Thoughts on Epic Fantasy and S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad Trilogy

Last year, The City of Brass, book 1 in S.A. Chakraborty's Daevabad Trilogy was one of the best books I read in 2020. I just recently finished book 2 The Kingdom of Copper, and must say that this trilogy is quickly becoming my favorite epic fantasy.

I am usually not a huge fan of epic fantasy series and I definitely try to avoid reading chunky books as (1) I tend to lose interest, and (2) they take me a while to get through as I am not that fast of reader. This particular trilogy, however, has just the right mix of interesting characters, unpredictable plotlines and a fascinating world that manages to keep my interest. I have always liked Middle Eastern folklore and fairy tales, and Chakraborty draws heavily on that region's mythology. There are also very interesting political machinations and moral dilemmas. Daevabad is a diverse and highly complex jinn society where centuries of conflict between various ethnic groups have sown mutual distrust and volatility. It does not help that the ruling family does everything to keep that distrust simmering and closely adheres to the ancient wisdom of "divide and conquer". 

Since this is book 2, it is hard to talk about the plot. I will just say that this trilogy is a very good entry point into reading epic fantasy. Compared to some other famous series, the books are manageable in size (the first was just over 500 pages, and the second one - just over 600), There are no extensive battle scenes or any kind of military subplot. The story revolves largely around the political and societal conflicts and a struggle for power. I do highly recommend this trilogy, and will be picking up book 3 very soon.