Book Review
Dec. 23rd, 2016 01:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThree Parts Dead (Craft Sequence #1)
by Max Gladstone
Three Parts Dead is very, very good. When Kos, the fire god and patron deity of the city of Alt Coulumb, dies, Craft practitioner and just-hired member of the magical firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, Tara Abernathy is brought in to find out what happened and bring Kos back before things get bad. Her main sources of assistance are her boss/mentor Elayne Kevarian, and Abelard, a chain-smoking junior priest of Kos. The story combines mystery, action, magic, and, surprisingly, courtroom drama into a narrative that never lets you down.
If I had to pick one favorite thing about Three Parts Dead, it would be the world-building. Gladstone has created a complex and fascinating place that combines elements of fantasy, steampunk, sci-fi, urban grittiness, and a little bit of the just plain weird. I loved how he managed to bring it all alive without pages of info-dumping or an over-abundance of description. It was all integrated pretty seamlessly with the plot and characters. I also really liked how Gladstone gives the reader a very clear picture of what this place is like yet still leaves plenty of stuff behind the curtain as it were. When done well, as it is here, that can make the world feel more real and more interesting.
The characters were great, too. Tara makes for a terrific protagonist - she's smart and competent and while inexperienced still plows forward to get the job done. Also, she's able to be kind of ruthless when needed. Plus, it's refreshing to find a young heroine who knows who she wants to be and what she wants to do, and then goes after it unashamedly. I liked Abelard a lot, too. He could have been super mopey and angsty, but he came off more punk-rock than emo to me.
I am really, really looking forward to reading the rest in the series. Seriously, the only thing preventing me from running out and getting them right this minute is that I do not have time to get to the library before the holidays, and I already have a huge pile of books to read over break.
by Max Gladstone
Three Parts Dead is very, very good. When Kos, the fire god and patron deity of the city of Alt Coulumb, dies, Craft practitioner and just-hired member of the magical firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, Tara Abernathy is brought in to find out what happened and bring Kos back before things get bad. Her main sources of assistance are her boss/mentor Elayne Kevarian, and Abelard, a chain-smoking junior priest of Kos. The story combines mystery, action, magic, and, surprisingly, courtroom drama into a narrative that never lets you down.
If I had to pick one favorite thing about Three Parts Dead, it would be the world-building. Gladstone has created a complex and fascinating place that combines elements of fantasy, steampunk, sci-fi, urban grittiness, and a little bit of the just plain weird. I loved how he managed to bring it all alive without pages of info-dumping or an over-abundance of description. It was all integrated pretty seamlessly with the plot and characters. I also really liked how Gladstone gives the reader a very clear picture of what this place is like yet still leaves plenty of stuff behind the curtain as it were. When done well, as it is here, that can make the world feel more real and more interesting.
The characters were great, too. Tara makes for a terrific protagonist - she's smart and competent and while inexperienced still plows forward to get the job done. Also, she's able to be kind of ruthless when needed. Plus, it's refreshing to find a young heroine who knows who she wants to be and what she wants to do, and then goes after it unashamedly. I liked Abelard a lot, too. He could have been super mopey and angsty, but he came off more punk-rock than emo to me.
I am really, really looking forward to reading the rest in the series. Seriously, the only thing preventing me from running out and getting them right this minute is that I do not have time to get to the library before the holidays, and I already have a huge pile of books to read over break.
