While Paulo has tried to advise New York City on his task, the five borough avatars are unprepared for the responsibility and the power that’s been thrust upon them.

When New York City is finally birthed and its enemies strike, the city’s soul is split in six – New York City, Queen’s, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island. For Paulo knows that New York City is about to come to life and the young man will become its avatar or living incarnation.īut there are powerful forces opposed to New York’s birthing – an ancient horror with its own plans for the city and whose plans have been long in the making. Lately he’s caught the attention of Paulo, a visitor to the city who buys the young man meals and tries to teach him about the life of a city, of the way it comes to life and tells him to listen to his sounds and rhythms. He’s also a graffiti artist, who leaves his art across the city’s buildings. He’s a streetwise hustler who knows how to avoid the police, save and use his money and where it’s safe to sleep at night. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.Ī homeless young man lives in New York City. Jemisin from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or UK. New York? She’s got six – and all six will be called to arms in the greatest battle the city has ever fought. Some are ancient as myths others are as new and destructive as children. One of Vanity Fair's 15 Best Books of 2020Dazzling with imagination, brimming with passion and crackling with wit, The City We Became is a modern masterpiece of culture, identity, magic and myth in contemporary New York City.Įvery great city has a soul. One of TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of 2020 One of TIME Magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of all time Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.Įvery great city has a soul. In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her.

But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power. In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, the first book in The Great Cities Duology, a crackling tale of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City. 'A glorious fantasy.' -Neil Gaiman

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