Tilde Lowengrimm a publié une critique de The Tainted Cup par Robert Jackson Bennett (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)
Perfect Holmes & Watson fantasy worldbuilding, excellently plotted
5 étoiles
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 …
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.
