expect anything different from Höst, whose work is consistently superb, but, oh my, I'm afraid The Silence of Medair is now officially my *second* favourite book in the whole wide world. Closely followed by everything else by this author :)
That being said, I can see why some people might not enjoy it as much as I did. It all depends on your favoured writing style and whether you can stand to have to think your way through the story. TPOL definitely is not something you should read if you don't want to have to figure things out for yourself, but on the other hand the entire process of piecing hints together can be very rewarding. I discovered Ms Höst's (very helpful) appendix of characters and world elements after having read it for the first time but I can't say that not knowing some of the mythological references fazed me. It's just such a fun, engaging story.
Dear Ms Höst,
PLEASE GIVE ME A SEQUEL. NOW. PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU.
Regards,
A rabid fan.
So, yeah, obviously liked the book a whole lot. A fantastic read for anyone who likes unconventional, well-thought out worlds (OMG that world!), strong female protagonists and an unpredictable plot. I didn't expect anything different from Höst, whose work is consistently superb, but, oh my, I'm afraid The Silence of Medair is now officially my *second* favourite book in the whole wide world. Closely followed by everything else by this author :)
That being said, I can see why some people might not enjoy it as much as I did. It all depends on your favoured writing style and whether you can stand to have to think your way through the story. TPOL definitely is not something you should read if you don't want to have to figure things out for yourself, but on the other hand the entire process of piecing hints together can be very rewarding. I discovered Ms Höst's (very helpful) appendix of characters and world elements after having read it for the first time but I can't say that not knowing some of the mythological references fazed me. It's just such a fun, engaging story.
March 1, 2015
Well what can I say - Andrea (and Michelle Sagara) is up there as my all time favorite author when it comes to world building. Andrea excels at very complex worlds and if I say so myself this must be the most ambitious, I can't even begin to try sum up the story line except to say that the blurb at the back of the book doesn't even begin to do it justice.
I was a bit worried about it being a kind of YA book but I quickly lost sight of that as I was sucked into the mystery, it almost reminded me of an adult version of Enid Blyton with intrepid children but it wasn't that at all. There are very adult issues involved here, especially when it comes to dealing with death, disability and sexuality and add to that vampires, Egyptian occult and Greek paganism all set in a Steampunk age you are just beginning to scratch the surface.
It will clearly be Andrea's own fault if she finds me camping on her lawn demanding the second book, so she better get started.
I was a bit worried about it being a kind of YA book but I quickly lost sight of that as I was sucked into the mystery, it almost reminded me of an adult version of Enid Blyton with intrepid children but it wasn't that at all. There are very adult issues involved here, especially when it comes to dealing with death, disability and sexuality and add to that vampires, Egyptian occult and Greek paganism all set in a Steampunk age you are just beginning to scratch the surface.
It will clearly be Andrea's own fault if she finds me camping on her lawn demanding the second book, so she better get started.
March 24, 2016
Ok my love of Host's books is pretty well documented. Next to Brandon Sanderson she's auto buy at retail price for me. And this had everything I could want. Egyptian mythology! Vampires! Pyramids and steampunk and London and oh so much.
The problem for me was I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Eluned I liked the best, but even she wore thin on me as the mystery deepened. Part of it I think was because despite being the most reasonable and like their Aunt Arianne (or Rian as she called herself often) she flip flopped between understanding/concerned and distrustful/indifferent.
Full review to be posted
The problem for me was I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Eluned I liked the best, but even she wore thin on me as the mystery deepened. Part of it I think was because despite being the most reasonable and like their Aunt Arianne (or Rian as she called herself often) she flip flopped between understanding/concerned and distrustful/indifferent.
Full review to be posted
March 18, 2015
So on one hand, I probably did not understand about half of what was happening. On the other hand, the parts I did understand I enjoyed. Hopefully after a thorough examination of the glossary and character list in the back as well as a re-read or two I am hopeful I will come to understand this book and the world it conveys at some point. Until then, I remained intrigued in what this series will bring.
November 27, 2015
Three and a half stars, edging toward four, so I rounded up. Very engaging alternate history steam-punkish fantasy, following a family of very likeable characters through a series of extraordinary events they fall into by being related to a husband-wife team of inventors/artists who have been murdered before the book begins. The sequel is not due out until 2016, but I am looking forward to it.
January 11, 2019
Though I'm a big fan of Höst's Touchstone trilogy, this book was a disappointment. I felt like I never knew what was going on half the time, and I feel like the character development and interaction was mostly missing. I had to force myself to read it, and would have most liking abandoned it if it hadn't been a buddy read.
