Three Parts Dead a book hard to classify. In maybe the strictest sense, it's a fantasy book as it's set in another world where a type of magic aboundsThree Parts Dead a book hard to classify. In maybe the strictest sense, it's a fantasy book as it's set in another world where a type of magic abounds complete with flying magic schools. But it's also part alternate world (did Tara see glimpses of our world?), part religious fanatic, part legal thriller. Where gods die, mages turn into some sort of petrified skeleton, deathless kings rule and fight gods, priests chain-smoke and are steampunkish, blind Justice patrols the streets, city-owning gargoyles who worship a goddess, and somehow vampires also exist. It's a weird mixture of all sorts of things. And yet despite the fact it would seem like a convoluted mess, it somehow works.
I guess if I had to classify it, I would say it's a legal fantasy. In fact, the legal parts are so strong, I looked up the author to see if he was a lawyer (he's not). As a lawyer myself, I appreciated seeing legal machinations in a fantasy book. And I like the use of the legal system combined with a magic system. That, I thought, was quite clever and unique.
The world-building was a bit confusing at first, but that's because it's complicated. I had to just go with the flow for a while until I kinda sorta got it. It never quite gels, as in there's never a good explanation of all the things, particularly the magic-legal system. And there's never really an explanation for how one gains an adeptness for magic. There's hints, but no real explanation, which would have been nice and provided a fuller understanding of the magic versus the nonmagic. But again, I think in part that's because the world is complicated, maybe overly so.
The characters are diverse and for the most part, character development is good. Although I will say, Tara's voice goes in and out a bit for me. At times her personality shines through, but at other times, her personality was a bit blah. Hopefully, she will show up in another book so we can see where her story goes.
But the flaws in the world-building and character development make sense when you realize that this is a debut novel despite the fact this is book 3. (Yes, this is book 3. Three Parts Dead. Even Tor admits the books were written and published out of order.
While the story kept me reading (who wouldn't want to find out who killed a god and how?), there were parts that didn't really add to the story and I thought disrupted the flow a bit. Especially in the last third of the book, I skimmed a few pages. This is also when the story gets a bit jumpy, moving from character to character, often in just a few paragraphs. This story jumping happens throughout the book, but early in the book, it's pages before the scene changes to another character. It makes sense with the narrative, but when it jumps to more minor pieces, that's what I thought disrupted the flow.
Overall, a solid debut. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I look forward to reading the next books in the series....more
A decent "insider's" view of law school. Would recommend reading, along with others, to get an idea of what law school is like.A decent "insider's" view of law school. Would recommend reading, along with others, to get an idea of what law school is like....more
Not a book I would have picked up myself, but a very interesting read. I knew nothing of the Buffalo Creek Disaster before being assigned to read thisNot a book I would have picked up myself, but a very interesting read. I knew nothing of the Buffalo Creek Disaster before being assigned to read this. A true tale of the small guy versus big corporation and how the small guy can win. A must read for any law student. ...more