Review - The City Without End by Kelly Jensen

The City Without End

by Kelly Jensen

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Volume 2 of To See the Sun

Tags: Science Fiction

Posted in Book Reviews on 26 August, 2026

As the son of the head of one of the twelve first families, who control almost all aspects of life on the planet, Cato is heavily involved in the family business, which is overseeing the indenture contracts that supply most of the labor force for the enterprises run by the first families. Cato has become very aware of the abuses of the system and attempts to make every contract he works on fair for both parties, ensuring that the indentured have a clear path to freedom. In a few cases, Cato encounters a case where the indentured is subject to punitive clauses that may endanger their health or even kill them. For those situations, Cato has contact with an underground organization that can get the person off the planet. Technically, this is treason, but Cato is determined to do what is right.

Now, Cato’s father wants him to marry Prixus, the son of another first family. Cato doesn’t want the marriage, which risks exposing his activities, but among the first families, marriages are about forming connections to strengthen their power, not love, and Cato’s father convinces him he doesn’t have a choice but to agree. Prixus, who prefers to be called Price, has been estranged from his family for years. He lives far away from them in the lowest levels of the city, where he runs a little shop repairing and selling all manner of items. In his own way, Price tries to help the poor street kids that barely survive far away from the eyes of the first families. Like Cato, Price does not want to be married, especially to a man who represents everything he hates about the system, but his mother makes it clear Price doesn’t have a choice.

This sequel to To See the Sun takes place on the planet one of characters of that story, Gael, escaped from. Price is the one who helped Gael find his way off the planet. The connection between the two stories is a bit tenuous, so you don’t really need to have read the first book before this one. This story is set in a continent-spanning mega city. The glittering towers where the first families live at the top of the city hide the reality of many of the people living in the lowest levels, where sunlight never penetrates and the streets are ruled not by the first families, but by criminal gangs. Think of a slightly grittier Blade Runner without androids.

On the surface, Cato is everything that’s expected of a scion of one of the first families. He dutifully overseas the contracts that keep all the factories supplied with indentured labor. In theory, nobody but his trusted assistant knows about the subtle things Cato does to undermine the system. He is well aware of how some people view his profession, just like lawyers today, but Cato is confident he is doing the right thing, even if sometimes it doesn’t seem like much.

Price would seem to be an unlikely match for Cato. Where Cato is described as thin and fit, Price has let himself go, becoming a big man. His years in the under-city has also hardened Price, making him irascible and even downright rude when in the polite society of the first families. Despite their initial antagonism, when it become clear the two men have common interests at stake, they work well together.

“The City Without End” is available from Smashwords or from independent booksellers through Bookshop.org.