The people of the Empire engage in magic of a sort: genetic enhancements give people superhuman abilities ranging from impossible strength to eidetic memory. One such person is Dinios Kol, an engraver — so named because he can "engrave" anything he sees or hears into his memory permanently. Now he's serving as the new assistant to Ana Dolabra, a brilliant but eccentric investigator who insists on wearing a blindfold at nearly all times and refuses to leave her home.

Their first case together in distant Daretana is a grisly murder: a nobleman killed after a tree has grown out of him. As Ana begins to put the pieces together with Din's help, the bodies continue to stack up. Worse still, there are leviathians at the walls, threatening the Empire and its people once again. And the walls are weakening... suspiciously so. Under Ana's tutelage, Din helps to solve a mystery that twists and turns through the Empire's upper eschelons — and learns more about his own abilities as well.

The Tainted Cup is a must-read if you're looking for Sherlock Holmes-style fiction that isn't yet another straightforward Holmesian detective. Ana and Din build on the Holmes and Watson relationship in their own way, adding a brilliant layer of fantasy worldbuilding. Moreover, the story's revelations about Ana and Din are just as rewarding as the mystery itself. While the book wraps satisfyingly, I would love nothing more than further adventures with this pair.

This is a story of murder, power, and revenge. It’s a genre mashup of fantasy, murder mystery, steampunk, with epic world building. The Tainted Cup is the first in Robot Jackson Bennett’s new series Shadow of the Leviathan. I was instantly hooked in this moody, atmospheric, fast paced read.

When a high ranking official is killed at a wealthy family’s country estate Investigator Ana Dolabra sends her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Koi is an engraver, genetically enhanced to map and remember every aspect of a location. The relationship between Ana and Din has Sherlock and Holmes vibes, playing off one another extremely well. As they gather information we become aware of social hierarchy, alliances, betrayal, all while their world is being threatened. I loved Din’s evolution, how he navigated the changing landscape.

This is a fantasy book for non fantasy readers in the way Addie Larue is. While there’s no doubt it’s fantasy, at the heart it’s about the mystery, the journey of this new assistant Din in a world that is quickly shifting. I recommend for those that love murder mysteries that have an extra element, and those that looking for dystopian fantasy. The series is scheduled to have three books.

I received an early copy from the publisher @delreybooks @randomhouse via @netgalley

I’ve never read this author before, but I’ll certainly be looking for his books in the future. A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this first of a new series introducing Detective Ana Dolabra and her magically altered assistant Dinios Kol. Both fantasy and mystery readers alike will love this unique setting and plot. Although “The Tainted Cup” is labeled as “Book 1,” this is a complete story. Thank you for the opportunity to read in advance!

The Tainted Cup
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Shadow of the Leviathan #1
Fantasy Mystery
NetGalley ARC
Random House
Pub Date: Feb 6, 2024
16+


Din is an engraver, magically altered to have a perfect memory, and with the use of scent, it's even more perfect. He is the assistant to Ana Dolabra, a brilliant investigator with major eccentricities, including, even though she's not blind, keeping herself blindfolded most of the time, and even more rarely, leaving her home.

Called to investigate the strange death of a high officer, Din discovers a tree had grown out of the man's body. Ana, upon hearing Din's perfect recounting of the death, recognizes the symptoms as one of the many contagions caused by the blood of the Leviathans.

An event identical to the officer's death occurs at the wall that protects the city and the kingdom from the massive Leviathans, allowing one of the monsters to breach the wall, but it's luckily killed before it reached the city. Din and Ana are ordered there, to investigate.


I liked the idea of this book and I was curious as I read. Monsters from the sea trying to come ashore, destroying everything that gets in their way. But their blood has magical properties that can distort and corrupt what it touches and the people have learned to use it, both for good and bad.

But fifty pages in, I was losing interest because there's no real backstory about the monsters, what they are, and it's only skirted over that the people had learned to use their blood. Also, I wasn't entirely sure what these people were: humans, creatures, aliens, robots... More of these details would have given me a reason to relate to these people, instead, I didn't.

