A Drop of Corruption (The Shadow of the Leviathan #2) The hapless Dinios Kol has seen a lot of strange things during his time with the mercurial but brilliant imperial investigator Ana Dolabra, but in the canton of Yarrowdale at the edge of the empire, it seems as though Ana has met her match in the form of a criminal of such intelligence and cunning that is seems as though they can predict her every move well before she makes it. After a Treasury officer disappears from a locked room in a tower under constant surveillance, Ana and Din are summoned to investigate, as Yarrowdale is the site of one of the empire's most critical and sensitive sites: the notorious Shroud where magical experiments are conducted to push the boundaries of the magic that keeps the empire running. The further they delve into the tangled politics of Yarrowdale, the thornier problem grows. Soon enough, they find that they have bigger problems than a missing Treasury agent, for their road leads to the hornet's nest of Yarrowdale's royal politics– and into the foundations of the empire itself. The locked room mystery is a staple of the mystery genre: if all the doors and windows were locked from within and the murder victim was alone, then how was crime done? The whodunnit is almost secondary to the crime's basic logistics. Throw a world of magic into the mix, and the questions grow even thornier. When strange magics can grant people heightened senses, increase their intelligence, or give them eidetic memories, then how does a man disappear from a locked tower room without a trace? And what does it mean when the trail of evidence leads Dinios and Ana toward a deeper mystery pointing directly at the heart of the aging empire they serve? The Tainted Cup introduced readers to this world where monstrous blood produces weird magic, and A Drop of Corruption asks what it means to live in such a world. To find the culprit, Ana and Din must investigate the notions of power and empire and how these things affect the ordinary people in their world. That's not to say that the author is didactic about his messages. Robert Jackson Bennett might not be the most subtle author, but the questions his characters ask are interesting, and they don't always come up with the most straightforward answers– if they come up with answers at all. It's not as though anyone can solve the riddle of "what do we do about our aging, brittle empire when it's the only thing holding back a destructive force?". For Din, as it is for most of us, the only answer to that is, "we do the best we can". He stumbles through a quagmire of an investigation until he gains his footing and starts to piece things together. And then there's Ana Dolabra, the Holmes to Din's (and our) Watson, whose gifts grant her extraordinary abilities of observation and intellect. And whole it's difficult to initially see where her leaps of logic come from, there is always an explanation in the end. The clues are all there, if we have the wits to see it. Like Din, we the readers usually don't see all the pieces, but by the end we know where they were the whole time. The twists are predictable, if you're as clever as Ana and know where to look. Fortunately for the ordinary reader, those twists are difficult to see coming, and so the mystery is compelling throughout the book. The world building and development of the magic system continues apace, as well. The Tainted Cup was heavy on both elements, but Bennett crafted a narrative that managed to explain the basics of an empire under threat and the magics that kept it safe without belaboring the point. A Drop of Corruption builds upon that foundation and expands the world so the reader can get a clearer idea of how brittle the empire truly is, and what that could mean for its people. But while A Drop of Corruption provides empire-level world building and questions the nature of empire, it is, at its core, a story of one beleaguered man just trying to get through each day unscathed. Dinios Kol is a sympathetic character who is relatable enough to lead readers through the complexities of this strange world and its even stranger magics. The mysteries are compelling, the ideas rich, and the whole package is a fascinating page-turner that leaves the reader wanting the next book as soon as possible. — Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy for review. Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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Sunday, March 30, 2025
Book Review: A Drop of Corruption
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