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chirson's review against another edition
4.0
I received the ebook ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a review.
This is a Sherlock Holmes in space. Sherlock is a woman, and Watson is a spaceship (or, more precisely, the organic mind of one). When I first heard of this, I was quite interested to see the result, and I was right to be curious. The idea is fascinating, and it is mostly done justice. The worldbuilding in particular was engrossing and beautifully rendered; there are quite a few passages about the deep space that were both poetic and evocative. There was just something about the style that appealed to me, that I connected with on the level of language. In addition, I found the characters to be constructed with care and attention. This short novella offers glimpses into them, but these glimpses are enough to make one feel for the characters.
In short: four stars on science fiction front, four stars on writing of characters. The only complaint I have is that this didn't really have a "working" mystery. I don't remember original Sherlock Holmes novels and stories well enough to compare, but here there's a lot about the world that the reader doesn't know (particularly one like me, who hasn't read any other Xuya novels) and not much by way of clues or misdirections. We don't know things and then we learn them; not much space for making guesses. (And the other minor mystery is pretty obvious.)
But this may be simply an issue for me, or for a first part of a potential new series. Either way, I enjoyed a lot about the reading and would quite like to read more of Xuya at some point.
This is a Sherlock Holmes in space. Sherlock is a woman, and Watson is a spaceship (or, more precisely, the organic mind of one). When I first heard of this, I was quite interested to see the result, and I was right to be curious. The idea is fascinating, and it is mostly done justice. The worldbuilding in particular was engrossing and beautifully rendered; there are quite a few passages about the deep space that were both poetic and evocative. There was just something about the style that appealed to me, that I connected with on the level of language. In addition, I found the characters to be constructed with care and attention. This short novella offers glimpses into them, but these glimpses are enough to make one feel for the characters.
In short: four stars on science fiction front, four stars on writing of characters. The only complaint I have is that this didn't really have a "working" mystery. I don't remember original Sherlock Holmes novels and stories well enough to compare, but here there's a lot about the world that the reader doesn't know (particularly one like me, who hasn't read any other Xuya novels) and not much by way of clues or misdirections. We don't know things and then we learn them; not much space for making guesses. (And the other minor mystery is pretty obvious.)
But this may be simply an issue for me, or for a first part of a potential new series. Either way, I enjoyed a lot about the reading and would quite like to read more of Xuya at some point.
ghada_mohammed's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
A candid, brutal story of how a detective and a mindship found unexpected camaradarie as they navigated a murder mystery while simultaneously struggling with their respective troubled pasts. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding and about everything in the Universe of Xuya—always a pleasure to be in an sff world that is not Europe. I also loved how the book depicted trauma and the dynamic between Long Chau and The Shadow's Child: the tart back-and-forth and the startling fact at the end that the mindship was far more relatable than the humans.
sillypunk's review against another edition
5.0
Soooo good: https://blogendorff.com/2019/03/29/book-review-the-tea-master-and-the-detective/
love_kall's review against another edition
3.0
read this on my lunch break at work. quick little thing. a kind of sci-fantasy/asian inspired detective romp that reminds me of a more fantastical Murderbot
possibilityleft's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
catberks's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75