One Man

A City of Fallen Gods Novel

By: Harry Connolly

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

As a child, Kyrioc was groomed to be the head of one of the most powerful noble families in Koh-Salash, a city built inside the skeletons of two murdered gods. Kyrioc himself dreamed of becoming head of the High Watch, the highest political position in the land.

Those dreams have turned to dust.

Presumed dead after a disastrous overseas quest, Kyrioc now lives in a downcity slum under a false name, hiding behind the bars of a pawnshop window. Riliska, a 9-year-old pickpocket who sells stolen trinkets to his shop, is the closest thing he has to a friend.

When a criminal gang kills Riliska's mother and kidnaps the little girl, Kyrioc goes hunting for her.

He doesn't care about the forbidden magic the gangs are fighting over - the severed ear of a glitterkind, a creature whose flesh contains astonishing healing powers. He doesn't care about the bloody, escalating gang violence. He doesn't care about the schemes of power-hungry nobles.

In a raging city on the verge of civil war, Kyrioc only wants to save his friend. He will risk anything for her, even awakening the powers that murdered the gods so long ago.

©2019 Harry Connolly (P)2020 Tantor

Phenomenal.

Okay, I'm going to fangirl out here. I love Harry Connolly's stories. Seriously. Whether it's a lighter adventure like A Key, An Egg, An Unfortunate Remark, an epic saga like The Great Way trilogy or my personal favorite the Twenty Palaces series his writing grabs you from the first page, effortlessly sucking you into his unusual universes, that are frequently bizarre and a lot of time horrifying. Gripping is another good descriptor. Disquieting. Desperate. I could go on. Satisfying is in there too. He never leaves you with a cliff hanger, but there's eager anticipation (and hope) there'll be another book to continue on in his interesting world when you've finished.

I'm always on the look out for anything he publishes, short stories, novellas, whatever. I also regularly check his blog for a heads up on anything new coming out. (Like I said, fangirl.) In my heart of hearts I'd love more Twenty Palaces and (fist pump) he _will_ be continuing the series. Woot! And the published books will be rereleased on audio soon (God I hope the narration is good). But he set writing the last two Twenty Palaces stories aside to focus on One Man. I was seriously bummed I'd have to wait for more Ray and Annalise, but he said he felt One Man was one of the best, if not _the_ best stories he'd ever written.

All I can say is - WOW. Deep and complex, it's populated with fascinating characters, locales, creatures and intricate politics. One Man is an _excellent_ story. It's a gradual build up of snippets and tangents and flashbacks of a large cast, so it's a bit overwhelming at first, but as the many players spiral together and become intertwined, its focus clarifies and you're in for a wild ride.

I'd categorize One Man as a mash up of epic fantasy and crime noir. The story takes place amidst the many levels of Koh-Salash, a heartless city with a whole lot of dog eat dog cruelty and corruption. The adventure meanders through the breathtaking complexes in the heights, where the super wealthy and powerful live to the depths of the dismal slums, where sunlight never reaches and everything in between. And it's believable. (Weird as that sounds for a fantastic city built in the bones of dead gods.) One Man is satisfying and gratifying and won't let you go till long after you've turned the last page.

Reading it was a pleasure and now Stephen Bel Davies excellent narration is making it more so.

Get it. You won't be disappointed.

Can't wait for the next one

Can't wait for the sequel. It was perfectly written and executed. The main character is human with all of our flaws. And yet seeks some way to redeem himself.

A fresh story that leaves me wanting more

At first the story was rough in throwing names and concepts of a new world at me. Once I started understanding and caring about the events and characters the story was fluid and continued to hold me to the end. A satisfying ending, but leaving me wanting more stories from this world.

Just as his 20 Palaces stories, you get enough to be hooked but not enough to give you the entirety of the world.

I recommend for anyone that likes fantasy and Harry's books.

Level headed yet epic

No romance but still a lot of love and admiration. A rarely powerfull hero where one still understand where his strength comes from. A dynamic and interesting world. I really hope to see more of this world in future books.

very good lgbtq friendly

I was happily surprised. I'm going to read his other books now. I wish I could find some art of the city he described

Really good

This one caught me by surprise! Well written and narration was on point! Can’t wait for a book 2!

An engrossing story set in a unique and clever world.

I got into Harry’s writing through the Twenty Palaces series, and decided to give his other works a try.
His world-building for this story is unique and fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the story arc, and would certainly purchase any subsequent stories in this world. Just enough questions answered, but so many more leaving me curious.
Keep them coming, Harry.

Strong world building and interesting characters

the world is very interesting and contains many secrets I'd love to see explored more, and many of the characters have deep personalities and compelling motivations. For example, I loved to hate the main antagonist.
I found it a little slow in the beginning, however but once it got going, I couldn't stop. I'd love to see a sequel, especially since the ending seemed made for it (it doesn't feel unfinished, but it did feel like many characters are in places for new adventures)

Fascinating world for a brilliant tale!

One of the best new offerings I've heard in a long time. Harry Connolly just keeps getting better and better and better! Which is truly amazing because all of his books are great. I very much hope this is the first in a series set in the incredible City of the Fallen Gods...it is a very satisfying story on its own, but it was so gripping I hope to get the chance to join Kerioc again in his unique and compelling world. Whether it be this book or any book in the absolutely spectacular Twenty Palaces series, everyone owes it to themselves to discover Harry Connolly and his amazing works because everything he writes is fantastic. His work brings a particular sort of voice to a genre where a voice like this is generally lacking. Once you read one of his books (as so many people have mentioned) you will want to devour the rest -- realizing you just discovered that exact sort of novel you were hoping to find. A genuinely new voice will transport you to a truly unique world.

Dejavue

I swear the author took inspiration from the Korean movie "The Man from Nowhere". There are so many scences that are almost direct copies from the movie. I'm not going to bother describing them in detail but if you want to watch the movie, I believe it's still on Amazon Prime. Other than that, the book is solid and has some really interesting world building elements. My only gripe with the story is that it doesnt give much history or background on the setting (at least in the beginning). Its not a make -it ir break-it deal but I prefer stories that give you some information about the character or setting before hand instead of doling it out in small chunks.