I liked Din, Ana not so much. She came across as too smart and loved to rub other's noses in that fact. But that said, I pretty much figured out what was going on early in the story. As Din did all of the investigating, the pieces fell into place. Yes, Din did all of the leg work while Ana sat in a room.

There is some violence and gore but it's suitable for readers 16 and older who like fantasy and a little Sherlock Holmes and Watson mysteries.

Will I look for the next book in the series? Maybe. I guess it will depend on the blurb.

3 Stars

“Perhaps it is a wise thing, to prepare for death every day, just as the Empire prepares for death every wet season.”
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I inhaled two books by Robert Jackson Bennett over the last week and a half, and both were excellent. I think I can call myself a fan now.
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“Oh, people love the Legion, with their swords and their walls and their bombards. But though they receive no worship, it’s the maintenance folk who keep the Empire going. Someone, after all, must do the undignified labor to keep the grand works of our era from tumbling down.”
———
The setting is wonderful - a vast Empire where graft alterations of people for specific tasks and traits is common, and the borders of which are guarded by the colossal sea walls that are attacked every season by even more colossal Leviathans, and strange outwardly contagions abound, and where there’s a delicate interplay between politics and plain survival in the place that seems precariously perched on the edge of utter catastrophes all the time. And in this delightfully complex and well-realized setting we have a fascinating murder mystery that - of course - is only a part of grander scale events as our narrator Din, an apprentice assistant to an eccentric and brilliant investigator Ana, starts on his first murder case — that of an Empire official gruesomely murdered by a huge plant erupting from his body.

It’s very clever and addictingly interesting, and develops this world so well that I felt completely engrossed and absorbed in it. The plot moves along snappily without ever sagging, and the point is not the whodunit (that Bennett leaves enough clues to figure out) but the details of the plot and the complex picture of the world they build puzzle piece by puzzle piece. And I loved the interplay between our protagonists built on the contrasts that are wonderfully complementary - a pragmatic and level-headed apprentice youngster and a brilliant and cynical mad genius a few steps ahead of everyone, but never irritatingly so.
———
“For the Empire is huge. Complex. Often unwieldy and slow. And in many places, weak. A massive colossus, stretching out across the cantons, one in whose shadow we all live … and yet it is prone to wounds, infections, fevers, and ill humors. But its strangest feature is that the more its citizens feel it is broken, the more broken it actually becomes.”
———
This is a book that would be so much fun to reread for the sake of the details that will now stand out more as I know the plot resolution.

Fantastically delightful. 5 stars.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine, Del Rey for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an ARC of The Tainted Cup.

This is my first completed RJB read, and I will definitely be going back to finish Foundryside!

The Tainted Cup is such a fantastic introduction to fantasy for those that enjoy mysteries. Placed in an Empire that faces the threat of creatures the size of mountains, Leviathans, each year with only walls and bombs to keep them at bay, a truly horrific murder occurs at a home of one of the Empire's most wealthy, and notorious, clans.

This is a classic "whodunnit" full of twists and turns, along with queer and disability representation! The world is so interesting, I would read a field guide just on the different plants!

I tend to avoid books written by men (sorry!), but I can't deny that RJB knows how to write an amazing story that completely brings you into a new world.

Thank you to NetGalley, Robert Jackson Bennett, and Del Rey Publishing for my advanced copy of The Tainted Cup!

This was my first book by RBJ--I can call him that now because he immediately jumped into my top author categories. I can't believe I haven't read any of his other books yet. They have moved up on my TBR after reading this one.

I always try to be patient when starting new books, especially fantasy, because the beginnings can be dense and the world-building can seem overwhelming to start. Not this book. We are dropped into the life of Din, an assistant detective, investigating a murder scene. Although the first few chapters were interesting enough as is, my true joy came from the introduction of lead detective Ana. She is eclectic, hilarious, potty-mouthed, and intelligent. What more could we want? Ana seemed almost akin to Sherlock Holmes and I could not get enough scenes with her. Easily my favorite character in this book, and I hope we see more of her in the future.

