Ben Toh is an overworked, underpaid, under-resourced civil servant in Singapore. He has to turn in interminable reports about expenses and stakeholders and projects. He works way more overtime than he gets paid for. Unlike a lot of other civil servants, however, Ben actually gets to see the tangible results of his work. He is also (sometimes) thanked by the people he serves. Jared Poon’s bustling new novel, City of Others, introduces us to Ben and DEUS, the understaffed government office that manages supernatural citizens and events in the city.
Ben is an unusual leader. So many characters I see taking charge because of a sense of duty or social status or out of sheer cussedness. Ben leads because he deeply wants and needs to protect others. As a Gardener, who can cultivate their emotions and strengths enough that they can achieve preternatural abilities, Ben takes on as much of DEUS’s job as he can physically stand. He refuses to let his team members do anything even remotely dangerous. Consequently, Ben gets very battered over the course of City of Others before he finally learns that he needs help.
What Ben needs help with is a strange event at an otherwise ordinary apartment building. For some reason, one floor of this building is vanishing. It’s like nothing he’s ever seen before. Thankfully (for the people who live in that apartment) but also not-so-thankfully (for Ben’s overdeveloped protectiveness), Ben’s new boyfriend, Adam, is able to see what’s happening and might actually be able to do something about it. That something will require a lot of power and for Ben to get out of his own way and let his team flex their supernatural muscles.
My favorite parts of City of Others were, perhaps ironically, all of the other things that happen in the novel. The main plot is gripping, don’t get me wrong, but I adored all of the scenes that reveal the syncretic cultural and spiritual depth of Singapore. So many people’s gods and myths have found a home in Singapore. There’s so much going on, in fact, that things no one has ever seen before can evolve. I loved the variety of magics and the complicated politics of all those supernatural beings living in close quarters. I’m curious to see where Poon goes next with Ben and his city.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.