September 25, 2015
Well, this is now an auto-buy author.
Vampires! Cats-who-are-bushes! Amasen! Romans! Automatons! Duelling Gods! Airships! Weather Attacks! Creatures made entirely of fire and wings! Diverse characters! Egyptian gods! SO MANY THINGS AND IT ALL WORKS.
Vampires! Cats-who-are-bushes! Amasen! Romans! Automatons! Duelling Gods! Airships! Weather Attacks! Creatures made entirely of fire and wings! Diverse characters! Egyptian gods! SO MANY THINGS AND IT ALL WORKS.
April 12, 2019
Unfortunately it is with great sadness that I have to admit that I gave up on this book. After really enjoying another book written by the author, I felt certain of this book's success, but that wasn't to be (well, for me at least, plenty of other people liked it).
I think the issue stemmed from the fact that the author is actually well-researched, whereas I have barely skimmed the histories and beliefs of ancient civilisations. This is in fact what makes her writing so good (and so troublesome) - she dabbles in Egyptian, Greek , Roman and Hindu lore (and probably more that I missed off!) If you aren't up to speed on this, you are about to get a crash course as you navigate the subplot of the book.
Then there is her rather perplexing style of writing where she starts the story half way through the action, so that when you the dear reader joins her, she is already charging ahead full steam and you are still trying to figure out who comprise the main cast of characters. This is both wonderful in terms of pacing (I like books that have a fast-moving plot), but hell when you are getting nuggets of back-story that mean nothing to you yet but you must retain for future reference.
This won't put me off trying more of her books, and I might even give this one a go again. As another reviewer put it, this is one of her more complex series and best not to start with this one if you aren't familiar with the way she writes.
Clearly she is very clever and well-written, and my rating should not be a reflection of her talent. Next time I will pick one that looks like it won't require the services of Google to get through it.
I think the issue stemmed from the fact that the author is actually well-researched, whereas I have barely skimmed the histories and beliefs of ancient civilisations. This is in fact what makes her writing so good (and so troublesome) - she dabbles in Egyptian, Greek , Roman and Hindu lore (and probably more that I missed off!) If you aren't up to speed on this, you are about to get a crash course as you navigate the subplot of the book.
Then there is her rather perplexing style of writing where she starts the story half way through the action, so that when you the dear reader joins her, she is already charging ahead full steam and you are still trying to figure out who comprise the main cast of characters. This is both wonderful in terms of pacing (I like books that have a fast-moving plot), but hell when you are getting nuggets of back-story that mean nothing to you yet but you must retain for future reference.
This won't put me off trying more of her books, and I might even give this one a go again. As another reviewer put it, this is one of her more complex series and best not to start with this one if you aren't familiar with the way she writes.
Clearly she is very clever and well-written, and my rating should not be a reflection of her talent. Next time I will pick one that looks like it won't require the services of Google to get through it.
May 9, 2017
I absolutely adored this book in the beginning. It offers such interesting new takes on so many things, vampirism included. The steampunk elements seemed like a lot of fun. I was totally hooked on the story of Rian at Lord Msrah's estate (can't remember the name of it right now), and utterly fascinated with Makepeace and couldn't wait to see how their unusual relationship progressed.
But then the book took a turn I hadn't been expecting, and became a different kind of story altogether. We alternate POV between Rian and one of her three young charges, her niece Eluned. The children have adventures of their own. Rian leaves Lord Msrah's estate, and although Makepeace certainly plays an important role in the story, we don't see nearly as much of him as I had hoped.
The story was still good, just not what I had been expecting after the first couple of chapters reeled me in. We're taken along on the unraveling of a mystery on an international level, with interesting alternate history bits and awe-inspiring deities thrown into the mix.
I just really enjoyed the character of Heriath/Makepeace, and would have loved for the book to have brought us closer to him. The nature of his accidental relationship with Rian is quite compelling, and although we do see it develop a bit, I wanted more, MORE! We do get one really great scene that focuses on this toward the end, which I LOVED. I do realize there are five books planned in this series, and so there might be plenty more snippets for us about how those two continue to learn how to deal with one another. So chop, chop, Ms. Host!
But then the book took a turn I hadn't been expecting, and became a different kind of story altogether. We alternate POV between Rian and one of her three young charges, her niece Eluned. The children have adventures of their own. Rian leaves Lord Msrah's estate, and although Makepeace certainly plays an important role in the story, we don't see nearly as much of him as I had hoped.
