Robert Jackson Bennett strikes me as a compulsive writer, a writer driven to sit down and write, regardless the output. The quality of the output can therefore be hit or miss. At one book per year and on to the next, it's easy to be mediocre or poor, true inspiration only occasional. 2024's The Tainted Cup was therefore a surprise. Considered, embedded, developed—it bore the signs of a story a long time brewing, not something a compulsive writer typically produces. That the sequel arrived in 2025, A Drop of Corruption, was not a surprise, but I definitely had worries it would not be as inspired as its predecessor.
My worries were misplaced. A Drop of Corruption equals, and may even top, The Tainted Cup. Bennett is starting to show himself a master of fantasy mystery. And it's a difficult genre to pull off. Where mimetic mysteries have real world constraints to invisibly guide the reading experience, the author of fantasy mystery must do double work. They need to string along a good mystery, but they also need to ground it in a world that doesn't exist. There are fewer invisible guardrails to guide the reader. A locked room can be entered by a wizard, for example. But they still need to ensure their readers' hunches hit somewhere near the mark. It's this fine tuning of 'what is possible in my fantasy world' where Bennett excels.
Now a thing, A Drop of Corruption openly states it is an Ana and Din Mystery. Holmes and Watson in a Weird world, Bennett follows the classic mystery line by opening his story with a corpse whose death needs explaining. In this case, Din is sent to examine the remains of a body found floating in a provincial river and report back what he finds to Ana. The scene on another continent, one not directly controlled by the empire, Ana and Din quickly discern that something is afoot in the jungles, and that a rebellion may be in the works. What follows is an intricately worked story that escalates one tantalizing step at a time.
As with The Tainted Cup, Bennett uses setting to excellent effect in A Drop of Corruption. It's used to find clues, solve clues, and build the world and mystery between the lines. Sharp, distinctly colored, and efficiently detailed, he offers the reader escapism at its purest. Strange contraptions, weird set pieces, the macabre—all weave in and out of Ana and Din's investigations, easily currying interest and engagement. Coupled with Ana Din's strong 2D performances, the whole package sings.
In the end, A Drop of Corruption, like The Tainted Cup, is wonderful escapism. It's colors shine bright. Bennett channels his best Holmes/Watson in a Weird world that has a nice twist. Aside from a confusing author's note, everything falls perfectly into place. Going to the beach or need an excuse to stay up late near lamp light, try this. I look forward—I assume next year—to a third installment.
No comments:
Post a Comment