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The Splendid City
A genre-blending story of modern witchcraft, a police state and WTF characters, for fans of Alice Hoffman and Madeline Miller.
In the state of Liberty, water is rationed at alarming prices, free speech is hardly without a cost, and Texas has just declared itself its own country. In this society, paranoia is well-suited because eyes and ears are all around, and they are judging. Always judging. This terrifying (and yet somehow vaguely familiar) terrain is explored via Eleanor – a young woman eagerly learning about the gifts of her magic through the support of her coven.
But being a white witch is not as easy as they portray it in the books, and she’s already been placed under ‘house arrest’ with a letch named Stan, a co-worker who wronged her in the past and now exists in the form of a cat. A talking cat who loves craft beers, picket lines, and duping and ‘shooting’ people.
Eleanor has no time for Stan and his shenanigans, because she finds herself helping another coven locate a missing witch which she thinks is mysteriously linked to the shortage of water in Liberty.
In the state of Liberty, water is rationed at alarming prices, free speech is hardly without a cost, and Texas has just declared itself its own country. In this society, paranoia is well-suited because eyes and ears are all around, and they are judging. Always judging. This terrifying (and yet somehow vaguely familiar) terrain is explored via Eleanor – a young woman eagerly learning about the gifts of her magic through the support of her coven.
But being a white witch is not as easy as they portray it in the books, and she’s already been placed under ‘house arrest’ with a letch named Stan, a co-worker who wronged her in the past and now exists in the form of a cat. A talking cat who loves craft beers, picket lines, and duping and ‘shooting’ people.
Eleanor has no time for Stan and his shenanigans, because she finds herself helping another coven locate a missing witch which she thinks is mysteriously linked to the shortage of water in Liberty.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 12, 2022
103 people are currently reading
2030 people want to read
About the author
Karen Heuler
63 books71 followersKaren Heuler’s stories have appeared in over 100 literary and speculative journals and anthologies, such as F&SF and Asimov's and Conjunctions. She has won an O. Henry award, been nominated for Pushcart and Best American Short Story awards, and was a finalist for the Bellwether Award and the Shirley Jackson Award. The New York Times called her first collection, "The Other Door," “haunting and quirky.” Her short-story collection, "The Inner City," was listed as one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2013. Her novels include "Glorious Plague," about a beautiful apocalypse. Her last book, "The Splendid City," from Angry Robot Books, exiles a novice witch and the man she illegally turned into a cat to Liberty (formerly known as Texas), where constant parades and missing water make life interesting. Her newest collection, "A Slice of the Dark," messes up reality a bit--just a bit--maybe a little more than a bit--with strange tales that might explain a lot.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
September 8, 2022
There are a lot of interesting ideas in this related to a police state, authoritarianism, and climate change. The premise is also fun; however, this was a miss for me. I'm not totally sure if I just didn't connect with the humor or if the satire was not fully baked. Either way, it didn't end up working for me, particularly in the second half where we get an info dump back story
April 23, 2022
This book could have been an instant classic, but I couldn't help getting more and more disappointed as I kept reading.
Part 1 of The Splendid City does everything a literary masterpiece should and more. It throws you straight into the grotesque world of Liberty (former Texas) and the story told from two different perspectives: a half-witch and a talking cat. As I sped through the first few chapters, I was certain I stumbled upon a brilliant social commentary exposing the faults of our society through this Orwellian anti-utopia. The satirical writing of that first part is clearly inspired by Bulgakov and very much lives up to his standards as we watch Eleanor and Stan explore Liberty and its bizarre ways.
However, Part 2 left me in utter disappointment with it's lengthy throwbacks to the main character's past and an unnecessarily detailed account of how she became a witch. I couldn't believe this was written by the same author, but as I powered through it, I got a glimpse of hope when Heuler shifted focus once again to give us insight into the relationship between the two main characters, which turned out to be full of abuse and casual workplace harassment.
Unfortunately, the further we advance into the story, the less interesting it gets. At a certain point, it becomes painfully obvious where the plot is taking us, and that direction is void of any purpose you might have been expecting from earlier chapters. It almost feels as if the author took up the task that turned out to be beyond what she could accomplish. Perhaps, she never wanted to accomplish anything of the sort at all, and it's just me looking too deep into the first part of the novel. I can only say that this could have been the next Master and Margarita, but at the end of the day it's just another witchy novel.
I'm sure it will be enjoyed by people expecting exactly that and reading it as an adventure book showing the characters' personal journeys to find themselves. Read this if you like witchy novels, feminist reads and appreciate satire.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @AngryRobotBooks for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Part 1 of The Splendid City does everything a literary masterpiece should and more. It throws you straight into the grotesque world of Liberty (former Texas) and the story told from two different perspectives: a half-witch and a talking cat. As I sped through the first few chapters, I was certain I stumbled upon a brilliant social commentary exposing the faults of our society through this Orwellian anti-utopia. The satirical writing of that first part is clearly inspired by Bulgakov and very much lives up to his standards as we watch Eleanor and Stan explore Liberty and its bizarre ways.
However, Part 2 left me in utter disappointment with it's lengthy throwbacks to the main character's past and an unnecessarily detailed account of how she became a witch. I couldn't believe this was written by the same author, but as I powered through it, I got a glimpse of hope when Heuler shifted focus once again to give us insight into the relationship between the two main characters, which turned out to be full of abuse and casual workplace harassment.
Unfortunately, the further we advance into the story, the less interesting it gets. At a certain point, it becomes painfully obvious where the plot is taking us, and that direction is void of any purpose you might have been expecting from earlier chapters. It almost feels as if the author took up the task that turned out to be beyond what she could accomplish. Perhaps, she never wanted to accomplish anything of the sort at all, and it's just me looking too deep into the first part of the novel. I can only say that this could have been the next Master and Margarita, but at the end of the day it's just another witchy novel.
I'm sure it will be enjoyed by people expecting exactly that and reading it as an adventure book showing the characters' personal journeys to find themselves. Read this if you like witchy novels, feminist reads and appreciate satire.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @AngryRobotBooks for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 4, 2022
“How was your day?” Eleanor asked the cat when he walked in the door. She could see that he was miffed. He was always miffed.
