The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is actually the third book series I’ve started from this author. I think that alone says something about the quality of his writing.

I might not have picked this one up, but it was a book club selection. I’m glad somebody picked it.

I don’t remember if there are spoilers in here – be warned! The characters were very believable. The world building was excellent (more on that in a minute). The ‘magic’ system was actually really interesting. Altering a person genetically via the blood of a dead kaiju is a super neat idea. There’s no real explanation of why the kaiju come or why they are battled, but it is part of the world, and accepted by the characters. Tying perfect recall memory to the sense of smell makes so much sense! I particularly enjoyed that it was something that got an explanation and then the continuation of noting it. Not a small detail to be lost as the story moves along!

Back to the world building. In the book club discussion somebody suggested that this world might be tied to the world of Foundryside. This is just later, when people have actually figured out the way to alter bodies and make it stick (and function). I have my doubts that this is the case, but I won’t rule it out.

I’ll be getting the second book to see what’s up next!



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