The story was still good, just not what I had been expecting after the first couple of chapters reeled me in. We're taken along on the unraveling of a mystery on an international level, with interesting alternate history bits and awe-inspiring deities thrown into the mix.
I just really enjoyed the character of Heriath/Makepeace, and would have loved for the book to have brought us closer to him. The nature of his accidental relationship with Rian is quite compelling, and although we do see it develop a bit, I wanted more, MORE! We do get one really great scene that focuses on this toward the end, which I LOVED. I do realize there are five books planned in this series, and so there might be plenty more snippets for us about how those two continue to learn how to deal with one another. So chop, chop, Ms. Host!
March 13, 2017
This was really interesting, but could at times almost be confusing, which slowed me down reading it a little bit.
I appreciate that Andrea K Host doesn't info dump on you. Instead, she throws you into the world she's created and lets you figure it out and discover it as you go, which is a great and challenging read. However, I think I would have liked to have that info dump, her outline of the world she was creating and all of its detail, at the end of the book so that I could read it after I was finished and compare her notes to what I was able to pick up and see what I missed, to kind of resolve things in my mind.
I love the idea of a fictional world where gods from mythology have Answered with a capital A, and show themselves to their people, so now you have god-touched people and monsters and Relics running around and creating all these conflicts, particularly in territorial politics. It was fascinating if, at times, confusing since I wasn't as familiar with Egyptian mythology or Swedish mythology or the mythology from which she pulled the gods that Answered the people in England with the sleeping dragons.
I definitely recommend studying the map at the beginning of the book. I was partway through before I realized that Alban was what she was calling the Scottish territory.
Well it was a slower read for me, I'm still super excited to see where the sequel leads.
I appreciate that Andrea K Host doesn't info dump on you. Instead, she throws you into the world she's created and lets you figure it out and discover it as you go, which is a great and challenging read. However, I think I would have liked to have that info dump, her outline of the world she was creating and all of its detail, at the end of the book so that I could read it after I was finished and compare her notes to what I was able to pick up and see what I missed, to kind of resolve things in my mind.
I love the idea of a fictional world where gods from mythology have Answered with a capital A, and show themselves to their people, so now you have god-touched people and monsters and Relics running around and creating all these conflicts, particularly in territorial politics. It was fascinating if, at times, confusing since I wasn't as familiar with Egyptian mythology or Swedish mythology or the mythology from which she pulled the gods that Answered the people in England with the sleeping dragons.
I definitely recommend studying the map at the beginning of the book. I was partway through before I realized that Alban was what she was calling the Scottish territory.
Well it was a slower read for me, I'm still super excited to see where the sequel leads.
June 9, 2025
I love this author and I imagine that this book is objectively very good. It’s not for me though, which is a first with her.
A huge part of it is that I don’t like children to be in the books I read. Like, at all. It really limits a narrative in the (very shallow) aspects that I currently value. These things include romance and things being blown up. At this point in my life I require all sorts of nonsense like that, none of which can happen when you’ve got a lot of kids to trip over.
My other complaint comes alongside the first.. there isn’t any sort of romantic subplot. This in no way reflects on the quality of the story. 10 years ago I would’ve made a pikachu face at the very thought of reading any sort of romance. But these days it’s a requirement.
All that to explain that the book is probably too good for me in the quality department.
A huge part of it is that I don’t like children to be in the books I read. Like, at all. It really limits a narrative in the (very shallow) aspects that I currently value. These things include romance and things being blown up. At this point in my life I require all sorts of nonsense like that, none of which can happen when you’ve got a lot of kids to trip over.
My other complaint comes alongside the first.. there isn’t any sort of romantic subplot. This in no way reflects on the quality of the story. 10 years ago I would’ve made a pikachu face at the very thought of reading any sort of romance. But these days it’s a requirement.
All that to explain that the book is probably too good for me in the quality department.
April 8, 2016
I don’t normally review self-published books but I decided to take a chance on this one because Host came recommended by my fellow YAcks and I really liked the premise. Egypt really does hook me in to pretty much anything. Add in that it’s an alternate history or maybe alternate universe and it has vampires and the blurb really hooked it. It was bordering on too high concept for me but I wanted to give it a try anyway, see how it worked out.