“I shot someone again,” he said, sighing. He had to agree it was becoming a nasty habit.
“I do regret it.”
Welcome to Liberty, a state free from the constraints of the US government, a state run by its own President. At first glance Liberty looks like a pleasant place to live— regular parades are held, who doesn’t love a parade? Prizes are freely given, and the people walk around with a sense of contentment. Dig a little deeper, look behind the curtains, and you’ll see a state where water is rationed and charged at alarming rates, free speech could cost you a trip in a van never to be seen again, and automaton heads in the likeness of the President watch your every move.
The Splendid City by Karen Heuler, is an offbeat tale of witches, a deranged talking cat, and a thoughtful reflection on social injustices, all told through quick-witted prose. This is perhaps one of the quirkiest books I’ve read in a long time, a clever blend of dystopia, mystery and urban fantasy, which delivered a compelling read.
The story follows Eleanor, a witch who is sent to Liberty by her coven leader, Gloria, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Daria, a witch from another coven. Eleanor also must discover if Daria may be linked to the water shortages in Liberty. She isn’t sent alone though—meet Stan, the talking, extremely boastful and oh so darkly humorous cat. Stan used to be a man, but a past unpleasant incident with Eleanor caused her to use her powers to transform him. As punishment to them both, Gloria takes away much of Eleanor’s powers and will not restore them nor help turn Stan back into a man until both of them have learnt their lesson.
As despicable as Stan is, I have to admit he made me laugh at every turn. He’s a character who is deluded, he believes himself to be above everyone else, his intelligence is unmatched, he manipulates, lies, and is self-indulgent. Yet he’s also a character who loves spicy fish tacos, cream cakes, beer and can’t resist a box. The contrast between Stan’s inner thoughts, his feline appearance and his outward actions was immensely comical. At first glance he’s charming, but underneath we see how unhinged he truly is! Stan is one of those characters you just love to hate.
Our second main protagonist is not without her faults too though. Eleanor lacks empathy, she’s hot tempered, often understandably so but her rashness always leads her to further trouble. As we get further into the book we learn of Eleanor’s backstory and how her discovery of the witches’ coven finally led her to a place where her differences were seen as a gift, not a curse. Under tutelage of the entire coven, Eleanor trains in the art of magic, honing her powers and becoming a true witch in her own right. Gloria provided a home for misfits with extraordinary powers, for females to be as diverse and quirky as they like. The only problem was, Eleanor struggled to stick to the rules.
“She could feel the tension rising in the air. Everyone contributed to it, as if they were a massed beating heart. And then the van’s door opened, two arms reached out, grabbed him, and he was gone.”
Throughout Heur delivers a slow burn plot which is riddled with philosophical ideas on feminism, the unhealthy side of social media, and those who have innate privilege. Heir’s prose often reads like a stream of consciousness, with a small amount of ’head hopping’ and jumping from one thought to the next. Usually I would find this type of narrative style confusing, but in this case I found Huer’s prose to be cleverly written. Many of her lines are food for thought—she represents social injustices in a stark way, shedding light on American gun crime, prejudice against minorities, misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Heur also pokes fun at the government, particularly in the way she portrays the President of Liberty who allows atrocities such as kidnappings to take place, yet is still loved by the people. We clearly see the President keeps a firm hold on the city, his animatronic heads watching the citizens, spreading propaganda, weeding out traitors, all under the pretence that he is helping the people lead better lives. Liberty appears eerie in the way that people never question the oddities that occur there, not even when they are desperate for such a basic need as water. In a frightening way, Heur’s Liberty state could so easily become a state in our world.
The Splendid City is not without its whimsical moments too—there are witches flying on brooms, and a cat on a treasure hunt. Heur’s wonderful blend of quirkiness, humour and politics creates such a deliciously witchy read with a twist.
“This world of witches was different from anything she’d known. She had stumbled onto them, never having sought them out; they had found her. Little by little she began to yield…”
ARC provided by Caroline at Angry Robot Books. Thank you for the copy. All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
“I shot someone again,” he said, sighing. He had to agree it was becoming a nasty habit.
“I do regret it.”
Welcome to Liberty, a state free from the constraints of the US government, a state run by its own President. At first glance Liberty looks like a pleasant place to live— regular parades are held, who doesn’t love a parade? Prizes are freely given, and the people walk around with a sense of contentment. Dig a little deeper, look behind the curtains, and you’ll see a state where water is rationed and charged at alarming rates, free speech could cost you a trip in a van never to be seen again, and automaton heads in the likeness of the President watch your every move.
The Splendid City by Karen Heuler, is an offbeat tale of witches, a deranged talking cat, and a thoughtful reflection on social injustices, all told through quick-witted prose. This is perhaps one of the quirkiest books I’ve read in a long time, a clever blend of dystopia, mystery and urban fantasy, which delivered a compelling read.
The story follows Eleanor, a witch who is sent to Liberty by her coven leader, Gloria, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Daria, a witch from another coven. Eleanor also must discover if Daria may be linked to the water shortages in Liberty. She isn’t sent alone though—meet Stan, the talking, extremely boastful and oh so darkly humorous cat. Stan used to be a man, but a past unpleasant incident with Eleanor caused her to use her powers to transform him. As punishment to them both, Gloria takes away much of Eleanor’s powers and will not restore them nor help turn Stan back into a man until both of them have learnt their lesson.
As despicable as Stan is, I have to admit he made me laugh at every turn. He’s a character who is deluded, he believes himself to be above everyone else, his intelligence is unmatched, he manipulates, lies, and is self-indulgent. Yet he’s also a character who loves spicy fish tacos, cream cakes, beer and can’t resist a box. The contrast between Stan’s inner thoughts, his feline appearance and his outward actions was immensely comical. At first glance he’s charming, but underneath we see how unhinged he truly is! Stan is one of those characters you just love to hate.
Our second main protagonist is not without her faults too though. Eleanor lacks empathy, she’s hot tempered, often understandably so but her rashness always leads her to further trouble. As we get further into the book we learn of Eleanor’s backstory and how her discovery of the witches’ coven finally led her to a place where her differences were seen as a gift, not a curse. Under tutelage of the entire coven, Eleanor trains in the art of magic, honing her powers and becoming a true witch in her own right. Gloria provided a home for misfits with extraordinary powers, for females to be as diverse and quirky as they like. The only problem was, Eleanor struggled to stick to the rules.
