The House of Binding Thorns

The House of Binding Thorns

3.96 (705 ratings by Goodreads)
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House Silverspires was once the most powerful, but just as it sought to rise again, an ancient evil brought it low. Phillippe, an immortal who escaped the carnage, has a singular goal - to resurrect someone he lost. But the cost of such magic might be more than he can bear.

In House Hawthorn, Madeleine the alchemist has had her addiction to angel essence savagely broken. Struggling to live on, she is forced on a perilous diplomatic mission to the underwater dragon kingdom - and finds herself in the midst of intrigues that have already caused one previous emissary to mysteriously disappear . . .

As the Houses seek a peace more devastating than war, those caught between new fears and old hatreds must find strength - or fall prey to a magic that seeks to bind all to its will.

'A superb blend of intrigue, mystery and magic and urban fantasy; it's brilliantly written; and the story is gripping' Civilian Reader
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Product details

  • Paperback | 368 pages
  • 138 x 215 x 28mm | 395g
  • Gollancz
  • London, United Kingdom
  • English
  • 147321260X
  • 9781473212602
  • 497,281

Review Text

an intriguing mystery, elegantly written... with carefully crafted characters both with layers and depth, De Bodard reflects the best and worst of human nature in her novel The Guardian
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Review quote

It is a great mix of styles that come together in a satisfyingly complex web of magic and intrigue and I'm looking forward to exploring this world further in book two. * SF Crowsnest * With a combination of mythologies and folklore, The House of Shattered Wings is filled with beautiful descriptive settings, interesting and diverse characters, magic and the alchemy. It is a place where Paris is dark, beautiful, ruined and magical... just like the Fallen who rule it. * BOOK NERD REVIEWS * The House of Shattered Wings is many things. It's a murder mystery. It's a post-apocalyptic survival tale. It's a steel-cold look at protagonists who are antiheroes. It's a slow-burn Gothic narrative with plenty of tension and a sense of impending doom that retains elegance and poise and never comes crashing down. Bodard's worldbuilding is rich, her writing is sophisticated, almost regal in style. But more importantly, and poignantly, The House of Shattered Wings is also a story about imperialism, about displacement and belonging, about loyalties and the desperate desire to simply return to your own tribe. * STRANGE HORIZONS * The House of Shattered Wings is a murder mystery set in a sumptuous and enchanting world, that will draw you in with it's vivid world weaving, and infectious atmosphere. * Realitysabore * If you are on the lookout for something fresh and exciting in Dark Urban Fantasy, this is the book for you. * The Book Plank * This is a story unlike anything I've read before. Two aspects have burned an impression into my mind: the unusual tale itself and the writing - the beautiful, almost unearthly writing. * Fantasy Faction * Stylishly written, this is the most original piece of fiction - I find that "Fantasy" is far too restrictive - you're likely to come across this year. A wonderful introduction to Aliette de Bodard, who is already an award-winning short story writer, The House of Shattered Wings is an excellent showcase for this mighty talent and adds yet another author to this reader's "must-read" list. * READER DAD * Its intriguing mix of mythos and magic is a perfect introduction to Aliette de Bodard's new creation and I'm already looking forward to sequels. This is definitely Paris like you've never seen before. * Upcoming4Me * I have said previously in a review of her work that Aliette de Bodard is a writer who deserves attention...and The House of Shattered Wings is the perfect way to discover her work * SF Signal * The House of Shattered Wings is an enthralling and fully submerging read with an intriguing power structure and a setting that has both an unknown and yet familiarly gothic feel to it. * WE LOVE THIS BOOK * French-Vietnamese author Aliette de Bodard ventures into the realm of gothic fantasy and manages to create - despite the hoary premise of fallen angels and ancient curses - something startlingly and creepily original. * The Guardian * A fascinating Paris of decay and cruelty. -Phillippe is a marvel of a character. * Library Journal * It's a grim story with high-flown conventions, but by finding so much ugliness even in supernatural beauty, de Bodard makes both seem more compelling, and more concrete. * * Aliette de Bodard presents a gritty, otherworldly Paris in her fast-paced, fantastical thriller. * The Washington Post * In the end, de Bodard manages to weave together the backstories and fates of the various characters...into a novel that is both haunting and original, its sense of loss almost palpable, and it setting not quite like anything else in modern fantasy. * Locus * De Bodard aptly mixes moral conflicts and the desperate need to survive in a fantastical spy thriller that reads like a hybrid of le Carre and Milton, all tinged with the melancholy of golden ages lost. * Publishers Weekly * The devastated Paris of Aliette de Bodard's novel is especially haunting. This is partly because de Bodard, a Nebula Award-winning French-Vietnamese writer, lives in Paris and can convey a visceral sense of immediacy to a ruined Notre Dame or the remains of the grand department stores, and partly it's because of the sheer lyricism of her prose...A series of mysterious deaths turns the novel into a surprising but compelling murder mystery, which plays out according to the supernatural terms de Bodard has laid out so evocatively. * The Chicago Tribune * There's an intelligence-and, yes, an elegance-to The House of Shattered Wings that is as rare and precious as angel essence. * TOR.COM * This book is wreathed in mythology, magic and mysticism and it is such a compelling read that maybe the book itself is magic * Fantasy Book Review * If you like fantasy which is intelligent and definitely non-formulaic, then I would absolutely recommend this book. * BSFG * Fascinating, moving and hugely readable * SCI-FI NOW * Aliette de Bodard has made a name for herself imagining futures and alternate histories that showcase non-Western cultural landscapes and characters...this is smart and nuanced storytelling * SFX * I have rarely read such a brilliantly executed piece of work... This is a must read for everyone who enjoys complex fantasies with well-developed characters and sophisticated worldbuilding. * INTERZONE * There's so much going on here: social commentary, myths and fairy tales that often feel under-represented in genre fiction, a gripping adventure and an affecting love story. The author has gone from strength to strength. * SciFiNow * Reading this novel felt like a very intimate experience, the characters and landscape are so well developed with such detail that one feels as if they are walking alongside them as the story unfolds... Ambience abounds in this novel. * Geek Syndicate * I strongly urge you to get House of Shattered Wings: it offers something a little different; a superb blend of intrigue, mystery and magic and urban fantasy; it's brilliantly written; and the story is gripping. I can't wait for the sequel. Very highly recommended. * CIVILIAN READER * Truly beautifully balanced: between new and old, birth and death, beauty and ugliness, inside and outside, beginning and, yes, ending. It walks the line, and walks it fine. * TOR.COM * One of the most influential voice in fantasy today. * STARBURST * an intriguing mystery, elegantly written... with carefully crafted characters both with layers and depth, De Bodard reflects the best and worst of human nature in her novel * The Guardian *
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About Aliette de Bodard

Aliette de Bodard is one of the Writers of the Future, has won two Nebula Awards, a Locus Award and a BSFA Award. She has also been a finalist for the Hugo, Sturgeon, and Tiptree Awards, making her one of our most-lauded contemporary fiction writers. A writer by night, by day she is a qualified engineer, specialising in Applied Mathematics. She lives in Paris, in a flat with more computers than she really needs. You can learn more at or by following @aliettedb on twitter.
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Rating details

705 ratings
3.96 out of 5 stars
5 28% (200)
4 45% (316)
3 23% (161)
2 3% (22)
1 1% (6)
Book ratings by Goodreads