City of the Snakes (The City)

• Third book in Darren Shan’s “The City” trilogy
• Dark fantasy/mystery/horror
• Hardcover; 320 pages

This is the third book in the trilogy “The City” by Darren Shan. A notable young-adult author, “The City” is one of Shan’s first forays into adult horror/fantasy, and “City of the Snakes” wraps up an intricate, detailed plot that winds its way through a dark city constructed of futuristic elements and historical references, and filled with gangsters, violence, political maneuvering, disappearing people, and secrets. Lots and lots of secrets.

A rising star in the horror/fantasy scene, Shan has crafted an elaborate and believable world with really bad bad guys, not-so-good good guys, and an ongoing conflict between good and evil that builds through the trilogy and culminates at the end. Following the typical trilogy framework, book one focuses on the protagonist, book two on his community, and this book on his leading role in the epic battle for the soul of the world.

We can’t tell you too much about it without spoiling the other books, but any adult who’s a fan of Daniel Koch, George R. R. Martin, or any other dark fantasy writer, this series is a sure bet.