“She could feel the tension rising in the air. Everyone contributed to it, as if they were a massed beating heart. And then the van’s door opened, two arms reached out, grabbed him, and he was gone.”
Throughout Heur delivers a slow burn plot which is riddled with philosophical ideas on feminism, the unhealthy side of social media, and those who have innate privilege. Heir’s prose often reads like a stream of consciousness, with a small amount of ’head hopping’ and jumping from one thought to the next. Usually I would find this type of narrative style confusing, but in this case I found Huer’s prose to be cleverly written. Many of her lines are food for thought—she represents social injustices in a stark way, shedding light on American gun crime, prejudice against minorities, misogyny and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Heur also pokes fun at the government, particularly in the way she portrays the President of Liberty who allows atrocities such as kidnappings to take place, yet is still loved by the people. We clearly see the President keeps a firm hold on the city, his animatronic heads watching the citizens, spreading propaganda, weeding out traitors, all under the pretence that he is helping the people lead better lives. Liberty appears eerie in the way that people never question the oddities that occur there, not even when they are desperate for such a basic need as water. In a frightening way, Heur’s Liberty state could so easily become a state in our world.
The Splendid City is not without its whimsical moments too—there are witches flying on brooms, and a cat on a treasure hunt. Heur’s wonderful blend of quirkiness, humour and politics creates such a deliciously witchy read with a twist.
“This world of witches was different from anything she’d known. She had stumbled onto them, never having sought them out; they had found her. Little by little she began to yield…”
ARC provided by Caroline at Angry Robot Books. Thank you for the copy. All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
May 28, 2022
Eleanor was in the process of learning witchcraft when she turned her coworker into a cat. It doesn’t matter that her reasons were valid; she behaved in a manner most uncovenly and now she’s living with the consequences. This means she’s stuck living with said cat, whose metamorphosis didn’t magically improve his personality.
Eleanor and Stan are now in Liberty, which once upon a time was Texas. Before it seceded, that is. Now it has animatronic presidential heads and people are whisked off in vans, presumably never to be seen again. There’s nougat, which is nice, but there’s also a water shortage, which isn’t.
Eleanor has been tasked with finding a missing witch. Stan, when he’s not scrounging up fish tacos and beer, is on a treasure hunt.
I was keen to find out how a story with a witch who turns a detestable coworker into a cat would play out. I’m now wondering if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this read.
I appreciated the political commentary and satire. I was interested in learning how witchcraft worked in this dystopia, but didn’t connect with any of the witches.
I thought I’d be amused by insufferable, newly feline Stan as he tried to make his way in the world but I hated him. It wasn’t the fun type of hate, though, where you love to hate someone. I love villains when they’re complex and especially when they’re accidentally good some of the time, but if Stan had any redeeming qualities, I didn’t find them. In the end, I didn’t want to spend any time with him.
The story is told in three parts. The second, which addresses how Eleanor became a witch and Stan became a cat, felt like one big info dump.
I’d encourage you to read the five star reviews because there are people that absolutely love this book. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Eleanor and Stan are now in Liberty, which once upon a time was Texas. Before it seceded, that is. Now it has animatronic presidential heads and people are whisked off in vans, presumably never to be seen again. There’s nougat, which is nice, but there’s also a water shortage, which isn’t.
Eleanor has been tasked with finding a missing witch. Stan, when he’s not scrounging up fish tacos and beer, is on a treasure hunt.
I was keen to find out how a story with a witch who turns a detestable coworker into a cat would play out. I’m now wondering if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this read.
I appreciated the political commentary and satire. I was interested in learning how witchcraft worked in this dystopia, but didn’t connect with any of the witches.
I thought I’d be amused by insufferable, newly feline Stan as he tried to make his way in the world but I hated him. It wasn’t the fun type of hate, though, where you love to hate someone. I love villains when they’re complex and especially when they’re accidentally good some of the time, but if Stan had any redeeming qualities, I didn’t find them. In the end, I didn’t want to spend any time with him.
The story is told in three parts. The second, which addresses how Eleanor became a witch and Stan became a cat, felt like one big info dump.
I’d encourage you to read the five star reviews because there are people that absolutely love this book. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the book for me.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read this book.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
November 27, 2022
If Ray Bradbury dated a tumblr witch and then went on a 30-day coke binge, I imagine he’d write this
May 31, 2022
My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
However, I'm only taking the time to review it here in the hopes that I save others from the dismal waning of life-force that I was subjected to whilst trying to finish it: life is too short, people.
The very first sentence was mildly amusing - anyone who knows cats knows that if you let them loose with a gun, they're going to shoot humans - but it went rapidly downhill from there. It was neither full-blown fantasy nor serious satire, although this might have been redeemed with a better writer. Sadly, the characters were flat, and their actions highly illogical (when we find out why Stan has been turned into a cat, well, personally, images of sacks and rivers crossed my mind). The style was also flat, and often pointless - they bought a cake and went into the desert and then came back again to no obvious purpose or advancement of the plot - reading that 40-odd pages is a piece of my life that I'll never get back!
The story meandered, and when it eventually resolved, it seemed to be much ado about nothing, and the very last part boggled belief - it was quite clear that the heroine had learned nothing from her travails.
Possibly this might appeal to those who are more invested in U.S. politics, but even then, the obvious villain turns out to be reasonably harmless (so was it a subtle vote of confidence for Trump??) which makes a nonsense of all the suffering and aggravation endured by many citizens of the U.S. in the last several years.
I found this book tedious in the extreme, and had to be quite harsh with myself to finish it - housework appealed more, quite frankly, and it's difficult to find anything that I like less.
So. Hope this review saves some of you, sorry Karen Heuler, but I won't be reading your back catalogue.
However, I'm only taking the time to review it here in the hopes that I save others from the dismal waning of life-force that I was subjected to whilst trying to finish it: life is too short, people.
