Today I’m going to talk about The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett. I read it just before we went to the Writing Excuses Retreat/cruise, and it is amazing.

The Tainted Cup is the first book in the Ana and Din series, and it won the Hugo, The World Fantasy, and a bunch of other awards. I’m not alone in loving it, and while I haven’t read the next two books in the series yet, I’m told they are equally amazing, if not better. I have them ready to read once I’ve finished Contact by M. D. Neu.

I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do this one justice. I’m not going to include any spoilers. I’m mostly going to gush about the writing, and try to convince you to go buy it and read it, if you haven’t already. If you have read it, post some comments about how much you love it, too, so we can squeal with delight together.

[Editing note: I’m used to referring to authors by their last name as shorthand in a lot of these reviews, and for some reason, I naturally defaulted to “Jackson Bennett.” This might be correct, as his Instagram handle is “R.JacksonBennett”, but just “Bennett” might be more appropriate. I don’t know. If I ever meet him, I’ll clear that up and maybe come back and edit this further.]

I absolutely love how much Jackson Bennett trusts his readers. The world he’s woven is rich with really intriguing details, but he doesn’t stop to spoon feed it. It’s delivered effortlessly, gracefully, and exactly when the reader needs the information. A less skilled writer might try to cram a bunch of stuff in and leave the reader confused, or drowning. That’s not what happens with this story.

Jackson Bennett also stays true to the voice of both the story and the point-of-view character, Din. Din is dry, not-quite humorless, and duty bound and a little bit neurotic, in part because of his modifications and unique limitations. The voice of the story is a more subtle thing, semi-hidden behind Din’s narrative. I would describe the voice of the story as precise, timely, and not afraid to allow humor to take the stage.

If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for any stories like Sherlock Holmes. I accidentally wrote one of my own in Spin City. The Sherlock qualities of The Tainted Cup are not lost on me, and play a part in why I hold this book in such high regard.

Din is to Watson as Ana is to Sherlock Holmes, which is intentional but not overdone. Both Sherlock and Ana have an anti-social quality to their perceptions and genius, but the characters are not interchangeable or identical. Ana’s irreverence plays out differently, and her humor is sharper. She’s playful in a way I have not seen Sherlock portrayed.

The craftsmanship of the writing is great, and does not distract from the plot and the characters, which are fantastic. Is it a mystery that “plays fair?” I’m not so sure about that. But it is a ton of fun seeing smart characters solve puzzles and mysteries. At no point did I see any of the characters having to be dumb in order for the plot to happen.

Writers can learn a lot from how Jackson Bennett presented this unique world. He did what I strive to do with my own fiction. I’m looking forward to reading more of Jackson Bennett’s stories.