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team_worm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
knittingreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
Three parts dead presents one of the more interesting cosmologies and settings I've run across in a while. A world where gods not only exist, but frequently war with mortal magic users.
Craft underlines many things in Gladstone's world, which evokes the world of superstition and folklore where any act might have significance.
Craft underlines many things in Gladstone's world, which evokes the world of superstition and folklore where any act might have significance.
beckaboo1220's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
itsfreelancer's review against another edition
4.0
After hearing a lot of good stuff about this series, i finally picked it up. And immediately thrust into a world that I had to piece together gradually. There is no back story, at least not as you race along the tale. And specially not when you start with the protagonist hurtling down the sky, thrown by her teachers for God knows what. Yes, that is how it begins.
A murdered God, two apparent women sorcerers and a mystery to solve. This was a brilliant whodunit tale with characters you'd hate to love. The only problem? The rest of the books are not chronological and might very well have different characters.
Sigh.
4 stars.
A murdered God, two apparent women sorcerers and a mystery to solve. This was a brilliant whodunit tale with characters you'd hate to love. The only problem? The rest of the books are not chronological and might very well have different characters.
Sigh.
4 stars.
sciencebrat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
skycrane's review against another edition
4.0
More than anything, Three Parts Dead is simply a joy to read. I laughed out loud numerous times while reading it, and mostly not because of any jokes, but because of the silliness inherent in the world. Is a Craftswoman a lawyer, a magician, a necromancer? All three. Necromancy and law are just a subset of the same discipline. Obviously. What's the most immediate concern when your god dies? Hiring a good bankruptcy firm of course. Gods are always a huge mess of debts and obligations. Even though your god might be dead, it's in nobody's interest for him to remain entirely dead, least of all the creditors'. I still smile just thinking about it.
That's not to say that the book is entirely whimsical. The characters and story are treated very seriously. Even if it seems outlandish, I very much felt for Abelard, a devout novice technician who has to deal with the pain of living in a world without god; Cat, a servant of justice who is so addicted to the clarity and purpose of her calling that she spends her off time seeking life-threatening substitutes; and of course Tara, a new Craftswoman whose desperation and ambition may or may not drive her to commit sins just as horrible as those which were committed against her.
The plot is told like a mystery story, except the main character isn't a detective looking for a murderer, but rather a lawyer looking for assets missing from an estate. Of course, in this world, that's way more exciting than it sounds and involves tracking down vampires, fighting mind control, traveling to another plane to view the body of a fallen god, and jumping into a coach and yelling, "Driver, follow that cab!" It's a big adventure.
Overall, Three Parts Dead reminds me of some of the City Watch Discworld books, except with fewer puns. But it has the same sense of whimsy coupled with the depth of soul.
That's not to say that the book is entirely whimsical. The characters and story are treated very seriously. Even if it seems outlandish, I very much felt for Abelard, a devout novice technician who has to deal with the pain of living in a world without god; Cat, a servant of justice who is so addicted to the clarity and purpose of her calling that she spends her off time seeking life-threatening substitutes; and of course Tara, a new Craftswoman whose desperation and ambition may or may not drive her to commit sins just as horrible as those which were committed against her.
The plot is told like a mystery story, except the main character isn't a detective looking for a murderer, but rather a lawyer looking for assets missing from an estate. Of course, in this world, that's way more exciting than it sounds and involves tracking down vampires, fighting mind control, traveling to another plane to view the body of a fallen god, and jumping into a coach and yelling, "Driver, follow that cab!" It's a big adventure.
Overall, Three Parts Dead reminds me of some of the City Watch Discworld books, except with fewer puns. But it has the same sense of whimsy coupled with the depth of soul.
stellarian's review against another edition
3.0
It was pretty good, but technically not so great. I assume the later books in the series are better made.