Set in 1970's, New York, the main through-line of the novel is a mystery; a shooting on New Year's Eve, 1976, which each member of the main cast is connected to in some way. The characters are the true heart of the book, as over the course of 900-odd pages, the lives of these New Yorkers of different race, class, religion, age, gender, sexuality, and lifestyle are explored, with as much similarity as there is difference.
Divided into sub-parts, or "books", every other section of the novel takes to the past, going back years or decades to truly paint the picture of each individual. As their paths in life inform not only their motivations and how they got where they are, they also reveal the hidden connections the characters unknowingly have with each other.
Not to be confused with the completely unrelated 1979 film of the same name. Or the also unrelated 1987 Hong Kong movie or 1993 Taiwanese movie of the same name.
In 2021 a TV series adaptation was greenlit by Apple.
City on Fire contains examples of:
- Anachronic Order: As stated above, every other section of the novel is comprised of flashbacks, many of which are crucial to understanding the story.
- Crapsack World: Corruption, drug addiction, riots, shootings, and more.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Averted. Regan aborted her first pregnancy, since it was a Child by Rape. The morality of this is never called into question; it is simply a thing that happens.
- Limited Wardrobe: Rare literary example. Sewer Girl seems to always be wearing a Rangers jersey and go-go boots.
- Punk: William was once the lead singer of an early punk band called Ex Post Facto that created one album which rose to legendary status in the punk scene; particularly for Charlie, Samantha, and Nicky Chaos and his post-humanists.
- Magical Queer and Magical Negro: Venus de Nylon, one of the original members of Ex Post Facto, who is also a Transgender. Mentioned a few times; she only makes two actual appearances in the novel: once at the intervention for William; and later during the climax, where she saves Mercer during a fist fight, characterizes him as a "baby", and leaves him with a vague answer as to where William is. Unusually for both these tropes, however, her second appearance (the one that especially portrays her as other-worldly) is in aid of another queer, black person.
- Rape as Backstory: Revealed to be part of Regan's.
- The '70s: Takes place in 1976 and 1977, although the flashbacks go back to The '60s and The '50s.
