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The City of Brass

A Novel

by S. A. Chakraborty

Narrator Soneela Nankani

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Length 20 hours 1 minute

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“One of my all-time favorite fantasy stories! Inspired by South Asian mythology, this epic fantasy delivers breathtaking world-building, rich cultural depth, and just the right amount of yearning romance. The audiobook made it easy to fly through this massive masterpiece in record time — perfect for immersive listening. If you love magical worlds, slow-burn tension, and an overprotective bodyguard trope, this one is an absolute must-listen. Highly recommend!”
— Ambir • The Book Lovers Era

Bookseller recommendation

“S.A. Chakraborty introduces a fantasy set in the Middle East that thrusts us into the magical world of Daevabad. The City of Brass follows, in parallel, Nahri, a con artist and naturally gifted healer, and Ali, prince of Daevabad and fiercely trained soldier. Nahri and Ali find themselves learning new lessons on how to survive changing environments and difficult challenges, while trying to figure out the complexities of their lives. I found myself turning page after page, following Nahri's and Ali's story while deciphering the fantastic terminology and the world that is Daevabad. The City of Brass is a wonderfully written, mystical adventure that keeps you guessing about what will happen next.”
— Barry Nelipowitz • Literati Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“In this historical fantasy based on Middle Eastern mythology, protagonist Nahri is a con woman in eighteenth-century Cairo when she discovers her heritage as a healer with Daeva/djinn magic in her blood, and is whisked away to Daevabad, the fabled City of Brass that is home to the djinn she didn't know inhabited her world. What follows is a rich and magical story of dangerous court politics and Nahri's journey to embrace who she is. ”
— Katie • The Same Page

Bookseller recommendation

“What a stunning debut! The City of Brass is the type of book I want to read forever. I love the world of the Djinn and our hero Nahri, a powerful young woman whose empowerment we witness throughout this trilogy. If you loved the Games of Thrones or Throne of Glass series, you will not be able to put this one down. It is adventurous, political, harrowing, romantic, frightening, powerful. ”
— Kara • Bright Side Bookshop

Summary
About the author

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWire

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty perfect for fans of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing—are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive.

But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass—a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries.

Spurning Dara’s warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father’s corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for . . .

This audiobook includes an episode of the Book Club Girl Podcast, featuring an interview with S. A. Chakraborty about The City of Brass.

Fiction Historical Fiction Fantasy

Shannon Chakraborty is the author of the critically acclaimed and internationally bestselling Daevabad Trilogy. Her work has been translated into over a dozen language and nominated for the Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards.