Scan barcode
A review by hyuzen
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A fantastic, deep, well-realized setting. This would apply to Robert Jackson Bennett's Foundryside just as easily as The Tainted Cup. He's adept at digging into the minutiae and logistics of the world's he creates. In this setting, an Empire uses concoctions developed from attacking Leviathan's to augment and modify humans. The empire's citizens are instrumentalized into tools to sustain the empire.
Din, the main character, has been granted a perfect memory, which he uses to gather clues for his boss, and investigator. What starts as a kind of Holmes and Watson pairing looking into a murder starts to tease a bigger mystery that looked like it may delve into a conspiracy against the empire itself but eventually turns out to be slightly more mundane and grounded. That's not necessarily a knock against it as it keeps the stakes relatable. Told in first person perspective we learn about the secret disability Din manages that may make his job difficult.
The groundwork for the romance is better established compared to Foundryside which I appreciated.
As someone with perfect memory investigating a murder, Bennett dwells on the gore and violence, trying to make it stick in your mind the way it will forever be lodged in Din's. An improvement on the prose in his previous trilogy, but still nothing incredible.
But Din is a fairly dry character, fitting into the Watson mold. Sancia was a more interesting character to follow.
Din, the main character, has been granted a perfect memory, which he uses to gather clues for his boss, and investigator. What starts as a kind of Holmes and Watson pairing looking into a murder starts to tease a bigger mystery that looked like it may delve into a conspiracy against the empire itself but eventually turns out to be slightly more mundane and grounded. That's not necessarily a knock against it as it keeps the stakes relatable. Told in first person perspective we learn about the secret disability Din manages that may make his job difficult.
The groundwork for the romance is better established compared to Foundryside which I appreciated.
As someone with perfect memory investigating a murder, Bennett dwells on the gore and violence, trying to make it stick in your mind the way it will forever be lodged in Din's. An improvement on the prose in his previous trilogy, but still nothing incredible.
But Din is a fairly dry character, fitting into the Watson mold. Sancia was a more interesting character to follow.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence
Minor: Drug use