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A review by thisotherbookaccount
The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin
3.0
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The thing about this debut novel by Tom Lin is that it isn’t trying to be anything more than a fun, gritty, rollicking adventure story set in the 19th century, with a pulpy, magical twist that doesn’t take itself all too seriously.
At the centre of the story is Ming Tsu, a Chinese assassin who’s on a warpath to find his kidnapped wife and murder those responsible. As he travels through the desert, he meets a crew of sideshow misfits, each with magical powers of their own.
Ming’s characterisation is pretty straightforward, and the writing reflects that. Lin does away with the fluff and cuts to the chase. It’s one plot point to the next at a good cadence, with character beats filling in the gaps. It may not win any literary awards, but there’s a likable cast and some bloody good fun — and maybe that’s all we really need.
This book is not without flaws. For one, one of Ming’s companions has the gift of foresight, and he informs Ming everything that’s going to happen: is the horse going to die? Will we find water soon? Will I find the man I want to kill? Will I die in the gunfight? Yes, yes, yes and no — so much for narrative tension.
Also, after the third gunfight, the rest just blend together like a blob of dried, coagulated gum. The bad guys, too, are carbon copies of one another like NPCs in a video game. Instead of Tarantino-esque confrontations, each is done away with within a page or two. Finally, it’s strange to introduce a cast of magical companions, but not have their powers contribute in any way to the plot.
Oh, and there are two women. One is a damsel in distress, and the other is a love interest. So.
If you need a quick read to cap out your 2021, this is a good one to pick up. Otherwise, I literally docked a star while writing this review. Its flaws became more pronounced in writing.
The thing about this debut novel by Tom Lin is that it isn’t trying to be anything more than a fun, gritty, rollicking adventure story set in the 19th century, with a pulpy, magical twist that doesn’t take itself all too seriously.
At the centre of the story is Ming Tsu, a Chinese assassin who’s on a warpath to find his kidnapped wife and murder those responsible. As he travels through the desert, he meets a crew of sideshow misfits, each with magical powers of their own.
Ming’s characterisation is pretty straightforward, and the writing reflects that. Lin does away with the fluff and cuts to the chase. It’s one plot point to the next at a good cadence, with character beats filling in the gaps. It may not win any literary awards, but there’s a likable cast and some bloody good fun — and maybe that’s all we really need.
This book is not without flaws. For one, one of Ming’s companions has the gift of foresight, and he informs Ming everything that’s going to happen: is the horse going to die? Will we find water soon? Will I find the man I want to kill? Will I die in the gunfight? Yes, yes, yes and no — so much for narrative tension.
Also, after the third gunfight, the rest just blend together like a blob of dried, coagulated gum. The bad guys, too, are carbon copies of one another like NPCs in a video game. Instead of Tarantino-esque confrontations, each is done away with within a page or two. Finally, it’s strange to introduce a cast of magical companions, but not have their powers contribute in any way to the plot.
Oh, and there are two women. One is a damsel in distress, and the other is a love interest. So.
If you need a quick read to cap out your 2021, this is a good one to pick up. Otherwise, I literally docked a star while writing this review. Its flaws became more pronounced in writing.