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A review by lilyheron
The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu
5.0
The Death I Gave Him is pitched as "a lyrical, queer sci-fi retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet as a locked-room thriller". Um. How about you inject it straight into my veins? When his father is found murdered in their lab, Elsinore is put on lockdown, and Hayden Lichfield sets out to lure the killer into the open. Trapped with four suspects — his uncle Charles, lab technician Gabriel Rasmussen, research intern Felicia Xia and their head of security, Felicia’s father Paul, Hayden must rely on his one ally: the lab’s resident AI, Horatio, who has been his dear friend and companion since its creation. With his world collapsing, Hayden must navigate the building’s secrets, uncover his father’s lies, and push the boundaries of sanity in the pursuit of revenge.
What immediately stood out to me about this book is the authorial confidence and linguistic flair. Hamlet demonstrably lends itself to queerness, and the claustrophobic locked room atmosphere is reminiscent of COVID lockdowns and Hayden's own spiralling mental health. Having the relationship between Hayden and Horatio transposed to human/AI links so well with the original Hamlet's concerns of mortality, humanity and connection. Everything just works so well. I really liked the structure of the book, slotting in Felicia's extracts from her memoir and interviews, which brings a modern touch and lends the original Ophelia more agency and deserved interest. I received an ARC of this book but I am looking forward to purchasing my own copy so I can enjoy the language on the physical page. It's a truly beautiful work, respectful to the original story yet elevating it into something that captures our modern world.
I am grateful to have received an ARC of this book from Rebellion Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
What immediately stood out to me about this book is the authorial confidence and linguistic flair. Hamlet demonstrably lends itself to queerness, and the claustrophobic locked room atmosphere is reminiscent of COVID lockdowns and Hayden's own spiralling mental health. Having the relationship between Hayden and Horatio transposed to human/AI links so well with the original Hamlet's concerns of mortality, humanity and connection. Everything just works so well. I really liked the structure of the book, slotting in Felicia's extracts from her memoir and interviews, which brings a modern touch and lends the original Ophelia more agency and deserved interest. I received an ARC of this book but I am looking forward to purchasing my own copy so I can enjoy the language on the physical page. It's a truly beautiful work, respectful to the original story yet elevating it into something that captures our modern world.
I am grateful to have received an ARC of this book from Rebellion Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.