A Burial at Sea vs City of Stairs: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Investigation, Murder, Fiction
A Burial at Sea
In March 1873 aristocratic sleuth Charles Lenox undertakes a delicate espionage mission to Egypt, where five British agents have been killed, apparently by the French. But soon after Charles's ship sets sail, the…
vs
City of Stairs
The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions — until its divine protectors were killed. Now, Bulikov’s history has been censored and erased, its…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- A Burial at Sea is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 8 for City of Stairs.
- City of Stairs has the widest readership — 409 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| A Burial at Sea | City of Stairs | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 3.3 (11) | 4.1 (409) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (207) | 4.5 (257) |
Reception
| A Burial at Sea | City of Stairs | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 207 | 409 |
| Editions | 2 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 26 | 1864 |
| Pages | 314 | 452 |