In The City Without End, Kelly Jensen returns to the universe she created for 2018’s To See the Sun, although this story is set at the other end of it! The romance centres around the arranged marriage between two scions of the First Families of the glittering city of Zhemosen, and is set against a backdrop of the intrigue and danger of a fight against inequality and corruption. Although there is reference to some events and characters from To See the Sun, The City Without End is not a direct sequel so it can be read as a standalone.

Cato Sisenna, dutiful younger son of the powerful Sisenna family, spends his days crafting the contracts of indenture that keep Zhemosen society running. But for the past few years, Cato has secretly been working to circumvent the system, to help the indentured to move to easier service, to make buyout clauses easier to afford, and even to help those who want to simply disappear. It’s a difficult balancing act that means hiding in plain sight, but when the mysterious disappearances of several indentures bring questions from law enforcement, he realises he needs to cover his tracks and scale back his activities for a short time.

Prixus Viator (who, understandably, goes by Price) abandoned his life of luxury in the overcity almost two decades earlier (for reasons we discover later on), and makes his meagre living in the lower levels of the undercity, where he runs a repair shop of sorts. Life in the lower levels is pretty grim; the people live hand-to-mouth, it’s crowded and dirty, there’s no natural light, the recycled air stinks and clean water is incredibly expensive. Nobody in the undercity knows who Price really is or where he’s from and he worked hard to keep it that way, so receiving a visit from a messenger clad in his family’s livery is the last thing he needs. And he needs the message even less:

Family Viator is delighted to announce the engagement of their second son, Prixus Sagaris Bannessy Viator to Caro Demopho Disenna, Second son of Family Sisenna.

There’s nothing for it but to go up to the overcity to tell his mother, in no uncertain terms, that he is not going to get married. But her reaction is not what he expects – and neither is the news that his sister Amelie is missing and hasn’t been seen for weeks.

Cato isn’t too happy about the prospect of marriage either. His late husband died from an incurable disease three years earlier and Cato has no wish to remarry, but his father insists that the Viators’ recent expansion into pharmaceutical experimentation – especially their new quickening agent for use with artificial wombs – will be a valuable asset to the Sisenna business. Cato has to fight to hide his repulsion at talk of ‘growing’ the next generations of indentures faster, at his father’s description of the labouring class as “Cattle. Bred to a purpose.” But Cato will do his duty, as he always does; there’s nothing in a marriage contract that says he and his spouse have to live together, only that they should make the attempt to get along, and once he and his husband have contributed their DNA towards begetting an heir, that’ll be an end of it and they can go their separate ways.

While Cato and Price had known each other as boys, they’d lived too far away from each other to really be friends. Nonetheless, Cato remembers Price’s cheerfulness and air of mischief and admits to himself that he’s looking forward to seeing him again. Grown-up Price turns out to be not at all what Cato expected; he’s bigger than is fashionable, ill-dressed, not at all polished and doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks of him – and Cato can’t help admiring him for it. And the quiet, bookish boy Price remembers (and had a bit of a crush on) has grown into a witty, irritatingly sweet and altogether too appealing man Price absolutely does not want to be attracted to.

Cato and Price agree to go along with the betrothal for the sake of appearances, but as they spend time together over the coming days and weeks they find themselves enjoying each other’s company and that initial flare of mutual attraction soon develops into something stronger. But there’s little time to explore what that something might be once they each learn of the other’s connection to the underground movement that helps indentures to find their way off planet, and discover that Price’s missing sister is somehow involved, too. Cato offers to help Price find Amelie, suggesting that their search might also turn up information about the sudden disappearance of his contact within the organisation. When it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want them finding answers, they find themselves running for their lives and uncovering a trail of betrayal going back years, layers of deceit peeling away to reveal some shocking and unwelcome truths.

Kelly Jensen has some serious talent when it comes to worldbuilding, and does a fantastic job here of depicting the very different sides of Zhemosen, from the crowded, dank slums of the undercity to the the thriving business of the mid-level mercantile zones to the immensely privileged world of those lucky enough to reside in the overcity. It’s hard not to see a political message in the depiction of Zhemosen society – the over-consumption of the ‘haves’ leading to the decline of the ‘have nots’ who now have to reside in squalor; the careless dismissal of workers as mere “cattle” for factories and production lines; the slavery contracts that keep the rich rich and getting richer. I liked the underlying message, that you might not be able to change the world in one fell swoop, but doing even small things to try to make it better is better than doing nothing at all, and in doing so, you could be paving the way for those who will effect that change.

But please be assured, there’s no tub-thumping or soap-box-ery here and those themes are woven seamlessly into the story. The plot is complex and intriguing, and even though the romance does take a bit of a backseat to it, it’s a lovely slow-burn and is nicely developed. The two leads are engaging and likeable and their differences complement each other. Cato is witty and charming when he has to be, but he’s otherwise tightly controlled, having walled off his emotions after the death of his husband. He pours his energy into working within the system to undermine the inhumane practices that keep Zhemosen running, and it’s not until he meets and falls for Price that he starts to really understand the importance of what he’s doing. Price severed his ties with his powerful family twenty years before and made a life for himself in the undercity as a kind of ‘fuck you’ to them, and, like Cato, he does what he can to help those who are less fortunate. He’s content with his lot and never expected to find someone he wanted to share his life with because he experiences attraction so rarely, but with Cato, something just clicks into place. Ms. Jensen gives their relationship a strong foundation in friendship and mutual understanding, showing their growing awareness of each other in subtle ways that cement their emotional connection.

The small but well-drawn secondary cast of family members and undercity dwellers includes Price’s fearsome mother and his tech-whiz younger sister, and the fierce, determined Yaara, Cato’s companion and best friend, who is the only person – until Price – who knows about his work with the underground network and who always has Cato’s back without question.

With superb worldbuilding, a compelling plotline, interesting characters and a lovely slow-burn romance, The City Without End is an absorbing read and one I’m more than happy to recommend.