I thought this was an interesting idea, but the tone seems inappropriate for the subject matter. It has a forced lightness and trying to be whimsical that I didn't like.

The Knife and the Serpent is the latest novel from author Tim Pratt. Pratt is an author who I don't think is super known but whom I've read a lot over the last few years. Pratt, a genderfluid author, generally writes some really fun and often quirky sci-fi featuring often zany, space opera, and/or multiversal protagonists who usually find themselves in situations well beyond their expectations. I've never not at least been amused by his books (even his tie-in Twilight Imperium stuff is great and I don't play that game), and the only negative I can say about his works is that I've found his conclusions to multi book series underwhelming. But that isn't really a problem with The Knife and the Serpent, which is a stand alone novel in and of itself.

It might also be my favorite Pratt novel too. The novel is very queer - it's most important protagonist, Glenn is genderqueer - and also very much in a kinky relationship with his girlfriend Viv...which is very relevant to the plot and themes (dealing with consent, relationships, control, and of course the fight against fascism) even if the novel goes any specific intimate descriptions of their sex acts. And it features not just Glenn's romance with Viv, which takes a turn when it turns out Viv is a secret agent for a multiversal force that fights against fascist agents throughout the multiverse, but also the really well story of his ex Tamsin....who turns out to be the last member of a ruling family of another world and decides upon learning that that she should take pack power and control. It's a short novel, but it really does feel somewhat complete, is always a fun blast, and handles some tropes and ideas other books don't nearly use as well, so I'd highly recommend it.

More after the Jump:

Plot Summary:
Glenn's life has been great ever since his girlfriend Viv came into his life. They have incredibly really kinky sex (where Glenn can really lean into his preferences and his gender fluidity) and just enjoy being together, to the point where they've gotten matching tattoos and even a leg bracelet. But then one day, Glenn finds himself warped by that tattoo into strange other place to find out that Viv has been keeping something from him: she's a secret agent for a group called the Interventionalists, who try to fight off fascist forces who would like to conquer Nigh-Space (the multiverse) and prevent people from living and enjoying their own lives. Soon Glenn finds himself learning more about Nigh-Space, the strange worlds that are out there, and truth about Viv herself and has to figure out if he wants the relationship to survive this breach of trust...if he isn't killed in the process first.

Meanwhile, Tamsin Culver is a young woman working on a fresh new tech company she hopes might make her rich. But when her brilliant scientist granny is murdered by a pair of strange bounty hunters with strange powers, she soon finds out her life isn't what she thought it was: she's really from another world, which her Granny fled with her when their rich oligarch family was killed by their enemies. Discovering this, Tamsin makes a choice: to employ her pursuers for her own purposes and to take back her family's wealth and power....to rule the world she was born in (and maybe more). And so she finds herself in a world far more advanced but dangerous than our Earth, but one not yet prepared for the steps Tamsin is willing to take to get what she wants.....
The Knife and the Serpent tells what are essentially two contrasting stories for most of the book up until the last third, when the stories later converge. In Glenn's story, he* and Viv must deal with Viv's revelations about her true identity as a champion of Nigh Space (basically a multiversal antifascist secret agent) and how it relates to him and whether he can accept how her lies affected his ability to consent to what she has secretly asked of him. Tamsin's story meanwhile features the opposite: Tamsin doesn't seek anyone's consent, but upon discovering she's from another dangerous world and a family that used to rule, she immediately starts thinking of ways to manipulate and take power for herself.

*Glenn is genderqueer but the book uses he/him pronouns for him, so I will as well.

To make that contrast, Pratt turns quite frequently to the kinkiness and queerness of the relationship between Glenn and Viv. The story never goes into a full on sex scene, but makes clear how much their relationship is based upon a mutual love of kinky sex, with Glenn as the submissive one who might get tied up or played with various restraints and who has to rely upon his trust that Viv won't take things too far. So of course Viv's use of a tattoo on him to without his knowledge help her secret agent work as well as her other lies about what she actually does really shakes that trust and the two of them have to figure out a new equilibrium if they want to make it work.

But of course Glenn's story isn't just serious themes or questions around consent through kink (not that that isn't fun either), but also features with Glenn and Viv - together with the silly and sometimes overconfidently naive AI spaceship Eddie - dealing with the reality of Nigh-Space, from the fascist forces who might infest parts of it to the boring reality that Viv once called home. It's a lot of fun, especially as we see Viv through Glenn's eyes kick ass and deal with Eddie's witty and sometimes screwing up dialogue.

Tamsin's story by contrast as I mentioned, features a pretty much sociopathic protagonist in Tamsin try to use people and weapons to get what she wants in this new dangerous world she finds herself in. And this too is a lot of fun, even as you realize pretty quickly Tamsin is not a good person: it's just a blast to see how the new world features bizarre mad scientist assassins, host-linked robots, and other strange and deadly beings and how Tamsin navigates it all to gain power. And of course when the two storylines converge, it's pretty fun to see how Tamsin is going to deal with the clearly better equipped Viv, for it's sure that the backstab is eventually coming.