As a fan of both fantasy and thriller/mystery books, this had it all. I would say that new readers of fantasy would absolutely enjoy this book, as it has such a strong mystery plot as well. There are definitely parts where the fantasy side comes out and we get difficult names to pronounce, introductions to factions of people, or new locations, but it does not overwhelm the reader or hinder the plot whatsoever. This was highly consumable and I tore through it.

RBJ has created an epic murder mystery fantasy that is guaranteed to bring something new to readers. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the Shadow of the Leviathan series.

What an escape from reality!

When I read this was a mix of fantasy and partner detective storyline, I knew I had to read this one! The cover art alone is enough to get you involved.

This book is a slow building mystery with such fantastic world building that you’re completely taken away from your everyday life and fully immersed in this story. The nuance and care that went into all the details made this such a memorable book that I’m likely to revisit in the future.

The characters are quirky and mysterious, yet relatable and you really want to understand what is happening in their minds. By using the fantasy/sci-fi genres, it really brings in a multi-layered complexity to the tale. I was so interested in learning about augmentations to the point that I wondered, were I in a similar situation where that was possible, what I would choose.

Going into the book, it was my first book from this author and I was unaware of this being the start of a new series, but was excited to find out I would be able to return to this wonderful, scary, intimidating and cool other world.

Thank you to the author, Robert Jackson Bennett, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for this eARC of The Tainted Cup in exchange for my review!

What a fantastic blend of fantasy and mystery! The story immerses you immediately, without a lot of world building, in a place that feels really unique. The murders are like nothing I've read before either! My absolute favorite things about this book are the two main characters: Anagosa Dolabra is the investigator who prefers to stay at home and wears a blind fold, Dinios Kol who is her very new assistant, tasked with bringing back every detail of the crime scenes and interviewing all the pertinent people. As the mysteries increase, the duo leaves home and heads toward the sea wall where dangers loom from many directions and causes.
This was my first book by this author and I know it won't be my last. Thankfully, this is the first book of a new series! I look forward to future adventures with Ana and Din. Highly recommend.

An engaging start to a new trilogy. A woman who blindfolds herself but can figure out perplexing mysteries. Her new assistant with strange skills and a good heart. This detective team tackles and solves their first case and here's hoping there will be many more. Fun read in a fantasy setting.

The Tainted Cup is a wonderfully written fantasy book with a whodunit murder mystery as the plot. Din, an engraver who can memorize every facial expression, tone of voice and any piece of verbal information is an assistant to Ana, one of the quirkiest detectives in all of the Empire. Together they set off interviewing as many people as possible to solve the murders of ten engineers plus Blas.

As someone who does not read a lot of fantasy, this book was beyond my wildest imagination. An entire world created with complex characters and job titles.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s acclaimed Divine Cities trilogy came out shortly before I returned from a school-induced genre hiatus, and ever since, he’s been one of the authors I’ve been wanting to circle back to. I’ve heard nothing but good things, just hadn’t had the right push to the top of the TBR. The release of a new fantasy mystery novel The Tainted Cup provided just the push, and now I can see what the hype is about.

The Tainted Cup takes place in a secondary world with a deeply weird ecology. Worms are cultivated for their light, locked doors are guarded with flesh-eating vines only kept at bay by the right key, people receive implants to give anything from perfect memory to super strength, and all of society is organized around keeping back the leviathans that rise out of the sea during the annual wet season. And in this world, a man is found brutally poisoned in the house of one of its richest families. And unraveling the mystery of that murder may shake the land to its core.

The Tainted Cup is told from the perspective of an investigative assistant whose brain has been modified to yield perfect recall. He observes a scene and takes his observations back to the eccentric genius with the mind to put things together. As such, the telling is very much in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, only with a fantasy setting, a more observant Watson, and a lady Holmes. And The Tainted Cup is the rare fantasy mystery that truly lives up to both genres. So often, a fantasy mystery is just a fantasy novel with a body at the beginning—mystery conventions regarding clues and suspects are followed irregularly, if at all. But here, every piece of evidence is delivered through the observations of the lead, and the suspects are all perfectly available for the reader to evaluate, even if the hopes of matching the in-universe savant are slim.

And it doesn’t just live up to the billing as a proper mystery, it’s a really gripping one. The initial crime scene opens up a host of possibilities and gives the reader a natural on-ramp into a strange and fascinating world. And it just keeps going from there. The investigator may solve little pieces of the mystery—she is a genius, after all—but there are always questions about the bigger picture that drive the plot forward, especially as the world enters the wet season and the external dangers get more and more severe.

As more and more pieces of the web are revealed, the excellent scenes with a detective showing off her skills are supplemented with some clandestine investigation and a handful of action sequences that keep the tension ratcheted up. All the while, the inexperienced main character learns more and more about himself and grows more confident in his role. It’s not necessarily a mind-blowing character arc, but it serves to buttress the action and mystery to keep the story engaging from start to finish.

Ultimately, The Tainted Cup was pretty much just what I wanted from a fantasy murder mystery. The mystery itself is intriguing, it’s well-paced with tension that ratchets up as the novel goes on, there’s a fun character dynamic, and there’s a satisfying ending that leaves room for more stories taking place in the same universe. “Drop everything and read it now”? Perhaps not. But an excellent example of a subgenre that’s rarely executed half so well? Absolutely.

Recommended if you like: fantasy mysteries, the Holmes and Watson archetypes, weird ecology.

Overall rating: 17 of Tar Vol’s 20. Five stars on Goodreads.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The Tainted Cup is the first mysterious installment in the Shadow of the Leviathan series, which follows Ana and her assistant Din as they investigate a mysterious death.

I think this is the first time I've ever read a fantasy mystery that's been the absolute perfect balance of both, and then some. I was genuinely enthralled the entire time I was reading this book. The plot was a fascinating puzzle and I found my expectations subverted at nearly every turn. It was fantastic. And more than the plot, I loved our main characters, Din arguably moreso, as well as their fantastic dynamic. I'm always going to be a sucker for anything that feels even remotely Sherlockian, and this book met and exceeded my expectations beautifully. I can't wait to read more!

The Tainted Cup blends the quirky and chaotic investigations of Sherlock with the towering coastal threats of Pacific Rim to create a fast-paced, entertaining fantasy story. Though I really enjoyed the story and am excited to see where Robert Jackson Bennett goes from here, I felt disconnected from the main characters and was underwhelmed by the predictability of the mystery.

This first installment introduces a fascinating world under the constant threat of titans attacking from the sea. A bizarre murder in the outermost ring of the empire uncovers a complicated web of politics and corruption among the empire’s elite. I was really intrigued by the intricate system of modifications introduced in this book. I thought the story did a good job of exploring the limitations and consequences of different modifications. The titans are a constant threat lurking in the background, adding tension and impending danger to the investigation. This sense of a countdown really helps keep the pacing fast and engaging. I love how the murder mystery slowly turns into a fight against corruption within the Iudex and the gentry. I am really excited to see Din and Ana’s investigations take on an empire-wide scope.

The mystery plot in The Tainted Cup is enough to keep you interested in the story. The reveals are well-paced, there is constant progress, and the clues are nicely woven throughout the story. However, I was a bit disappointed with how straightforward and predictable the mystery could be. The clues are hidden throughout the story but they aren't hidden particularly well. There are very few red herrings and, therefore, I found myself predicting most of the reveals and connections. This made Ana’s Sherlock-esque speeches with all the connections fall a bit flat. In general, I find these speeches to be a clunky way to advance the plot. The predictability of the reveals coupled with rather simple character motivations leaves the plot feeling a bit underwhelming.

I love the idea of Ana and Din but I felt so disconnected from them as characters. The lack of time spent with them as people, rather than just investigators, kept me from feeling a strong emotional connection. Ana works well as the quirky detective and mentor and I am intrigued by her character. However, we get shockingly little character development from her until the very, very end of the book. I realize that there are many secrets to come but she felt underutilized in this book.

