City at My Feet

Mannahatta Series, Book 1

De: Thomas More

Narrado por: Kieran Sequoia

Step into Mannahatta, a vibrant parallel world where legends whisper truth and spirits guide the brave. Sakima Tamanend, a fiery soul yearning for warriorhood, stumbles upon a chilling secret: her brother-in-law has unleashed a mythical terror upon the Land Below, the concrete jungle we call New York City.

Driven by unwavering love and fierce spirit, Sakima plunges through the portal, leaving behind all she knows. In this strange new world, she'll confront towering monsters, forge unlikely alliances, and discover the truth about her own hidden powers.

Brace yourself for intense action as you jump into fights with legendary beasts and real-world dangers. Watch Sakima grow with a group of friends who have special talents and secrets. Discover a world from the future filled with mixed cultures and old magic. Go on a quest to find out who you are, feeling the pain of defeat, the joy of friends, and the victory of overcoming challenges.

©2023, 2024 Thomas More (P)2024 Thomas More

Reseñas de la Crítica

"In More's debut YA novel—set in an alternate universe—a young woman desires to become the first female warrior of her tribe. She's determined to prove herself but doesn't quite know how; she will need to draw upon the Lenape spirits to defeat a mythological creature that has been unleashed on the world. Thomas More cleverly combines futuristic technology with Native American imagery in descriptions of Mannahatta and gives dazzling details to his intricately crafted universe with plenty to explore in this action-packed saga!"—Kirkus Reviews

"More's first in his Mannahatta series posits an intriguing science fiction-fueled alternative history where America's indigenous people thrive thanks to incredible technologies gifted to them by the mysterious Star Walkers. Sakima is a futuristic indigenous warrior who seeks to prove herself in this multiverse adventure. It's clear that More has a deep respect for the Lenape and indigenous peoples of America and this is an intriguing take on a hero's journey and her motto—why live, if you can't be who you were meant to be—rings true."—BookLife Reviews

A Native American Hero's Jorney

I really, really liked this story. Our lead character, Sakima fulfills a classic hero archetype, striving to fulfill a destiny that her community is trying to rob her of. She is one of those protagonists that grabs you from the first moment that she is on the page and never ceases to make the reader cheer for her. If you like the "underdog with the fighting spirit" type of character, you will definitely like this book.

I loved the worldbuilding, especially in the first act of the story in the "Land Above". The blend of mystical spiritualism and futuristic tech was very creative and well-guided by the author's keen ability to set a scene and introduce these unique concepts. It was clear that the aspects of Native American history and culture that serve as the backbone of this story were well researched and well respected, which is greatly appreciated.

The side characters were well written and all serve a clear purpose, especially Janie Jones. She was a genuine, kind person who felt very authentic to me, like someone I could see myself being friends with in real life. It was also really neat to see how her gifts functioned cohesively with Sakima's abilities.

I enjoyed the family drama aspects of this story as well. They're dismissal of Sakima's strengths and dreams was frustrating, but in a good way. It was frustrating in a way that makes the reader side with the protagonist, and feel more connection with her on her journey.

The writing itself is beautiful. The descriptions of color, otherworldly tech and magic helps paint a beautiful picture of each scene, whether being simple setting description or in the heat of the action. The author has a unique style of prose that gives this story a distinct voice, never feeling tonally inconsistent. The unique word choices for certain adjectives and verbs displays More's confidence in his writing ability, a well-earned confidence.

There were a few issues that kept me from loving this story, and instead "only" really liking it. The first being that there are times when New York City feels more like a movie set than an actual place that people live in. Despite the great turmoil happening around( and in some cases because of) the protagonists, emergency services and pedestrians never interact with them. They hardly even notice them. At times, this took me out of the scene. But not enough in a way to dampen my overall enjoyment all that much.

This is a personal preference. But I really didn't need a full explanation of every piece of tech every time one was introduced: how it works, its history, what its made of. I know that kind of thing is common in hard sc-fi. But this story did not strike me as a hard sci-fi story at its core, so some of these long passages felt like out of place info dumps.

Structurally, the narrative was sound. A classic "heroes journey" template which worked really well for this story. But it could have used some streamlining. We did not need to see what the scientists were doing in the "Upper World" so often, and definitely not for as long as some of those scenes went on. This was especially an issue at the end, when the tension of the story is at its highest, and then its cut off for a protracted conversation between scientists about how portals work. That scene could have been moved to the second act and cut down, or even excised completely.

None of these issues hold this story back from being an enjoyable read. They are minor issues in the grand scheme of what is a well-written and clearly a well-researched book. The writer's passion shines through every word and that passion inevitably spreads to the reader to provide a fulfilling, adventurous tale.

The narrator is amazing! She was the perfect voice for this story. I love the way that she pronounced the Lenapen words. It really added a lot to the experience of this book.