Scan barcode
A review by rg9400
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book has some of the best worldbuilding I've read in a while. Everything feels incredibly unique. You have people running around with physical and mental augmentations, each of which manifest in unique ways and with unique tradeoffs that make sense as you imagine the toll that such enhancements would actually create. From the concept and threat of contagions to the way the houses are built, everything feels fresh. But more importantly, the world is slowly revealed to the reader while being a core part of the central mystery, integrating seamlessly with the character and plot work. Similarly, the sociopolitical apparatus that governs the world becomes crucial to the story, with the information parceled out at exactly the right times. By the end of the book, I felt like some fantasy tools were actually real in how well the book described their mechanics without ever feeling expository. Really fantastic and worth a read purely for this reason alone.
The characters are a ton of fun as well. Our central duo of detectives are eccentric, and their interactions and dynamics were constantly entertaining. Their abilities and limitations also made for some fascinating struggles, e.g. a detective who has a perfect memory but has extreme dyslexia to the point of being unable to read or write. And by the end of the book, we start to see what truly motivates them as well. I look forward to continuing their journey in future books.
Finally, in terms of plot, I would mention that this mystery is more akin to Sherlock Holmes than Agatha Christie in that the reader isn't meant to actively solve the puzzles themselves. Sometimes the characters have more info than we do, and they can observe and deduce things the reader wouldn't intuit easily. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the twisty journey as we see the story spiral. Each part manages to introduce new story beats to constantly keep the reader engaged and the book feeling compelling.
The characters are a ton of fun as well. Our central duo of detectives are eccentric, and their interactions and dynamics were constantly entertaining. Their abilities and limitations also made for some fascinating struggles, e.g. a detective who has a perfect memory but has extreme dyslexia to the point of being unable to read or write. And by the end of the book, we start to see what truly motivates them as well. I look forward to continuing their journey in future books.
Finally, in terms of plot, I would mention that this mystery is more akin to Sherlock Holmes than Agatha Christie in that the reader isn't meant to actively solve the puzzles themselves. Sometimes the characters have more info than we do, and they can observe and deduce things the reader wouldn't intuit easily. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the twisty journey as we see the story spiral. Each part manages to introduce new story beats to constantly keep the reader engaged and the book feeling compelling.