Robert Jackson Bennett: The Tainted Cup (Paperback, 2024, Del Rey)
Paperback, 432 pages
Published Nov. 5, 2024 by Del Rey.
Entirely enjoyable imperial intrigue and whodunnit with outsider characters in a strange enough world, just not quite my cup of tea but could see revisiting for the world once the series is complete.
This was a great read. Like Bennett's "City of ..." series, this one mixes mystery with fantasy and again carries off Bennett's skill in creating a page-turner. Describing The Tainted Cup as crossover or hybrid though doesn't do justice to the variety of narrative and thematic elements appearing in the book. I really enjoyed the world-building of Daretana as a society heavily dependent on plant-based materials and biological sciences. The two primary characters, as detectives, were fascinating and in lesser hands I think would have been difficult to pull off. Bennett however makes them relatable and it is fascinating to watch the trajectories of their development through the book. There are also elements of a domestic spy thriller, as Bennett again visits infighting amongst the bureaucratic concerns of states. If that weren't enough, there are Kaiju elements as well.
I don't always feel surprised reading a Bennett book, but the …
This was a great read. Like Bennett's "City of ..." series, this one mixes mystery with fantasy and again carries off Bennett's skill in creating a page-turner. Describing The Tainted Cup as crossover or hybrid though doesn't do justice to the variety of narrative and thematic elements appearing in the book. I really enjoyed the world-building of Daretana as a society heavily dependent on plant-based materials and biological sciences. The two primary characters, as detectives, were fascinating and in lesser hands I think would have been difficult to pull off. Bennett however makes them relatable and it is fascinating to watch the trajectories of their development through the book. There are also elements of a domestic spy thriller, as Bennett again visits infighting amongst the bureaucratic concerns of states. If that weren't enough, there are Kaiju elements as well.
I don't always feel surprised reading a Bennett book, but the pages fly by and I never feel as though something is unconvincing or poorly rendered. Very much looking forward to the next one.
A political-intrigue mystery drama pursued by a Holmes-and-Watson pair in a speculative Roman-style empire which relies on advanced bio-engineering to fend off a constant flood of Kaiju from the ocean and the contagious bio-horror they bring with them. Which… that might sound like too many concepts to comfortably contain in a story this short, but it all blends together like a perfect smoothie of mystery & adventurous drama — you're simply along for the ride.
I'm reminded of The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, another delightful novel which also uses a Holmes-and-Watson mystery as an excuse to show off wonderful worldbuilding. Perhaps there's a lesson here: if you've invented a weird world but are having trouble fitting a story into it, a Holmes-and-Watson mystery is a great excuse for some characters to wander around all your scenic locales, explaining things to each other and looking closely at all the neat …
A political-intrigue mystery drama pursued by a Holmes-and-Watson pair in a speculative Roman-style empire which relies on advanced bio-engineering to fend off a constant flood of Kaiju from the ocean and the contagious bio-horror they bring with them. Which… that might sound like too many concepts to comfortably contain in a story this short, but it all blends together like a perfect smoothie of mystery & adventurous drama — you're simply along for the ride.
I'm reminded of The Affair of the Mysterious Letter, another delightful novel which also uses a Holmes-and-Watson mystery as an excuse to show off wonderful worldbuilding. Perhaps there's a lesson here: if you've invented a weird world but are having trouble fitting a story into it, a Holmes-and-Watson mystery is a great excuse for some characters to wander around all your scenic locales, explaining things to each other and looking closely at all the neat details you want to show off?
This novel absolutely nails it: incredibly fun, readable, & engaging. Nothing wasted, respectful of the reader's time & interest. Absolutely recommended; looking forward to the next installment.
Had a great time with this. I haven’t had this much fun in a fantasy setting since the Shades of Magic books by V.E. Schwab and the Witch King by Martha Wells.
The mystery aspects were well done - all of the pieces were available and figuring out broad strokes was even within my own grasp. It was great fun to see the internal logic spelled out and add to the world building.
Definitely magic and crime. Positively a great whodunit. Looking forward to the next one.
