The Tainted Cup is a gem of world building replete with weird bioscience, an intricate sociopolitical hierarchy, and the ominous threat of annihilation by sea monster. Against this rich backdrop unfolds a series of bizarre murders investigated by the apprentice Kol and his eccentric, blindfolded, foul-mouthed master. The narrative is compelling and the tone is appropriately archaic. In fact, the book reminds me a lot of Gene Wolfe‘s 1980 masterpiece “The Shadow of the Torturer”. Like Torturer, The Tainted Cup has a clueless protagonist with a perfect memory, a futuro-medieval vibe with echoes of ancient Rome and distant glimpses of a past that we may have inhabited. Despite the similarities, or perhaps because of them, The Tainted Cup is a highly original and rewarding read.
From Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated novelist Robert Jackson Bennett—an unforgettable new Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with an irresistible mystery twist.
In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.
Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all…
“Science fiction satire in the Vonnegut mold.”—Cory Doctorow
*SET TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY EDGAR WRIGHT (SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD)*
‘A beautiful, funny, heartfelt analysis of what it means to be human.’—Simon Pegg
‘One of the most unique books ever crafted.’—Mike Chen, author of A Beginning at the End
Set in a 2054 where humans have locked themselves out of the internet and Elon Musk has incinerated the moon, Set My Heart to Five is the hilarious yet profoundly moving story of one android’s emotional awakening.
Combining three of my favorite topics: time travel, the British civil service and the Franklin expedition in an unlikely, highly original story, The Ministry of Time is a compelling and enjoyable read.
A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all: Welcome to The Ministry of Time, the exhilarating debut novel by Kaliane Bradley.
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.
In this riveting, behind-the-scenes courtroom drama, a brilliant legal team battles corporate greed and government overreach for the fundamental right to control our genes.
