Max Gladstone, “Three Parts Dead” (Tor, 2012)
I’ve been hearing about Gladstone for a few years now, &
I finally got around to checking out his debut, Three Parts Dead. All I really knew was that it was about magical
lawyers, which didn’t exactly fill me with excitement.
Our protagonist, Tara, is a new hire at a big necromantic
lawyer firm. She’s brought in on a case
where a god has died. Apparently lawyers
go through the contracts & obligations of gods to determine what happens to
any lingering power. As you might
expect, the death of a god is not a simple matter, with multiple factions &
deceptions.
Gladstone is impressive in this debut. The world building is unique and
detailed. The reader is dropped into the
world & has to sink or swim – some people hate this kind of world
building. It’s my preference, so I don’t
mind the lack of clear rules and demarcations.
He keeps the plot churning, and I found it quite a compulsive read by
the end.
There are just a couple of nagging concerns that I
have. We’re presented with the Craft as
being Tara’s occupation of choice. While
it’s never really developed, the Craft & Craftsmen themselves seem to be
forces of evil. Is this developed in
future books? I’d like more of a look at
this. Similarly, this entire world is
built on capitalism. Worshipers generate
some sort of energy that feeds the gods.
The gods themselves pass on this energy to their worshipers and others
who can purchase some of this god energy.
There is no mechanism for any sort of true solidarity. Two are not stronger than one. If feudal societies thought that they were
imitating the ways of the heavens, then here capitalists are truly mimicking the
ways of the gods.
Its interesting stuff, and I’d like to see it explored. Overall though, I really enjoyed Three Parts
Dead, & want to read more of this series.
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