Three Parts Dead

, #1

by

eBook, 353 pages

English language

Published Nov. 2, 2012 by Tor.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-3310-0
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(4 reviews)

"A god has died, and it's up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart. Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis's steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot. Tara's job: resurrect Kos before chaos sets in. Her only help: Abelard, a chain-smoking priest of the dead god, who's having an understandable crisis of faith. When Tara and Abelard discover that Kos was murdered, they have to make a case in Alt Coulumb's courts--and their quest for the truth endangers their partnership, their lives, and Alt Coulumb's slim hope of survival. Set in a phenomenally built world in which justice is a collective force bestowed on a few, craftsmen fly on lightning …

3 editions

reviewed Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone (Craft Sequence, #1)

If Gods are real then magic is law

And vice versa. That's essentially the premise of this fun steampunk necromancy thriller. And if Gods are real, then their power likewise is real and can be harnessed and combined with machinery to, for example, provide home heating for an entire city.

Aside from some overuse of the trope of "this character knows nothing about the magic this other character uses every day so she gets to explain it all to him and thus to the readers", I found very little to dislike and lots to enjoy. Complex and creative world-building. A heroine who is strong and confident but not perfect. Action sequences that leave you breathlessly turning the page for more. The main villain being a university professor who violates the minds and bodies of his students and gets away with it because he's just SO brilliant is a relatable touch. Faith, love, betrayal, addiction, and murder. I'm …

reviewed Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone (Craft Sequence, #1)

Instant fan of Gladstone

What a great writer. Learned after the fact that he’s one of the co-authors of “This Is How You Lose the Time War”. Makes sense.

The ideas here felt new and exciting. Exposition and world-building doesn’t happen in clunky blocks like it does in so many books. It takes real skill not to frustrate readers when you throw together dead gods, magic from starlight, gargoyles, vampires, contract law, and a whole lot more.

reviewed Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone (Craft Sequence, #1)

Review of 'Three Parts Dead' on 'Storygraph'

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Likable characters, a unique magic system, plenty of weirdness.

There were no talking cats, but having sympathetic vampires and gargoyles made up for that.

I'm very glad to hear that this is part of a series that the author is thinking will go to 10 to 13 books.

One warning: This is the first book that Max Gladstone wrote in the Craft Sequence, but apparently, [b:Last First Snow|23168830|Last First Snow (Craft Sequence, #4)|Max Gladstone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411416296s/23168830.jpg|42713969] and [b:Two Serpents Rise|16059411|Two Serpents Rise (Craft Sequence, #2)|Max Gladstone|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355469010s/16059411.jpg|21846173] occurred earlier in the chronology of the series. I don't know what order a reader should approach them in.

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Subjects

  • Fiction
  • Fantasy