The result is a very fun book that doesn't outstay its welcome with a couple of really enjoyable lead characters to follow. Not everything works perfectly of course - for instance, during the final act one would think things would go wrong even sooner than they do for Tamsin because of something she lacks knowledge of....only for Eddie to tell her straight out for no reason, which felt a little too easy. But the story works well enough and ends in a real satisfying fashion, making this a really great stand alone sci-fi story that I definitely recommend.

This fast-moving space opera is a lot of fun, along with being funny. Author Tim Pratt introduces two major story threads, one following Tamsin Culver, the other grad student Glenn, and gradually pulls these two characters' plots together for a satisfying wrap-up.

Tamsin returns home after her grandmother dies, only to be waylaid by two terrifying beings and almost killed. After making a deal with them, and reuniting with her high school boyfriend, they all head to a parallel Earth, in Nigh-space, to Tamsin's actual birthplace. (Nigh-space is what the many parallel universes are collectively called.) Here, she decides she's recapturing the power her incredibly wealthy and powerful family wielded, before they were eliminated by rival families.

Glenn gets involved with a captivating woman named Vivy, who keeps heading away for family emergencies, until, suddenly and irrevocably, she reveals she's actually an agent for the Continuum, an interdimensional organization that protects people in Nigh-space. They're in a sentient spaceship at the time, in the middle of danger, and once safe and back on Earth, they begin working to rebuild the trust she broke with all her lies to Glenn, then teaching him about what it means to be an agent.

When Tamsin's activities in Nigh-space necessitate Vivy's attention, with Glenn in tow, we get battles, betrayals and much peril to all of Nigh-space.

The banter is fast and frequent, along with meaningful discussions, and revenge-fueled plans. The story is also often silly, bloody, and intriguing in its conception of different multiverses. This is a fun, lighthearted, diverting story, with enough action to keep things moving along and enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Angry Robot for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

While this was a fun quick read it was more YA than I was expecting with splashes of kink positivity keeping it out of the YA labeling. The main characters were less compelling than a lot of the secondary or side characters which I do not prefer. Overall the premise was fun and had a lot of potential but the execution fell flat for me.

I have been hesitating over this review for months, because it's a review I absolutely don't want to write. I have obsessively loved some previous works by Tim Pratt, particularly the Marla Mason series, so I was excited to follow him from fantasies to sci-fi. And I really tried to give this book a fair shake--all the way to 77%. Unfortunately, it felt like a slog the whole way, and I ultimately DNF'ed. For the reader who is looking for a light romp through a zany universe and doesn't need realism in their science fiction, this might read a little like a millenial Douglas Adams. Alas, I am not that reader.

I think some of why I bounced off this book is a marketing problem rather than a story problem. When a publisher says a book is sci-fi, I believe them! A sci-fi designation sets my expectations about the scientific realism of any explained mechanisms of the universe (or in this case, the multiverse) fairly high. Ultimately, I think this piece would have been better served with fantasy or science fantasy classification, because my suspension of disbelief might have been able to withstand what to me felt like enormous, gaping holes in the "science." I also felt that a more plot-driven, traditionally structured narrative might have made the plot holes less noticeable. This piece felt very character-driven--but the characters felt incredibly flat and unrealistic, so the plot felt thin and contrived, just serving to highlight the holes.

Glenn was a decent narrator, but his plot felt completely passive and reactionary to outside forces. I understand that Glenn is a BDSM submissive, and I was frequently amused/bemused by the representation, but I think it would have been a better choice both as representation and for the narrative to highlight that sexual submissiveness is not the same thing as powerlessness or passivity.

Tamsin was completely unlikeable. This is not necessarily a problem in a MC, even in a narrator, but Pratt's decision to make her a "crafty" plotter who wouldn't even let herself think about the plans she had made caused her narration feel stilted and unrealistic. I honestly was not convinced that a person in Tamsin's situation would have in any way ended up with the personality and choice matrix that Tamsin viewed the world through. Tamsin's quest for revenge felt arbitrary and unrooted in anything we had learned about her. Since it was the impetus for the entire plot, I ultimately felt like that "revenge" was flattened into a McGuffin quest.

Finally, the factions of travelers between universes felt artificial. With the names and politics each held, it felt as if they were supposed to be a political allegory, but it didn't feel like Pratt had thought through the implications or complications of membership in each one. I would be happy to hear that the Interventionists were problematized by the end, as they were disturbingly paternalistic for the "good guys," but the fact that there seemed to be no foreshadowing of doing so nearly 4/5 of the way through the book made me feel as if it was the author, rather than the characters, whose stated politics were just lip service.

I think if I had been editing The Knife and the Serpent, I would have asked Pratt to devote a separate book to each narrator, so that he could go back and give each the depth and nuance that I know he is capable of. As it stands, 1 out of 5 stars.

