Books That Burn reviewed Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
Review of 'Three Parts Dead' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
*This series was written and published out of in-universe chronological order. The comments in this review are based on reading the series in publishing order, where THREE PARTS DEAD is read first.*
THREE PARTS DEAD is a murder mystery where a new Associate must work with a young priest to find out who murdered his god. Well-paced and dripping with contractual language, with a stunning conclusion plucked from the embers of a dying flame.
This handles multiple narrators expertly, with each one feeling very distinct from the others while obviously belonging to the same world. I love murder mystery stories, political wrangling, and precise language, and this is a beautiful blend of those things.
The world-building is fantastic and very well-handled, it felt so seamless as the various explanations felt so natural that I never felt like it was infodumping, though looking back there were some sections with more intense explanations than others. The few places which were purely informational spiels (I'm thinking of the two examinations of bodies) were some of my favorite sections because they conveyed so much about how the characters thought in addition to the purely informational elements of the scenes. Every character is complex with very different moral compasses from their fellow narrators, and while I do have my favorites, I can see how they got to where they are and why their methods are their own.
I want Abelard to have all the best things, he's my favorite. I like Tara and I'm very proud of how much she grows here. There's so much really good character development and growth all around, Cat's arc is great as well. I also wish there was a bit more of the vampire in this one, but I'll look out for him in the sequels (this didn't need more of him for its actual plot, I just love vampires).
THREE PARTS DEAD is a murder mystery where a new Associate must work with a young priest to find out who murdered his god. Well-paced and dripping with contractual language, with a stunning conclusion plucked from the embers of a dying flame.
This handles multiple narrators expertly, with each one feeling very distinct from the others while obviously belonging to the same world. I love murder mystery stories, political wrangling, and precise language, and this is a beautiful blend of those things.
The world-building is fantastic and very well-handled, it felt so seamless as the various explanations felt so natural that I never felt like it was infodumping, though looking back there were some sections with more intense explanations than others. The few places which were purely informational spiels (I'm thinking of the two examinations of bodies) were some of my favorite sections because they conveyed so much about how the characters thought in addition to the purely informational elements of the scenes. Every character is complex with very different moral compasses from their fellow narrators, and while I do have my favorites, I can see how they got to where they are and why their methods are their own.
I want Abelard to have all the best things, he's my favorite. I like Tara and I'm very proud of how much she grows here. There's so much really good character development and growth all around, Cat's arc is great as well. I also wish there was a bit more of the vampire in this one, but I'll look out for him in the sequels (this didn't need more of him for its actual plot, I just love vampires).