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A review by lilacashes
The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard
5.0
It's hardly a secret that this novella is an hommage to Sherlock Holmes. In my mind it is not a detective story though, which is completely fine since I'm not particularly interested in detective stories.
While a good detective story challenges you with finding the murderer before it is spelled out, The Tea Master and the Detective challenges you with understanding the Xuya Universe. Nothing is explained straight away, you are thrown into it and left to your own devices in figuring out how things work. The prose is dense and tight, making this a slightly longer read than you'd expect from the 70 pages or so.
Even if I could not follow everything, I find the world building intensely enjoyable. If good food and drink, as well as a dive into the concepts of honor, duty and fear turn you on, and you like to be challenged, this novella is for you.
While a good detective story challenges you with finding the murderer before it is spelled out, The Tea Master and the Detective challenges you with understanding the Xuya Universe. Nothing is explained straight away, you are thrown into it and left to your own devices in figuring out how things work. The prose is dense and tight, making this a slightly longer read than you'd expect from the 70 pages or so.
Even if I could not follow everything, I find the world building intensely enjoyable. If good food and drink, as well as a dive into the concepts of honor, duty and fear turn you on, and you like to be challenged, this novella is for you.