A review by beyondsolitaire
The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

3.0

This book was an interesting mashup of many different tropes. A classic western where a wronged man finds his enemies one by one in a quest for revenge. A strange crew of showpeople who really can perform miracles. Untrustworthy criminals who are allies one moment and enemies the next. A blind prophet. It all comes together in a way that is engaging, but also a little too stilted. Our main man, Ming Tsu, has many opportunities to grow and change as a character, but he really doesn't. The other characters are also a bit flat, and seem to exist only to either help Ming along or be killed by him. So for me, several aspects of this novel that were never going to be completely satisfying.

At the same time, there are really stunning moments in this book. Tom Lin's writing is fabulous, and his descriptions of landscapes, parched throats, dead bodies, and tired horses are captivating. His musings on memory, the body, and the passage of time are also pushing at something deeper than a traditional western yarn. I'll be on the lookout for whatever he writes next.