The very first sentence was mildly amusing - anyone who knows cats knows that if you let them loose with a gun, they're going to shoot humans - but it went rapidly downhill from there. It was neither full-blown fantasy nor serious satire, although this might have been redeemed with a better writer. Sadly, the characters were flat, and their actions highly illogical (when we find out why Stan has been turned into a cat, well, personally, images of sacks and rivers crossed my mind). The style was also flat, and often pointless - they bought a cake and went into the desert and then came back again to no obvious purpose or advancement of the plot - reading that 40-odd pages is a piece of my life that I'll never get back!
The story meandered, and when it eventually resolved, it seemed to be much ado about nothing, and the very last part boggled belief - it was quite clear that the heroine had learned nothing from her travails.
Possibly this might appeal to those who are more invested in U.S. politics, but even then, the obvious villain turns out to be reasonably harmless (so was it a subtle vote of confidence for Trump??) which makes a nonsense of all the suffering and aggravation endured by many citizens of the U.S. in the last several years.
I found this book tedious in the extreme, and had to be quite harsh with myself to finish it - housework appealed more, quite frankly, and it's difficult to find anything that I like less.
So. Hope this review saves some of you, sorry Karen Heuler, but I won't be reading your back catalogue.
May 12, 2022
THE SPLENDID CITY by Karen Heuler is a standalone novel about modern practices of witchcraft, Texas becoming its own country and a talking cat who came to drink beer, eat fish tacos, shoot people and chew bubblegum.
Except he's all out of bubblegum.
I must be honest with you, my friends. I saw that one line about the cat in the blurb for this book and it is 100% the reason I requested the ARC. I felt that while it explored some tricky societal topics, I just knew the cat would deliver on the comedic relief. I WAS NOT WRONG! I wasn't even a full page in and the cat (Stan) had already shot someone. I laughed and laughed and laughed reading this novel. Between Stan the Cat, Eleanor the White-Witch-In-Training and the zany way Texas, now known as Liberty, was conducting government practices, I had a great time.
So what IS this book about? Eleanor, a young witch...well half-witch, has been sent to Liberty to investigate the disappearance of another witch, Daria. Stan the Cat accompanies Eleanor, not because he wants to, you understand, because he HAS to. Stan is a man whom Eleanor transformed into a cat and they are both to remain together until they've learned their lessons about why what they did to each other was wrong that led to the transformation. Basically, they're 5 year olds being made to hug it out. (I am laughing as I write this - it is too funny!!)
Liberty is full of paranoia. The president has taken to rationing water by charging high prices, that keep rising with almost each passing day. There's no such thing as free speech with all the animatronic heads stationed throughout, either. With this paranoia, people would rather judge you than help you, so the landscape is a tricky one for our Eleanor.
I am a huge fan of this story, as well as a new fan of Heuler. I was happy to see she has several other pieces available to read, so I look forward to reading more of her work and her easy flowing writing style. I love the way she developed and shaped her characters and crafted their personalities!
Except he's all out of bubblegum.
I must be honest with you, my friends. I saw that one line about the cat in the blurb for this book and it is 100% the reason I requested the ARC. I felt that while it explored some tricky societal topics, I just knew the cat would deliver on the comedic relief. I WAS NOT WRONG! I wasn't even a full page in and the cat (Stan) had already shot someone. I laughed and laughed and laughed reading this novel. Between Stan the Cat, Eleanor the White-Witch-In-Training and the zany way Texas, now known as Liberty, was conducting government practices, I had a great time.
So what IS this book about? Eleanor, a young witch...well half-witch, has been sent to Liberty to investigate the disappearance of another witch, Daria. Stan the Cat accompanies Eleanor, not because he wants to, you understand, because he HAS to. Stan is a man whom Eleanor transformed into a cat and they are both to remain together until they've learned their lessons about why what they did to each other was wrong that led to the transformation. Basically, they're 5 year olds being made to hug it out. (I am laughing as I write this - it is too funny!!)
Liberty is full of paranoia. The president has taken to rationing water by charging high prices, that keep rising with almost each passing day. There's no such thing as free speech with all the animatronic heads stationed throughout, either. With this paranoia, people would rather judge you than help you, so the landscape is a tricky one for our Eleanor.
I am a huge fan of this story, as well as a new fan of Heuler. I was happy to see she has several other pieces available to read, so I look forward to reading more of her work and her easy flowing writing style. I love the way she developed and shaped her characters and crafted their personalities!
April 2, 2023
2.5, this book felt like a fever dream, maybe that’s because I read it while I was sick. There was a cat who would just shoot people with in the arm if they made him even a tad upset, and it added absolutely nothing to the story, but it made it quite entertaining. I impulse bought this book literally because the cover was funny. I once again prioritized this book over studying for an exam, may my grades rest in peace. Despite the strange plot, it was quite funny, so I will leave you with some quotes I enjoyed.
“What a splendid day it was turning out to be. He looked around, hoping to find a couple going through a divorce, or a father disciplining a child, but was disappointed.”
“‘They’d better not hit me,’ Stan muttered. ‘I’ve got a gun.”
“If there is no water, we will drink champagne!”
“‘I’ll take the cake home for the cat. He loves cake.’
‘But I don’t think strawberry cake is good for cats.’
‘Even better.’”
“‘What’d you do that for?’
‘Why’d you push me in?’
‘Poor impulse control,’ Jem said. ‘It’s an affliction. A handicap. You basically grabbed a disabled man.’”
“‘That water’s really not for swimming, you know. It’s drinking water.’
‘Um, I peed in the water. I think you should know.’”
“What a splendid day it was turning out to be. He looked around, hoping to find a couple going through a divorce, or a father disciplining a child, but was disappointed.”
“‘They’d better not hit me,’ Stan muttered. ‘I’ve got a gun.”
“If there is no water, we will drink champagne!”
“‘I’ll take the cake home for the cat. He loves cake.’
‘But I don’t think strawberry cake is good for cats.’
‘Even better.’”
“‘What’d you do that for?’
‘Why’d you push me in?’
‘Poor impulse control,’ Jem said. ‘It’s an affliction. A handicap. You basically grabbed a disabled man.’”
“‘That water’s really not for swimming, you know. It’s drinking water.’
