The Tainted Cup (SF) - Robert Jackson Bennett *****

The science fiction/murder mystery crossover has been well-established in space opera and Earth-based high-tech futures, but The Tainted Cup gives us a very different, if equally impressive approach. Physical technology on the featured planet is pretty much medieval, but biological enhancements are commonplace. This is not due to advanced science, but rather with the approach of a herbalist on a planet where some of the biological specimens are able to cause such dramatic changes.

The narrator, Din, is a young assistant investigator recently started in his first position. His enhancements as an engraver are slightly reminiscent of a mentat in Dune, giving him perfect recall and leading to surprising sword fighting abilities. His boss, Ana, is more complex - a combination of Mycroft Holmes from the modern-day set Sherlock TV show and Judge Dee from van Gulik's remarkable books. Except she wears a blindfold most of the time and swears a lot more. (The author likens her to a cross between Nero Wolfe and Hannibal Lecter.)

There are distinct parallels with the approach of van Gulik's seventh century Chinese magistrate, both in a tendency to issue instructions on strips of parchment while rarely investigating personally, basing Ana's work on mental acuity, and in the rigidly structured society. The echoes are even stronger when the pair are joined by a heavy duty soldier, Captain Miljin.

What starts as the investigation of a single bizarre murder ends up dealing with society at the highest levels with multiple deaths and the opening of a rift in the sea wall that protects the land from sea-based leviathans. Although Bennett introduces a lot of novel concepts, it's never in a way that the reader gets lost - just immersed in a beautifully imagined world.

The overall result is magical, though despite the description, I would say this is SF not fantasy - there is no actual magic involved. I can't remember when I last read a book where I was so desperate to get back to it and continue the experience. If I could give it six stars, I would.

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Review by Brian Clegg - See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here

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