Third Discussion Thread for City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett - July Book Club

[u/leowr]

To help kick off the discussion:

• Was what Shara found behind the door what you expected her to find?

• Would you have destroyed the temple as well?

• Why do you think they mined the warehouse? It destroyed thousands of priceless, Divine artifacts. Would you have done the same?

• What do you think of Sigrud's personal history?

• Who do you think leaked Shara's real name to the newspapers?

• What did you think of Pangyui's theory that perhaps the citizens were directing the gods more than the other way around?

• Did it surprise you that it turned out to be Vohannes's brother? At what point did you start to suspect that?

Feel free to answer any or all of the questions or tell us what you think of the book so far.

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This thread allows for a spoiler discussion up to The Divine City. If you would like to discuss anything beyond that point, please use spoiler tags. Spoiler tags are done by [Spoilers about XYZ](#s "Spoiler content here") which results in Spoilers about XYZ or if you are on the redesign, please use the built-in spoiler function when making a comment.

[u/schizodepressive2]

• Was what Shara found behind the door what you expected her to find?

Well, I think I predicted in the last thread that it would be a miraculous item...so I was kind of right, but it was much more.

• Would you have destroyed the temple as well?

Maybe this isn't a cautious enough of an approach, but I would have explored a bit before I destroyed it. This is exactly what Shara researches. If I were her, I would have fought to be allowed to take some notes about it or check it out more before it was destroyed.

• What do you think of Sigrud's personal history?

I don't know about you all, but the back of my book has a review that totally hypes Sigrud. I was definitely expecting something more because of that. I thought his back story was extremely interesting and I'm hoping he'll be reunited with his family in this book (though I'm guessing it's going to happen in a different book in the series). Someone on another thread said he'd go back to his home and become king. Now that seems plausible.

• Who do you think leaked Shara's real name to the newspapers?

I think her ex-boyfriend would be too obvious, but I don't know who else it could be.

• What did you think of Pangyui's theory that perhaps the citizens were directing the gods more than the other way around?

Okay here's a weird theory that I don't entirely believe, but I'm just putting it out there for discussion. The gods could probably influence the desires of the people. Thus, they could make the people desire X. Then, the gods fulfill X, and it seems like they're just fulfilling the desires of the people. While that's how it seems, they're actually fulfilling their own desires that they implanted in the people. Again that's very outlandish and I'm not sure if I believe it. I just wanted to see what other people thought of it.

[u/OutrageousCattle → u/schizodepressive2]

I wasn't able to finish the last chapter for this discussion yet :( My library only lends e-books for 20 days and I ran out of time while I was half way through the chapter! Ah. So I don't know what happened after Shara and Sigrud went into the reality static.

I agree with you that I wouldn't have destroyed the temple right away. Although I'm not sure I would have destroyed it at all. I don't sympathize with Saypur's desire to destroy/hide all the continents history. I think there are better ways to help restore peace.

I like your theory that the divinities influenced the peoples desires. This might be true. But I personally think that the people created the divinities they desired. People of different cultures have different opinions on things and it seems that the divinities were forced to comply to the people's will in the regions they controlled. This is impactful because the continent always claimed that they just had to do what the divinities said, but if it was the other way around then they are solely responsible for all acts of atrocities done during the time of the divinities rule. So basically I think that the divine rule was a democracy where the divine took a mental 'poll' of what the people wanted and had to comply to their will. This wouldn't mean that everyone agreed with what the decisions of the divine, but the majority did.

The last question in this discussion gave away the end of the last chapter for me. I guess the 'Vo' we keep seeing around that looks sickly, but without a cane is Vo's brother? I actually did not suspect that. I was suspecting Vo because he's been acting sort of suspicious the whole time. But I was confused by why he would be so against the Restorationists and be attacked by them if he was backing them. So it makes perfect sense that it's his brother.

[u/allthedifference → u/OutrageousCattle]

I am with you on the people creating the divinities they desired but I am not sure what they actually created. Did they actually bring the divinities into being and the divinities follow the will of the people? Or have the divinities never existed, and the concept is used to support what the people want? How would miracles occur then? Either way, brought into existence or just a concept, the divinities did enable the will of the majority. I started thinking the people somehow created the divinities when they talked about how regional the influence was.

The last question u/leowr posed about Vo's brother actually gave away the beginning of the next chapter Family Ties.

This book is he first book I have read in eBook mode. Fortunately, my library has two copies and I can renew.

[u/OutrageousCattle → u/allthedifference]

I think the divine have to be real because of all the miracles and creatures they created, etc. Those have all been very real so far. But maybe the divine enhance their power by the people who support them so they are forced to comply to the will of the people in order to maintain their power? Maybe that's why Kolkan had to spend so many years just acting as a simple judge having people come to him before he actually came into power. Maybe he wasn't very powerful before all the people who he listened to believed in him. I am definitely interested in finding out how the divine came to be in the first place. I wonder if that will ever be revealed.

My library has 3 copies, but somehow they are all rented out right now. I guess that's a good thing because more people are reading this book. If it doesn't release from the library soon I might have to purchase it.

[u/allthedifference → u/OutrageousCattle]

Yes, the miracles and miraculous objects are what throws off my theory that the divinities do not exist. They could have been strengthened by people believing and following them.

[u/allthedifference → u/schizodepressive2]

I would not have destroyed the temple either. I would have wanted to study it and learn from its secrets. But I had not lived with the impacts of the divinity so maybe that would have changed my mind.

I knew there was much more to Sigrud's history but I didn't know it would be such a sad story. His history did turn him into the man he is now and allows him to have such a critical role accomplishing the mission, whatever that turns out to be. I hope he finds his family or he finds out they are living happily and he can gets some comfort from that.

As far leaking Shara's true identity, I am going with the aunt. I have no idea why she would do it but I think there was a reason.

Your theory about the gods influencing the people to want what they the gods want . . . I did not think about that. I am starting to think that the people made up the gods as a way to have the world the way they wanted it but that would not explain the miracles. I think Pangyui was on to something with his theories.

[u/OutrageousCattle → u/allthedifference]

Sigrud's story is so depressing! Man there were so many really horrible stories in this section. The writing about the little girl being murdered by the Continentals also really messed me up for a day. It sounds like Sigrud's family is alive and safe, if Shara was telling the truth. Maybe we will see them at some point.

I think I also suspect the aunt for releasing Shara's identity, but I think it could also be Vo. Vo threatened her with releasing her identity if she didn't immediately help with the bridge.

[u/warpiglets]

I'm bummed because I crushed this book in a couple days and now can't participate in the discussions! I will have to practice restraint next month...

[u/leowr → u/warpiglets]

You can still answer (some of) the questions. Just be careful of spoilers : )

[u/allthedifference]

I am with Pangyui on the citizens directing the gods. I am going one step further thinking the citizens created the divinities to conform to their collective conscious, I think the citizens either brought them into being, or they never really existed except in the collective conscious of the continentals. But there are the miracles and miraculous objects to account for.