‘Um, I peed in the water. I think you should know.’”
June 18, 2022
The Splendid City is without a doubt the most unique fantasy story I have ever read. This is my first read from Angry Robot, which describes itself as “genrefluid” and a publisher of “SF, F, and WTF”. They absolutely weren’t kidding.
One part “witchy read”, one part totalitarian dystopian, one part mystery, one part Miyazaki movie, and one part political satire; it feels like the author took a bunch of different stories and quite literally put them in a blender - but I mean that in the best possible way. This book was a lot of fun and I am so glad I picked it up! I will happily and eagerly read more from author Karen Heuler and this publisher in the future.
Divided into three parts, the novel opens in the middle of the action. Then - at a pivotal moment - brings the reader back in time and supplies the backstory before resuming the main plot. Personally, I think that this was a good choice by the author, and it kept me guessing the whole way through.
Finally, if a gun-toting, beer-loving, talking cat doesn’t entice you to read this novel, then I don’t know what will.
One part “witchy read”, one part totalitarian dystopian, one part mystery, one part Miyazaki movie, and one part political satire; it feels like the author took a bunch of different stories and quite literally put them in a blender - but I mean that in the best possible way. This book was a lot of fun and I am so glad I picked it up! I will happily and eagerly read more from author Karen Heuler and this publisher in the future.
Divided into three parts, the novel opens in the middle of the action. Then - at a pivotal moment - brings the reader back in time and supplies the backstory before resuming the main plot. Personally, I think that this was a good choice by the author, and it kept me guessing the whole way through.
Finally, if a gun-toting, beer-loving, talking cat doesn’t entice you to read this novel, then I don’t know what will.
August 10, 2022
Review: https://clife.blog/2022/08/16/book-re...
I really wasn’t sure of this, the plot summary on the page was not very clear either.
To sum it up: Eleanor is an exiled Witch. Stan is the Cat she has to look after, he is grumpy and limits himself to ‘shooting’ one person per day. It seemed very immature. We don’t know why they are put together and the fact they are bound together in order to find out what had happened to a missing witch. Messed up world charging for extra things is what caught my attention as it was so relatable however that was about it.
This is obviously a dystopian based world however it just didn’t feel right and the characters just annoyed me.
I really wasn’t sure of this, the plot summary on the page was not very clear either.
To sum it up: Eleanor is an exiled Witch. Stan is the Cat she has to look after, he is grumpy and limits himself to ‘shooting’ one person per day. It seemed very immature. We don’t know why they are put together and the fact they are bound together in order to find out what had happened to a missing witch. Messed up world charging for extra things is what caught my attention as it was so relatable however that was about it.
This is obviously a dystopian based world however it just didn’t feel right and the characters just annoyed me.
October 26, 2022
This book is boring.
How could you make a book with a cat that shoots people so damn tedious.
How could you make a book with a cat that shoots people so damn tedious.
May 25, 2022
3.5/5
RTC
RTC
June 8, 2022
Thanks to Angry Robot for sending me a copy!
The Splendid City by Karen Heuler comes out July 12th!
It's a dystopian fantasy satire about social injustices, there's a coven of witches, a treasure hunt, a shortage of water, an abundance of begrudgery & a giant talking cat named Stan!
The Splendid City by Karen Heuler comes out July 12th!
It's a dystopian fantasy satire about social injustices, there's a coven of witches, a treasure hunt, a shortage of water, an abundance of begrudgery & a giant talking cat named Stan!
July 2, 2022
I really wanted to love this book, and I'm giving it two stars instead of one only because the ideas started out strong - but then spiraled into nothing.
I think the main issue with this book is that it's neither a full political satire nor a full feminist witchy story. It tries to blend both, and while a better edited novel might have made it work, I don't think this one reached that level. And that's not a dig Heuler - I watched a long interview with her about this book before reading it, and she seems like a thoughtful, precise author. She mentioned how she had gone through and made the story less specifically about the Trump administration and also added the New York flashback, and those two aspects seemed to be the more clumsy ones in the novel.
I did love the political commentary in the first part of the book - it captures the absurdity of our political climate and especially how people can be distracted and entertained into not caring or acting on real issues. I particularly loved Stan and his Whispers and Augments (thinly veiled Twitter stand-ins). He only posts ridiculous questions and content to get the most people interacting with them, he lives for inspiring anger and comment wars, he has no moral or ethical standards for himself or what he posts - it's all just so he can get ad revenue and inflate his ridiculous ego. He's so repulsive and it works so well to show the grossest sides of all social media.
But, in making the story more general and less about the Trump administration specifically, the story really falls flat by the end. Because we still have the president character, who in many many ways is similar to Trump and other demagogues, but it turns out he's really just a puppet for a bad witch who has been pulling the strings all along. Are all demagogues just enabled by rogue water witches?
I'm rambling and getting sick of this review, so I'll just say this book put me in a bad mood, and by the time I got through part two and realized I didn't like it but should just finish it. None of the characters are all that great, the "sisterhood" of the witches isn't very believable because all of the characters feel distant and not very developed, the big bad seems to be hubris but no one learns any lessons about being humble, and everything just feels clumsy. It's trying to be a timeless satire but doesn't have enough teeth to do so.
I think the main issue with this book is that it's neither a full political satire nor a full feminist witchy story. It tries to blend both, and while a better edited novel might have made it work, I don't think this one reached that level. And that's not a dig Heuler - I watched a long interview with her about this book before reading it, and she seems like a thoughtful, precise author. She mentioned how she had gone through and made the story less specifically about the Trump administration and also added the New York flashback, and those two aspects seemed to be the more clumsy ones in the novel.
I did love the political commentary in the first part of the book - it captures the absurdity of our political climate and especially how people can be distracted and entertained into not caring or acting on real issues. I particularly loved Stan and his Whispers and Augments (thinly veiled Twitter stand-ins). He only posts ridiculous questions and content to get the most people interacting with them, he lives for inspiring anger and comment wars, he has no moral or ethical standards for himself or what he posts - it's all just so he can get ad revenue and inflate his ridiculous ego. He's so repulsive and it works so well to show the grossest sides of all social media.