I liked the voice. A rather proper, Victorian air that lent itself to bustles and top hats just without those things. Despite the fact that the tone remained the same whether I was in Rian’s POV or the children’s they still remained distinct. Rian was far more proper, or should I say stiff, with few moments of weakness that she kept firmly hidden. Except one. That one made me kind of happy. The children were children: curious and mischievous and getting themselves involved in things that could potentially ruin them all.
I also liked the idea of the world. It wasn’t clear whether this was an alternate history or alternate universe where England, Rome, and Egypt all came to be these huge world powers simultaneously with pyramids all over the place but it made for a cool place to be, as someone who likes all three, especially in the ancient perspective. Throw in the steampunk elements and it all fit together pretty nicely in a grander picture.
This was a story that dropped you right into the world with no exposition. All that you know is from the blurb and you’re off running. You get bits and pieces of information explained as the story goes on but it’s a really disorienting start. I had this issue with the first Kate Daniels book by Ilona Andrews, MAGIC BITES. Same thing but that one eventually leveled out and I was able to settle into it. In THE PYRAMIDS OF LONDON, though, there was so much being thrown at me all the time that it was hard to keep track of it and it didn’t allow me to really ground myself in the world. World-specific things would be introduced and sometimes they’d get an explanation, sometimes they wouldn’t and the context wouldn’t always be clear to explain who or what they were so I found myself making a lot of assumptions.
I do nearly all of my digital reading at work so throughout the day I’m doing a lot of starting and stopping so I need to be able to easily leave a story and pick it back up without being thrown all helter skelter. That didn’t happen here. Like I said before it’s pretty high concept, there’s a lot going on, and the transition between chapters left gaps. One chapter would end on a seeming cliffhanger but when the next started it picked back up somewhere else in the story. It made for some jerky reading, especially with all the stop/start I had to do. There was an index at the end but all of the explanations in my copy were cut in half and I couldn’t read any of them so I wasn’t able to place much of anything in hindsight either. The world just ended up being a muddled mess in my head by the end of it and I can’t really remember heads or tails of what went on.
Coming from that it also made the plot kind of jerky. It wasn’t so much the transition between the children and Rian but how the plot was laid out. Trying to keep track of all of the world-specific stuff that may or may not have been explained and all of the scene jumps it made me feel like I was in stop and go traffic with the story. It wasn’t very fluid and made for a much rougher read than it should have been.
The world did approach sexuality as a fluid thing which I liked but I still found it disorienting because, again, it’s not explained. There were some situations where, like with Eleri and her princess crush, where I couldn’t tell if it was being approached as more of a childhood fancy, oh the girl thinks she ‘s going to marry the princess haha, or if it was supposed to be a genuine thing. I’m leaning toward the latter because Rian ends up developing feelings for another one of the princesses and it’s approached genuinely. But then that leads me to think about how these three societies in the world I inhabit and how they approached such things and it leads me to wanting to know why and/or how it’s okay in this world. Did something change, if it’s AH? Is it just the way it is if it’s an AU? Considering Host is using real empires in this story I can’t help but ask the question of how the notion of a royal lesbian marriage would be acceptable in this world (considering homosexuality was outright illegal in Britain, and while sexuality in Rome and Egypt might have been more open marriage was strictly heterosexual). I have no problem with it being there but considering the world I’m from it does detract from the story because it leaves an explanation gap in the world (among many other things, heirs?). My brain can’t help with the questions and when I don’t get answers it knocks the book down a peg.
I really wanted to like THE PYRAMIDS OF LONDON. It seemed like a neat premise and a pretty cool idea but when I read it there’s just too much going on. The premise is drowned out in a world with too much going on, not enough explanation, and it’s just disorienting to read. I couldn’t keep my attention on any one thing because I kept being pelted with world minutiae or new characters whom I couldn’t keep track of. My brain was split in too many directions with this one. The story lacked focus. There’s a lot to actually really like here but when I feel like I have to take detailed notes while reading a book for pleasure just to keep track of what’s going on then it’s a bit too much for me.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the voice. A rather proper, Victorian air that lent itself to bustles and top hats just without those things. Despite the fact that the tone remained the same whether I was in Rian’s POV or the children’s they still remained distinct. Rian was far more proper, or should I say stiff, with few moments of weakness that she kept firmly hidden. Except one. That one made me kind of happy. The children were children: curious and mischievous and getting themselves involved in things that could potentially ruin them all.