Din had a personality when it was plot-relevant and then the rest of the time he listened and was confused. I want to like him as a character more. There are moments where he is snarky, sneaky, clever, and maybe a little bit unhinged. But for the majority of the book he comes across as flat and distant. Once again I get the sense that there will be a lot to discover about his character and that he will grow over the next books, but this restrained approach does not work when Din is the only POV character. That being said I LOVED the moments where we get to see Din in action. I also love the dyslexia representation.

Though I have spent most of the review dissecting small critiques, I really enjoyed The Tainted Cup and I am excited to see how the story grows in the next books. If you are looking for the tension of a mystery/thriller with the uniqueness of a fantasy world I would highly recommend picking up The Tainted Cup.

The Tainted Cup
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Pub Date: 06 Feb 2024

The Tainted Cup was such an entertaining read! It's like reading an Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes murder mystery. The story blends fantasy with mystery, definitely a complex must read story,

Brief Synopsis:

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseBallantine for an E-ARC of this book.

First and foremost. the premise of this novel is enough to hook anyone! I really enjoyed the Sherlock/Watson type partnership and the mystery in this fantasy novel. With that being said, in comparison to other RJB novels, this one seemed difficult to get into. The writing was smooth, but something just felt different with this novel. Maybe I was not in the right mood for this book? I will be revisiting it in the future and providing a more in-depth review at that time.

I was so pleasantly suprised with how addictive and fun this book was! I wasn't sure what to expect going in but I feel that RJB has found a perfect niche in these types of fantasy murder mysteries. There were just enough unique world building elements reminiscent of The Founders Trilogy ...paired with intrigue that kept me flipping page after page. The characters were unique and well thought out....and the humor and wit were perfectly balanced to lighten the mood. I didn't predict the ending but it made sense and wasn't so far fetched that it came out of left field either, which is refreshing. Overall a splendid time! Highly recommend

Robert Jackson Bennett gives us a new idiosyncratic detective to add to the pantheon. Ana Dolabra is every bit as brilliant - and weird - as Holmes, Poirot, and Wolfe, and her assistant & chronicler Dinias Kol holds his own with Watson and Archie Goodwin. The mystery at the center of the book is complicated and far-reaching while serving as a vehicle to introduce one of the strangest fantasy worlds I've ever come across. The story gives us plenty of action, imperial intrigue, plots and counter-plots, an epic backdrop of world-threatening cataclysm, amoral billionaires, and even a touch of romance.

It's the best mystery and the best fantasy novel I've read in several years. I very much hope there is a sequel or six yet to come.

This story reminded me of part Star Trek, Alice in Wonderland and Columbo. I found that while I was reading the story, I would picture a world that was earth like but the land and oceans were different, and that the society were based on people who were chemically change in order to have specialist who can accomplishes extraordinary things, but sometimes the individual tenacity was more important than the conversion.
There are many layers to this story, the first layer starts out with an engineer, who had helped support the construction of the wall that keeps monsters out of the empire, but is killed in a horrible way and as investigators Ana and Dinios start looking into the death they find out there are many people involved in the death and more than one reason for the death. The second layer were the actual council people, who also ended up dead, but you don't know who the bad guys are until the end. And the final layer involves a powerful family member who is the only one left and also know something about the deaths, but doesn't want to tell. One last moment I found interesting were the creatures themselves and how Dinios connected with them. I enjoyed it as the two unraveled the mystery of the death and found the world fascinating and richly described, it increased the enjoyment of the chase.
I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and NetGalley for the advance copy of this intriguing world.

From the initial description of The Tainted Cup, I understood that it was a mystery novel, the first in the new Shadow of Leviathan series. What I did not grasp until I read the book is that it is a blend of mystery and fantasy. In my opinion, it was more fantasy than I personally care to read. The reader is introduced to an eccentric detective, Ana Dolabra, and her assistant, Dinios Kol. There are several levels of mysteries involving a death investigation as well as Ana and Dinios.

Perhaps if you like fantasy, this is the book for you.