Cities of the Weft
| |
| Author | Alex Pheby |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Galley Beggar Press |
| Published | 13 August, 2020 – 6 February, 2025 |
| No. of books | 3 |
The Cities of the Weft trilogy is a series of fantasy novels by Alex Pheby.[1] The series is set in a world where the fabric of reality is woven from a material called "weft". The first book, Mordew, was published in 2020,[1] followed by Malarkoi in 2022,[2] and the final book, Waterblack, in 2025.[3]
Premise
The Cities of the Weft trilogy is set in a fictional world divided up into an archipelago of cities; each city is ruled by a different powerful Master or Mistresses.[1]
Synopsis
Mordew
Nathan Treeves, a resident of the city of Mordew, finds he has special powers which rival those of the master of the city.
Reception
Writing for Typebar Magazine, Simon McNeil described the trilogy as "revealing the dark heart of the fantasy genre."[4] Writing for the Los Angeles Review of Books, Alexandra Marraccini praised Mordew as a departure from other books of "[...] British import literary fantasy".[5]
The first novel, Mordew, received mostly positive reviews from critics.[6][7] In a review for The Guardian, Adam Roberts referred to it as "[...] a darkly brilliant novel, extraordinary, absorbing and dream-haunting."[6] Mordew's style and content have garnered comparisons to the works of Charles Dickens,[7][8][9][10] as well as the Gormenghast series by Mervyn Peake.[7][8][5] Reviewers have likened it to the works of Ursula K. Le Guin, Terry Pratchett, and China Miéville.[11] Mordew was included on The Guardian's and Tor.com's lists of the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2020.[12][13] It was also selected as a Book of the Year by The Guardian, The I, Tor.com and Locus.[14]
References
- ^ a b c "Mordew". Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Malarkoi". Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "Waterblack". Galley Beggar Press. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ McNeil, Simon (February 23, 2025). "Interrogating Power and Narrative in the Cities of the Weft Trilogy". Typebar Magazine. Typebar Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ a b Marraccini, Alexandra (September 19, 2020). ""Mordew" and the New Leftist Imaginary". The Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Roberts, Adam (August 20, 2020). "Mordew by Alex Pheby review – an extravagant, unnerving fantasy". the Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c Hewitt, Sean (August 15, 2020). "Mordew: a city of compelling characters and dark adventures". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b Deerin, Chris (September 10, 2020). "Mordew, Alex Pheby: The Less Dead, Denise Mina". The Big Issue. The Big Issue. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Miller, Keith (October 30, 2020). "Mordew by Alex Pheby book review | The TLS". TLS. Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Mond, Ian (August 25, 2020). "Ian Mond Reviews Mordew by Alex Pheby". Locus Online. Locus Magazine. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Fortune, Ed (November 18, 2020). "MORDEW". STARBURST Magazine. Starburst. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Roberts, Adam (November 28, 2020). "Best science fiction and fantasy books of 2020". The Guardian. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Keeley, Matt (November 18, 2020). "Tor.com Reviewers' Choice: The Best Books of 2020". Tor.com. Tor.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Mordew (Cities of the Weft #1) (Paperback)".