Arm of the Sphinx

Josiah Bancroft returns us to the Tower of Babel in this exquisite second book in the Books of Babel series. Arm of the Sphinx begins shortly after Senlin Ascends left off and follows the continuing exploits of Thomas Senlin and his crew. The story here expands outward from Senlin, and we receive a larger view of the world coupled with deeper glimpses of Senlin’s crew.

For me, there are two elements which truly shine in Sphinx, the world and the characters. The world building continues to be unique, fantastical, and at times frightening or disturbing. Bancroft has crafted a world where the apex, center, and source of human civilization is the Tower of Babel. The tower’s levels, known as ringdoms, each present different threats and challenges. We saw several sections of the tower in the first book of the series, and we see several more in Sphinx. We also begin to get clearer glimpses of how the tower truly functions and what is going on behind the scenes. What Bancroft has given us here is unique. A world that’s one part fairy tale, one part steampunk, all shrouded in mystery and with a protagonist who would not be out of place in a fantasy of manners. Yet he manages each of these elements in such a way that the whole doesn’t feel patchwork, but rather like it’s the only way the world could be. This love and care in crafting extends to the characters as well. Senlin and company are each interesting, unique, motivated by their pasts but reaching for a future barely visible. We get many non-Senlin perspectives in this book, and it helps us understand his companions at a much deeper level. Each of them grows and changes in this novel, in ways that are sometimes exciting and sometimes heart-rending. Senlin is not exempt from this growth either, the entire cast is engaging and keeps the pages turning. I can’t say enough about the characters in this one. They are exemplary. One of the things that makes both the characters and the world stand out as much as they do is Bancroft’s prose, which is beautiful and cadenced at times, introspective at others. It’s prose that doesn’t so much force you to see it as much as communicate the story in a way that elevates it and you only realize afterward how the prose contributed to your enjoyment.

If I have a complaint, it would be that the first half or so of the novel felt perhaps a tad slow to me. I have to be careful not to overstate this, since much of the setup provides significant payoff in the second half. But the pacing felt slow in that first half. A larger issue, for me, was the way Bancroft writes perspective. He doesn’t maintain a strictly third limited perspective, instead being somewhat free in the way he moves from what, for example, Senlin might be feeling to what Edith is feeling and back again. Those transitions always threw me out of the story a little, as I might have thought we were in Iren’s perspective only to discover that, actually, we are in Voleta’s head. This is likely an issue of preference. What Bancroft is using here feels not quite third omniscient, but also not quite third limited. It doesn’t quite work for me—but there’s so much else to love and enjoy in the novel that I can’t truly complain about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Arm of the Sphinx and look forward to moving on to The Hod King. Those who love character stories will find a great deal to love in this one. Those looking for unique concepts in fantasy will be well pleased. Those just looking for an enjoyable read will be enjoy a motley group of characters that will steal your heart.

8.8/10

4.4/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing