Three Parts Dead

A necromancer and a priest walk into a bar..

6/17/21: Reread for SFF book club. I listened to some of the book via the Audible Plus catalog, but I didn't think the narrator really did it justice. So I finished by eye-reading. _____________________________ Interesting setting and magic system. Plot ok, lots of exposition at the end to explain exactly what happened. It was ok.

Now that was a surprising read! There are so many bad fantasy/urban fantasy books being published lately that I have come to dread picking the next one to read. I decided to give Three Parts Dead a try after reading a friend’s review here on Goodreads and I must say I wasn’t disappointed! The premise of the book is both original and promising (a young magician investigates a god’s unexpected death) and the development of the story doesn’t disappoint. Gladstone’s writing is enjoyable and he keeps the reader interested throughout the book. The world he created is particularly inventive (did I mention original?) and I really like the lead female character (who is nothing like the usual stereotypical characters in other fantasy novels). The book isn’t perfect but it is still very enjoyable and probably one of the best fantasy novels I have read so far this year.

I liked the concept, but I didn't feel there was enough detail provided for me to envision the setting properly. Also, the magic system was insanely overpowered?? Unless you count becoming immortal without the ability to preserve flesh so that you become this demigod-like animated skeleton, there were no negative effects to using magic. I did like Tara & Abelard a lot, so if anything I think I'll keep reading this series for the characters.

This happens to be a fairly old book and I’m not known to read older books much, feeling much more comfortable with the writing styles of recent releases. However, I stumbled upon the reviews for this book when I was browsing and I was fascinated. And I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed it. As soon as I got into the book a bit, the first thing that came to mind was how similar the premise felt to City of Stairs - that’s one of my all time favorites, so my interest increased exponentially and I wasn’t disappointed. The author drops us smack dab into the middle of the story, and we get to know the world and it’s magic system called Craft as we go on. I’m not always a fan of that kind of writing style, but it somehow worked here and I didn’t feel lost, so hats off to the author’s skills. The whole idea is also very imaginative, a world which has gods and deities who provide sustenance so that their cities can run, Craftsmen and women who use starlight and earth to wield their magic and work for Craft firms (similar to law firms) to solve when issues rise across kingdoms. I thought the use of business contracts as the way how the exchange between gods and other entities works was ingenious. As this story is essentially a murder mystery/ legal thriller, I really enjoyed the way the characters unraveled the mystery and built their case. While I really loved the different uses of Craft throughout the story, I thought the scene at the Court of Craft was phenomenal and has left an impression on my mind that I won’t soon forget. When the confrontations between different Craft users occur, I can’t call them action sequences but more like battle of wills and they were stunning to read about. While some part of the murder mystery was fairly easy to guess, it was very interesting to read other twists as well as find out the various motivations. And I still can’t get over the brilliant final chapter and the epilogue - they were truly epic. Tara is our main protagonist, a new associate working on her first case and is very much invested in solving it perfectly so that she can make her job permanent. She is strong willed, tenacious, confident and good at thinking outside the box when things aren’t going her way. She is also open minded and willing to look at all the evidence as well as the bigger picture before making judgments, despite strong evidence pointing her in a particular direction. Abelard on the other hand wants to believe in god and his faith, is feeling a bit shaken due to the god's death and just wants everything to return to normal. This leads to some very interesting discussions between them about faith and justice, idealism vs practicality, an engineer’s view of the world vs that of a Craftswoman. They don’t always understand each other’s perspective, but trust enough to work together towards their common goal. Elayne is the mentor figure to Tara and while we only get a little of her POV, her mind works in brilliant ways and it was masterful the way she makes sure everything happens the way she wants it to. There are other side characters we meet along the way and we are intrigued initially because we don’t know why we need to follow along with them, but the author ties up everybody’s storyline amazingly well towards the end and we quickly realize how each of them had an important role to play. I ended up loving every one of them and it’s nice to see the small bonds that developed between each of them too. Finally, I have to say that this is one of the most unique fantasy worlds I’ve read in a while. If you are a fan of the Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett, or love your fantasy worlds to have steampunk elements while also featuring gods and magic and discussing economics and trade etc, then this book is perfect for you. The magic system can be a tad bit too convenient, but it didn’t in anyway hamper my enjoyment of the story. It also works well as a standalone, so you will be very satisfied. There seem to be quite a few books in this series, but I’m not in a hurry - I might just decide to pick up the sequel the next time I’m confused about what to read.

Tara Abernathy could do things that others couldn't at a young age. As she became older, she prayed to be accepted into the Hidden Schools to study The Craft. Her prayers came true. She learned all she could and perfected her craft. When a certain Professor went to far, she reported him and was literally thrown out of the Hidden Schools in the sky. Surviving the fall, she returned home to her parents. Shortly after, she was offered a job at a prestigious Craft firm and she accepted. A God is dead, and her firm needs to bring him back before the city falls. This started off slow for me, but it turned out to be awesome. I will definitely read more of this series.

This is going to be spoiler-y, maybe a little bit gushy, and you may learn more about me than you’d probably like. How does one go to magic law school? Asking for a friend. I only ever had one true, burning wish in life: to become a lawyer. Now, I’m thinking I might change that wish to becoming a magical lawyer. Getting the discounted ebook bundle was a great decision because I can jump to the next one whenever I like. I’ve wanted to read the Craft Sequence since I heard that it’s basically like an epic fantasy secondary world, but in the modern age. It’s what I expected from this book, and it’s what I got. Plus, there’s a Steampunk-ish fire religion with Catholic vibes that I really liked. I won’t delve too much on the world-building, but it does feel a lot like our modern world, but more magical. It’s pretty grounded and I like that it has things like Courts of Craft (There’s actual judicial procedure and I liked how it ties in to the magic system of the book. The court scene was super cool and pretty intense), discussions of how things like Obligations and Contracts work (this was the first law related class I ever took and seeing it really warmed my heart), and of course, magic law firms. Plus, there’s necromancy and discussions of what faith means and what entails. I think that as much as I gush about the law-ish parts of the book, the religion thing maybe one of the things I love the most. Gods here are a construct of man. They arose from the faith of mankind and derive their power from worship and sacrifice. The Craftsmen and Craftswomen on the other hand, wield the powers of a god, but they derive their power from earth and starlight. Over time, they actually cease to be truly, fully human. Three Parts Dead is part legal thriller and part murder mystery with a lot of magic involved. At the beginning of the story, a god lies dead. Kos Everburning died, his powers unable to cope up with his obligations- or was it? Tara Abernathy, the associate hired to assist Elayne Kevarian on the case must get to the bottom of things, otherwise there might be more at stake than what meets the eye. At first glance, Three Parts Dead doesn’t seem so epic. It’s set in a modern city and does feel like an urban fantasy. However, it really does get climactic towards the last hundred pages when we really start to see the stakes involved. It opens up the lore, we see how intertwined certain characters’ histories are with the world and how their past actions may have influenced events. It’s fascinating to read about and it really is thoroughly enjoyable. We follow two main characters in this book- Tara Abernathy and Elayne Kevarian. Tara just recently graduated from the Hidden Schools under unusual circumstances and at the beginning, we find her thrown back into the world and trying to re-adjust her life. That is until a series of events lead her having to leave the village she came from and work with Elayne Kevarian, a senior partner at Kelethres, Albrecht & Ao, one of the world’s most prestigious Craft firms. Tara very much wants to prove herself and is hungry to prove herself as a Craftswoman. This means she had to do a lot of things, including some pretty sketchy things for her client and to bring back Kos Everburning. She also learns a few things about faith and what it might mean to worship a “dead” god. Elayne Kevarian is a badass lady in a suit. She fought in the God Wars which saw many gods brought down by the Craftsmen and Craftswomen. She’s a senior Craftswoman, knowledgeable in her craft and she’s seen and done a lot of things. We also learn a lot about her past and how it continues to affect her until present day. The end here was told in her perspective and this might be spoiler-y but I absolutely loved it because it showed her bringing down her abuser once and for all. The plot starts off kinda slowly which did hamper my enjoyment at least for the beginning of the book. But, I kept reading because necromancy lawyers aren’t something you come across everyday, and found it immensely rewarding. Towards the middle, the pace got a lot faster, the stakes higher, and the characters better. And the climax towards the end- incredible. The last hundred pages was a wild ride and just blew me away. Overall, Three Parts Dead is good. If you’re interested in Law, Business, and Finance and you love fantasy, I highly recommend this. Even if you’re not, I highly recommend it anyway. It’s really good and I’ll definitely be reading the next one. This review is also on The Bookworm Daydreamer

When I first set eyes on the synopsis of Three Parts Dead I was really excited. A whole new world built on the idea that the Craft (magic) rules the world? Definitely cool. Add in crazy gods, a murder mystery, and an awesome sounding main character, and you have a book that sounded right up my alley. Suffice it to say that I had high hopes when I dove into this book headfirst. Sadly, Max Gladstone's book baffled me from the beginning. Three Parts Dead reads much more like a sequel in a series, than it does like the opening book. I was instantly thrown into Tara's world. Barely introduced to her before she set off on a series of events that completely confused me. Before I even had time to adjust to the world that was being built, the book was already off and running. It was all very disconcerting. The unfortunate part is that there really is a great story line under all the confusion. Tara is indeed a pretty fabulous main character, and following her is a lot of fun. She's witty, strong, and willing to do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of things. The city of Alt Coulumb sounds vast and gorgeous. Plus it is inhabited by some rather unusual characters. Long story short, there is a lot that is good here. Sadly, the lack of allowing the reader to take it all in makes for a tough read. I'd like a map, and possibly an area that explains characters and places. In fact, I'd honestly classify this book as more of a regular Fantasy than UF since it has such a strong influence of a brand new world. At the end, I was ready for more but it definitely took me a bit to get there. I'm hoping that Gladstone's next book in the series will shed more light on everything that takes place in Three Parts Dead.