But, in making the story more general and less about the Trump administration specifically, the story really falls flat by the end. Because we still have the president character, who in many many ways is similar to Trump and other demagogues, but it turns out he's really just a puppet for a bad witch who has been pulling the strings all along. Are all demagogues just enabled by rogue water witches?
I'm rambling and getting sick of this review, so I'll just say this book put me in a bad mood, and by the time I got through part two and realized I didn't like it but should just finish it. None of the characters are all that great, the "sisterhood" of the witches isn't very believable because all of the characters feel distant and not very developed, the big bad seems to be hubris but no one learns any lessons about being humble, and everything just feels clumsy. It's trying to be a timeless satire but doesn't have enough teeth to do so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2022
[I don't know why this edition is listed as having 400 pages, as my copy only has 261. So it's more like I DNF'd at roughly 48%, not 28%. Anyway, this is for my own records, which definitely exist...]
Well, it's an unfortunate addition to the DNF pile. I thought a combination of witches, surreal dystopia, political satire, and trigger-happy sarcastic cats would make for a perfectly silly and enjoyable book, but... nah. Quirky as all heck, but I felt it didn't quite achieve whatever it set out to do.
It's very easy to race through this book, and the first chapter or so lets you keep up that momentum. You're thrown into the bizarre city of Liberty, with its erratic water shortages, carefully controlled media, vans snatching people off the street, and plenty of distractions for the general public to keep them happy and unconcerned. Where do witches and talking cats fall in all of this? Hm, I didn't get far enough to find out, but I also was ready to accept that this was a parallel world and that was normal.
However, the two main characters – Eleanor the witch, and Stan her sarcastic cat (who is the product of an impulsive transfiguration by Eleanor) – quickly started to annoy me. They were two extremes, I think: Eleanor wasn't much of anything, really. With a quote that says "She had pale skin, medium length brown hair, hazel eyes, and a face that gave away everything", it felt like I was just told a whole lot of nothing about her, and after spending a hundred pages or so with her, I didn't care to know more.
As for Stan, he started out enjoyably annoying and selfish, but then his self-aggrandizing internal monologues really started to grate. He wasn't a character I enjoyed disliking; I literally did not enjoy any of his parts of the story.
The writing style bothered me, too. I think it was going for a simple and surrealist thing, but there were often times where the prose kept spelling out what was already clearly inferred by the dialogue or by the preceding sentence. I felt like I wasn't trusted as a reader to get the nuance or subtext, which I think would have made it more enjoyable to dissect the world and the political landscape, and the psychologies of the characters. I wasn't really in the mood to persist in reading it to the end, I think that would have been too tedious for me.
Well, it's an unfortunate addition to the DNF pile. I thought a combination of witches, surreal dystopia, political satire, and trigger-happy sarcastic cats would make for a perfectly silly and enjoyable book, but... nah. Quirky as all heck, but I felt it didn't quite achieve whatever it set out to do.
It's very easy to race through this book, and the first chapter or so lets you keep up that momentum. You're thrown into the bizarre city of Liberty, with its erratic water shortages, carefully controlled media, vans snatching people off the street, and plenty of distractions for the general public to keep them happy and unconcerned. Where do witches and talking cats fall in all of this? Hm, I didn't get far enough to find out, but I also was ready to accept that this was a parallel world and that was normal.
However, the two main characters – Eleanor the witch, and Stan her sarcastic cat (who is the product of an impulsive transfiguration by Eleanor) – quickly started to annoy me. They were two extremes, I think: Eleanor wasn't much of anything, really. With a quote that says "She had pale skin, medium length brown hair, hazel eyes, and a face that gave away everything", it felt like I was just told a whole lot of nothing about her, and after spending a hundred pages or so with her, I didn't care to know more.
As for Stan, he started out enjoyably annoying and selfish, but then his self-aggrandizing internal monologues really started to grate. He wasn't a character I enjoyed disliking; I literally did not enjoy any of his parts of the story.
The writing style bothered me, too. I think it was going for a simple and surrealist thing, but there were often times where the prose kept spelling out what was already clearly inferred by the dialogue or by the preceding sentence. I felt like I wasn't trusted as a reader to get the nuance or subtext, which I think would have made it more enjoyable to dissect the world and the political landscape, and the psychologies of the characters. I wasn't really in the mood to persist in reading it to the end, I think that would have been too tedious for me.
April 7, 2023
this book quite literally made no sense. there was a talking cat with a gun who was actually a creepy incel who had a spell cast on him, a witch with half a personality and a bunch of other witches for some reason???, and a weird sci-fi dystopia setting that tried to make social and political commentaries but wasn't successful. i could not actually tell you the plot of this book.
February 11, 2022
Whimsical, satiric, and bursting with imagination, THE SPLENDID CITY is the novel we've all been waiting for from Karen Heuler, one that takes all the ingredients she's honed over decades of publishing quality literary and fantasy fiction and distills it into a perfect nugget of a novel. I've long thought Heuler deserved a larger audience, and this funny, accessible novel should be what finally draws them in. Also, as a cat owner, I felt a lot of this deep in my soul!
January 15, 2025
I think there is a balance between no exposition and too much exposition. Unfortunately, this book not only doesn't find the balance, it does both at once!
Overall, I wish the structure was a little different and I did really enjoy the middle of the book but the beginning was a little overwhelming and the ending was underwhelming.
I wouldn't say don't read the book but be warned for some weirdness.
Overall, I wish the structure was a little different and I did really enjoy the middle of the book but the beginning was a little overwhelming and the ending was underwhelming.
I wouldn't say don't read the book but be warned for some weirdness.
January 18, 2022
Just finished my eArc for Karen Heuler's new book, the Splendid City and it was *splendid* -- a fun, whimsical, fantastical satire that rips open the absurdity of everything yet still somehow manages to leave the beating heart intact.
July 25, 2023
ngl this was kinda disappointing
dropped
January 7, 2023DNF after chapter 1
Dystopian world where if you don't laugh, you will cry. Unfortunately, I did not laugh, and I did not cry. Just don't jive with this type of writing and characters.
Dystopian world where if you don't laugh, you will cry. Unfortunately, I did not laugh, and I did not cry. Just don't jive with this type of writing and characters.
