A fun read. RJB tries to balance high fantasy worldbuilding with Watson/Holmes-style murder mystery, mostly to good effect. In the end, I found the woA fun read. RJB tries to balance high fantasy worldbuilding with Watson/Holmes-style murder mystery, mostly to good effect. In the end, I found the world (and Din) more interesting than the mystery, but the plot was well-paced and the chapters went down easy. A nice way to finish off my summer reading season....more
A tough one to rate & review. It's undoubtedly brilliant, in its premise, language, and overall narrative structure. I was initially bowled over by thA tough one to rate & review. It's undoubtedly brilliant, in its premise, language, and overall narrative structure. I was initially bowled over by the hardboiled trappings and novel setting. The protagonist is appealing and every character that walks in gets a thorough introduction. Perhaps too thorough at times, since the pace of the book can be a bit sluggish - especially for a murder mystery. I think, in the end, that's what hurt the experience for me. The combination of slightly overblown language, limited character perspective, the author's diligence in fleshing out the world and side-actors, oddly twisting plot, and my slowly diminishing enthusiasm made this a slog rather than a sprint. Could have been my fault. It's a cool story and could be, for some, the best book they've read in years....more
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