You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
A review by omnombailey
Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was intrigued by this book months ago thanks to its summary. Then that intrigue plummeted when I got it from the library and noticed that despite there being a woc on the cover, the author photo displayed a very white guy. Not a great way to go into a novel. It's not to say Gladstone isn't allowed to write about a woc, but it makes me way more cautious with diving into the book, like I'm walking on thin ice.
I did end up enjoying it, though not as much as I wanted to. The worldbuilding is amazing and I loved all the magic and the gods and the law system behind all of it. The mystery was good, too, and the suspense of the last 20% of the book had me turning pages like crazy.
And that was kind of it.
I did enjoy the character interactions, but I didn't care for the characters on their own, save for Elayne. Even then, half of the character interactions involve one character infodumping to another character who knows nothing, something I'm not fond of in fantasy stories. I get it; there's a lot going on and it's realistic for one character to be clueless while another who is more familiar can spout off facts. But none of that makes for an interesting read. I wish there was more depth in these characters aside from wanting to revive a dead god. Again, Elayne had a lot of mystery around her, which I enjoyed, but Tara seemed 110% devoted to work and nothing else. Does she not have any hopes or dreams or struggles of her own? At least Cat has her addiction problem, which was... weird and could have been written better. It does make me wonder if because the author is a white male that he chose to exclude anything that would be associated with being a woman or being black or being something that wasn't him.
Furthermore, the prose is really evocative, but more often than not, it gets it the way of what the hell is actually going on. Yes, good job for making a poetic description, but when I can't tell who is doing what, then it's not adding anything to the story.
I know there are other books in this series, but I'm content with just having read this one. Not horrible, but not amazing. Worldbuilding was fantastic and the prose is pretty at times, but it's mind candy that leaves you more numb than stimulated.
I did end up enjoying it, though not as much as I wanted to. The worldbuilding is amazing and I loved all the magic and the gods and the law system behind all of it. The mystery was good, too, and the suspense of the last 20% of the book had me turning pages like crazy.
And that was kind of it.
I did enjoy the character interactions, but I didn't care for the characters on their own, save for Elayne. Even then, half of the character interactions involve one character infodumping to another character who knows nothing, something I'm not fond of in fantasy stories. I get it; there's a lot going on and it's realistic for one character to be clueless while another who is more familiar can spout off facts. But none of that makes for an interesting read. I wish there was more depth in these characters aside from wanting to revive a dead god. Again, Elayne had a lot of mystery around her, which I enjoyed, but Tara seemed 110% devoted to work and nothing else. Does she not have any hopes or dreams or struggles of her own? At least Cat has her addiction problem, which was... weird and could have been written better. It does make me wonder if because the author is a white male that he chose to exclude anything that would be associated with being a woman or being black or being something that wasn't him.
Furthermore, the prose is really evocative, but more often than not, it gets it the way of what the hell is actually going on. Yes, good job for making a poetic description, but when I can't tell who is doing what, then it's not adding anything to the story.
I know there are other books in this series, but I'm content with just having read this one. Not horrible, but not amazing. Worldbuilding was fantastic and the prose is pretty at times, but it's mind candy that leaves you more numb than stimulated.