August 18, 2022
part one was incredibly captivating and drew me in immediately. unfortunately, everything after part one was just more and more disappointing. the ending left much to be desired and i feel this piece did not fully commit to the dystopia after part one. the flashbacks to eleanor learning witchcraft were pretty boring, and i don’t think she should have been punished for turning her stalker into a cat when she likely could have been killed by him. the witches weren’t political enough in fighting against the regime.
August 29, 2022
This was like an episode of Futurama, crossed with Chilling Advertures of Sabrina, a side of CSI, set in a political dystopian environment, and there's a talking cat. I'm so sad this didn't live up to all the potential it had. I wanted to love this but there were so many missed opertunities in the story and the 3 part format was so disjointed it felt like 3 different people wrote the book. This had potential to be the best political witchy satire ever. Such a bummer :(
June 22, 2024
2.75/5★
Once you've been in the book community for a lot of years I feel like it's less and less likely that you randomly pick up a book you've never heard of and buy it on impulse. I'm not saying that NEVER happens, I'm just saying that I am almost always purchasing books based on recommendations, popularity, previously enjoying the author- most of the books I'm reading were anticipated in some way. But once in a while I'll randomly come upon a book I've never seen or heard of and that is the case here. It's probably a good thing I hadn't heard anyone talk about this or I likely wouldn't have ended up reading it since most reviews I've now seen fall somewhere between negative and mediocre.
It took me a lot longer to read this book than it should have for such a short novel. I was intrigued by the opening scenes, bored to tears in the middle, and adequately interested in the end. Weird isn't always a bad thing, but sometimes it is. This book was weird in a not-so-good way. The premise is that an adult woman finds out that she is a witch (I mean- how is this surprising when you've been doing questionable and impossible things with your mind alone since childhood). In order to be part of the coven who discovered her she must adhere to the rules. She has a dull job at a museum gift shop (where we have to read about her day-to-day routine far too much) where she works with two awful, sexist, and degrading men. She gets angry at one of these men and breaks the rules, turning him into a cat. You learn about Stan the Cat right away. He's insufferable and annoying. He has the ability of human speech and to walk on two legs if he wants to. This detail alone was so absurd it automatically dropped a star off the rating of this book. The entire novel revolves around our new witch paying penance for her misdeed by taking Stan the Cat to a previously-named Texas that is now called Liberty and while there she must find a missing witch from another coven and also deal with the annoying presence of the talking cat. Honestly. What was this author thinking? There were some entertaining bits and the end had enough action and reveals that I'm giving it a high 2 star- and while I wanted to be nice and bump this up to a 3 I just couldn't do it.
I immediately listed this book for sale on my Pango store upon finishing it so I think it goes without saying that I do not recommend this. But I do want to add that the absurdity of this book reminded me of Welcome to Night Vale- in which there is an isolated town where crazy, nonsensical stuff is happening all the time and the average person can't make sense of any of it. There is no rhyme or reason and the world follows no rules. The Splendid City was not at that level of ridiculous- there was a plot to follow and you could make sense of the things happening for the most part but it has a similar vibe as the aforementioned novel in that there seems to be a lot of nonsense and a story mostly confined to a world where the rules of nature do not apply. Based on popularity I'd say if you're craving a weird story that sounds like this I'd skip The Splendid City and pick up the more popular and well-received Welcome to Nightvale. But what do I really know.
Once you've been in the book community for a lot of years I feel like it's less and less likely that you randomly pick up a book you've never heard of and buy it on impulse. I'm not saying that NEVER happens, I'm just saying that I am almost always purchasing books based on recommendations, popularity, previously enjoying the author- most of the books I'm reading were anticipated in some way. But once in a while I'll randomly come upon a book I've never seen or heard of and that is the case here. It's probably a good thing I hadn't heard anyone talk about this or I likely wouldn't have ended up reading it since most reviews I've now seen fall somewhere between negative and mediocre.
It took me a lot longer to read this book than it should have for such a short novel. I was intrigued by the opening scenes, bored to tears in the middle, and adequately interested in the end. Weird isn't always a bad thing, but sometimes it is. This book was weird in a not-so-good way. The premise is that an adult woman finds out that she is a witch (I mean- how is this surprising when you've been doing questionable and impossible things with your mind alone since childhood). In order to be part of the coven who discovered her she must adhere to the rules. She has a dull job at a museum gift shop (where we have to read about her day-to-day routine far too much) where she works with two awful, sexist, and degrading men. She gets angry at one of these men and breaks the rules, turning him into a cat. You learn about Stan the Cat right away. He's insufferable and annoying. He has the ability of human speech and to walk on two legs if he wants to. This detail alone was so absurd it automatically dropped a star off the rating of this book. The entire novel revolves around our new witch paying penance for her misdeed by taking Stan the Cat to a previously-named Texas that is now called Liberty and while there she must find a missing witch from another coven and also deal with the annoying presence of the talking cat. Honestly. What was this author thinking? There were some entertaining bits and the end had enough action and reveals that I'm giving it a high 2 star- and while I wanted to be nice and bump this up to a 3 I just couldn't do it.
I immediately listed this book for sale on my Pango store upon finishing it so I think it goes without saying that I do not recommend this. But I do want to add that the absurdity of this book reminded me of Welcome to Night Vale- in which there is an isolated town where crazy, nonsensical stuff is happening all the time and the average person can't make sense of any of it. There is no rhyme or reason and the world follows no rules. The Splendid City was not at that level of ridiculous- there was a plot to follow and you could make sense of the things happening for the most part but it has a similar vibe as the aforementioned novel in that there seems to be a lot of nonsense and a story mostly confined to a world where the rules of nature do not apply. Based on popularity I'd say if you're craving a weird story that sounds like this I'd skip The Splendid City and pick up the more popular and well-received Welcome to Nightvale. But what do I really know.
June 7, 2022
The Splendid City by Karen Heuler was described as " a genre blending story of modern witchcraft, a police state and unique characters" and it certainly lives up to that description. This quirky little book was a really entertaining read and had some thought provoking themes. It is hard to pigeonhole the book, it is not exactly urban fantasy , and there is definitely a satirical vibe, but the almost dystopian world it is set in feels a little to close to home for comfort.