I also liked the idea of the world. It wasn’t clear whether this was an alternate history or alternate universe where England, Rome, and Egypt all came to be these huge world powers simultaneously with pyramids all over the place but it made for a cool place to be, as someone who likes all three, especially in the ancient perspective. Throw in the steampunk elements and it all fit together pretty nicely in a grander picture.
This was a story that dropped you right into the world with no exposition. All that you know is from the blurb and you’re off running. You get bits and pieces of information explained as the story goes on but it’s a really disorienting start. I had this issue with the first Kate Daniels book by Ilona Andrews, MAGIC BITES. Same thing but that one eventually leveled out and I was able to settle into it. In THE PYRAMIDS OF LONDON, though, there was so much being thrown at me all the time that it was hard to keep track of it and it didn’t allow me to really ground myself in the world. World-specific things would be introduced and sometimes they’d get an explanation, sometimes they wouldn’t and the context wouldn’t always be clear to explain who or what they were so I found myself making a lot of assumptions.
I do nearly all of my digital reading at work so throughout the day I’m doing a lot of starting and stopping so I need to be able to easily leave a story and pick it back up without being thrown all helter skelter. That didn’t happen here. Like I said before it’s pretty high concept, there’s a lot going on, and the transition between chapters left gaps. One chapter would end on a seeming cliffhanger but when the next started it picked back up somewhere else in the story. It made for some jerky reading, especially with all the stop/start I had to do. There was an index at the end but all of the explanations in my copy were cut in half and I couldn’t read any of them so I wasn’t able to place much of anything in hindsight either. The world just ended up being a muddled mess in my head by the end of it and I can’t really remember heads or tails of what went on.
Coming from that it also made the plot kind of jerky. It wasn’t so much the transition between the children and Rian but how the plot was laid out. Trying to keep track of all of the world-specific stuff that may or may not have been explained and all of the scene jumps it made me feel like I was in stop and go traffic with the story. It wasn’t very fluid and made for a much rougher read than it should have been.
The world did approach sexuality as a fluid thing which I liked but I still found it disorienting because, again, it’s not explained. There were some situations where, like with Eleri and her princess crush, where I couldn’t tell if it was being approached as more of a childhood fancy, oh the girl thinks she ‘s going to marry the princess haha, or if it was supposed to be a genuine thing. I’m leaning toward the latter because Rian ends up developing feelings for another one of the princesses and it’s approached genuinely. But then that leads me to think about how these three societies in the world I inhabit and how they approached such things and it leads me to wanting to know why and/or how it’s okay in this world. Did something change, if it’s AH? Is it just the way it is if it’s an AU? Considering Host is using real empires in this story I can’t help but ask the question of how the notion of a royal lesbian marriage would be acceptable in this world (considering homosexuality was outright illegal in Britain, and while sexuality in Rome and Egypt might have been more open marriage was strictly heterosexual). I have no problem with it being there but considering the world I’m from it does detract from the story because it leaves an explanation gap in the world (among many other things, heirs?). My brain can’t help with the questions and when I don’t get answers it knocks the book down a peg.
I really wanted to like THE PYRAMIDS OF LONDON. It seemed like a neat premise and a pretty cool idea but when I read it there’s just too much going on. The premise is drowned out in a world with too much going on, not enough explanation, and it’s just disorienting to read. I couldn’t keep my attention on any one thing because I kept being pelted with world minutiae or new characters whom I couldn’t keep track of. My brain was split in too many directions with this one. The story lacked focus. There’s a lot to actually really like here but when I feel like I have to take detailed notes while reading a book for pleasure just to keep track of what’s going on then it’s a bit too much for me.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the author through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 12, 2025
This is the second book of Höst's books I've read, and im definitely now a fan. The author upends/subverts a number of fantasy tropes (& after 40+ years of reading fantasy, I'm always on the lookout for something new) & this is where self-published books can shine.
Pyramids of London is an eclectic mix of vampirism, steampunk, various Gods (& their Avatars), automatons, and various other oddities that on the surface wouldn't seem to work but it does, almost seamlessly.
It was great having an almost primarily female cast; the MC was extremely relatable, and as a mother, i found the young people quite realistically written (especially as they were all dealing with some quite traumatic life changing events.
Pyramids of London is an eclectic mix of vampirism, steampunk, various Gods (& their Avatars), automatons, and various other oddities that on the surface wouldn't seem to work but it does, almost seamlessly.
It was great having an almost primarily female cast; the MC was extremely relatable, and as a mother, i found the young people quite realistically written (especially as they were all dealing with some quite traumatic life changing events.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews