The Tainted Cup
Published on 6. February 2024
432 pages
978-1-9848-2072-3 (ISBN)
Description
A Holmes and Watson-style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett
"Great fantasy detective stories are too rare, but Bennett-[a] rising star of fantasy-more than delivers."-Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post
"A thoroughly satisfying delight from start to finish."-Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review
LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Elle, BookPage
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 times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana's brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior-but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana's mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire's greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he's barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra-and wonders how long he'll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
By an "endlessly inventive" (Vulture) author with a "wicked sense of humor" (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that's at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.
"Great fantasy detective stories are too rare, but Bennett-[a] rising star of fantasy-more than delivers."-Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post
"A thoroughly satisfying delight from start to finish."-Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review
LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Elle, BookPage
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 times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.
At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana's brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior-but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana's mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire's greatest detective.
As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he's barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra-and wonders how long he'll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.
By an "endlessly inventive" (Vulture) author with a "wicked sense of humor" (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that's at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.
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Robert Jackson Bennett is the author of the bestselling Ana and Din series, the first book of which, The Tainted Cup, won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and was an Edgar Award finalist. Previously, his Founders Trilogy and his Divine Cities trilogy were both Hugo Award finalists in the Best Series category. His work has received the Edgar Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the Philip K. Dick Citation for Excellence, and has been shortlisted numerous times for the World Fantasy and Locus awards. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his family.