The protagonists are Eleanor, a trainee witch and Stan, who was a co worker before she transformed him into a talking cat as a result of his lecherous and misogynistic behaviour. The setting is Liberty, a version of Texas which has broken away from the United States and declared itself a separate country under the governance of a dictator like President who runs soviet style surveillance of the population so that dissidents are scooped up and never seen again. Liberty is facing a water problem, its supplies have dried up and rationing is in place and Eleanor is wondering if the disappearance of a local water witch might be partly to blame for the problem. As she tries to find the missing witch she runs the risk of uncovering a much bigger conspiracy involving the highest levels of government,
There is a lot of humour in the book, mostly courtesy of Stan the cat and his crazy behaviour but also because of the dynamics between himself and Eleanor which often seemed like that of sulky children forced to play together until they learn to share.
The book moves at a good pace, with a dramatic beginning , thought the middle section which explores the backstory of Eleanor and Stan did seem a little slower and I am wondering if this might have been better as a series of chapters sprinkled through the main timeline of the book.
Definitely one of the most unique and unusual books I have read this year.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
The protagonists are Eleanor, a trainee witch and Stan, who was a co worker before she transformed him into a talking cat as a result of his lecherous and misogynistic behaviour. The setting is Liberty, a version of Texas which has broken away from the United States and declared itself a separate country under the governance of a dictator like President who runs soviet style surveillance of the population so that dissidents are scooped up and never seen again. Liberty is facing a water problem, its supplies have dried up and rationing is in place and Eleanor is wondering if the disappearance of a local water witch might be partly to blame for the problem. As she tries to find the missing witch she runs the risk of uncovering a much bigger conspiracy involving the highest levels of government,
There is a lot of humour in the book, mostly courtesy of Stan the cat and his crazy behaviour but also because of the dynamics between himself and Eleanor which often seemed like that of sulky children forced to play together until they learn to share.
The book moves at a good pace, with a dramatic beginning , thought the middle section which explores the backstory of Eleanor and Stan did seem a little slower and I am wondering if this might have been better as a series of chapters sprinkled through the main timeline of the book.
Definitely one of the most unique and unusual books I have read this year.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
June 22, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Eleanor is a witch accompanied by Stan, who was transformed into a cat, in this fictional world that takes place in a future where Texas has seceded from the United States and become its own nation known as Liberty. The novel itself is a satirical fantasy that attempts to comment on both issues that plague society today and potential issues that could, however far-fetched they may seem, affect society in the future. While this premise does sound promising, I unfortunately did not enjoy the writing. The story dragged, and I felt that the characters largely lacked development -- in part because the main conflict felt like it was resolved too easily and in an anticlimactic way. I also felt that the author's attempt to combine fantasy, satire, and dystopia almost made it too hard for any of these aspects to be fully delved into. Lastly, the story is split into three parts, but Part I and Part III occur chronologically whereas Part II takes place in the past. I felt that it would have made much more sense if Parts I and II were reversed, because the beginning of the story is admittedly confusing without context.
Overall, I would give this a try if you like modern takes on witches and relatively surface-level political satire. Sadly, it just wasn't for me.
Eleanor is a witch accompanied by Stan, who was transformed into a cat, in this fictional world that takes place in a future where Texas has seceded from the United States and become its own nation known as Liberty. The novel itself is a satirical fantasy that attempts to comment on both issues that plague society today and potential issues that could, however far-fetched they may seem, affect society in the future. While this premise does sound promising, I unfortunately did not enjoy the writing. The story dragged, and I felt that the characters largely lacked development -- in part because the main conflict felt like it was resolved too easily and in an anticlimactic way. I also felt that the author's attempt to combine fantasy, satire, and dystopia almost made it too hard for any of these aspects to be fully delved into. Lastly, the story is split into three parts, but Part I and Part III occur chronologically whereas Part II takes place in the past. I felt that it would have made much more sense if Parts I and II were reversed, because the beginning of the story is admittedly confusing without context.
Overall, I would give this a try if you like modern takes on witches and relatively surface-level political satire. Sadly, it just wasn't for me.
December 18, 2022
Have you ever though “I’d love to read a book that pays homage to Utopia (More) and Life of Pi (Martel) while channeling the energy of Charmed and the parody chops of Monty Python!”?
Me neither, but it works. This book was unique and engaging and even read like a post-apocalyptic episode of Seinfeld at times. The transparent parallels and open mockery of society today were obvious but tongue-in-cheek, and so was the commentary on women, power, and witchery.
Me neither, but it works. This book was unique and engaging and even read like a post-apocalyptic episode of Seinfeld at times. The transparent parallels and open mockery of society today were obvious but tongue-in-cheek, and so was the commentary on women, power, and witchery.
January 5, 2023
this was very interesting. i like the politics in it but i didn’t like how political it was. part two was boring me but part one and three were interesting. i’m not sure how i feel about the ending??? i tend to not be the biggest fan of like “happy endings” so i left this kind of like meh cause i feel like more could have happened. stan was a stupid but funny character and honestly eleanor kind of bored me. overall, the concept was cool but it just didn’t wow me the way i was hoping.
January 20, 2025
1.5 - Starts off exciting and fun with a cat who shoots people that upset him and shifts into a lame attempt at political commentary and satire that is so on the nose my tumblr posts when I was 13 had more nuance. Main character was bland, lacking any personality, and the entire middle of the book is a boring slog of a flashback that serves no purpose and the novel would be better off without. Exciting and original idea that unfortunately just didn't follow through
Want to read
June 20, 2022What a cover! An armed & homicidal kitty-cat! Texas secedes! Magic works!
Sounds like a hoot. Except, reviews here are all over the map, from 4 stars down to (effectively) zero. So, who know? Given Mt. TBR, if the library bus a copy (just published June 14), and if someone whose opinion I respect says, you should read this -- even then, maybe?
Sounds like a hoot. Except, reviews here are all over the map, from 4 stars down to (effectively) zero. So, who know? Given Mt. TBR, if the library bus a copy (just published June 14), and if someone whose opinion I respect says, you should read this -- even then, maybe?
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