4.5 upped to 5
I loved the Doors and Prisons of Sleep as they were a masterful display of creativity and world buidling so I had high expectations about The Knife and the Serpent.
This is another masterful display of world building and a very funny mix of space opera and comedy with some very funny moments, a witty AI, and some unexpected way to kill people.
There's also a lot of sex as two of the MC are queer and their relationship act as a beam. One of them is a future PHD who discover their girlfriend, Vivy, is a sort of spacetrooper in a multeplicy of universes.
The other MC starts as a nice Midwest girl who works in high tech but discovers she's the last heir of a noble family in a technological advanced and feudal parallel univers.
This is the start of a fast paced, action pack, and twisty novel that made me laugh and have a lot of fun.
My only note is the there was a little too much information about the sexual life of Glen and Vivy.
Tamsin, the to be villain, starts as the last living girl ina slasher movie and evolves into a sort of interstellar villain. I appreciated the character arc and her relationship with Glen&Vivy.
It's a books that updates the classic pulp sci-fi stories to out time and it would be excellent with some less sex.
Edie, the talking and witty AI, is a great characters and I would like to read a book of their adventure
I had fun, skipped some sex parts (I'm the queen of book-sex-skipping) and loved what I read.
Many thanks to Angry Robots for this digital copy, all opinions are mine.

I loved Tamsin’s POV in this thrilling and adventurous tale. Her journey from programmer to discovering her grandmother’s legacy as a powerful oligarch in another world was captivating. The blend of interdimensional political intrigue, hidden powers, and unexpected twists kept me hooked from start to finish. The history and dynamic between Glenn and Tamsin adds depth to the story, and the quirky AIs add a touch of humor. Tim Pratt did a great job combining elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and a bit of humor, creating a unique and enjoyable read.

Tim Pratt has a romp through the multiverse with a tale of The Knife and the Serpent (paper from ‎ Angry Robot). Glenn, a grad student at Berkeley, has found the love of his life in Vivy. She, also loves him but has concealed that the is an agent for the Interventionists, and organization that protects worlds from invasion from other multiplanetary organizations like the Prime Army.Tamsin Culver discovers that, when her Grandmother dies, she is a refugee from a technologically more advanced Earth. She goes through a door into that Earth to get revenge on the ruling family that destroyed her family with a meteor strike. Tamison and Glenn get involved when they learn that the Prime Army is poised to take over Tamison’s home world. I giggled the whole time I read it and really enjoyed the action

Thank you Angry Robot and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange my honest review.

When I started reading this enjoyable sci-fi, I honestly thought: oof the writing seems pretty plain.. It read like any regular person telling you about something that happened to them. But any worries I had about the quality of the writing, were quickly swept away because this was such an interesting 2 POV story, fast paced and very engaging!

We follow Glenn who gets a bossy girlfriend with a secret life that she has to share with Glenn sooner than expected, which leads to space travel in another world! And the most amazing side character!! I loved Eddie!

We also follow Tamsin, who turns out to be the heir to a “throne” in another world without her knowing.

Hard to put down, great characters and I did have a good time reading this but..

Glenn is kinda obsessed with sex and it shows (a lot) and than there’s this weird sudden mention of gender (fluidity?) stuff (I usually don’t mind but this was so sudden and unexplained, it was even between brackets) and the more I read, the more talk about kinky stuff happened until it was just too overwhelming at about 30% in and I had to put the book down and DNF. I don’t like doing that and rarely do but it just made me more and more uncomfortable so I think I did the right thing. If you don’t mind reading about that stuff, I think you’re in for a great ride!! I liked this one (minus the kink xd).

I do apologize for being on the late side reviewing this arc, due to unforeseen medical reasons. This hopefully won’t happen again.

Relationships are hard. Even harder when some oddities stack up with your partner. Things like physical changes that would take long periods of time to happen, not short business trips. And the whole being pulled into space by them on a bit of an accident. On the otherhand they can also be difficult because you never know for sure if people are lying. For example, if the grandmother who raised you also happened to be from another dimension and was basically the ruler of that planet until a coup. Gets even more difficult when one decides they want to try to take back said planet her family used to rule and the partner from another dimension works for an organization that kinda frowns on that sort of behavior.

Reasons to read:
-Sapient spaceship that contains multitudes of emotional maturity and sarcasm
-Interesting methods of dimensional movement
-Poorly times moments of emotional introspection
-Fantastically named devices
-Employees that just don't want to deal with this bs

Cons:
-Well that comeuppance is sort of a personal nightmare

The Knife and the Serpent by Tim Pratt

A few years ago, I read the Axiom trilogy by Tim Pratt based upon a recommendation from Seanan McGuire’s twitter feed. It was fun space opera, but not earth shattering or momentous. Sometimes, that’s all I’m looking for in a book. As the series went on, it got a little worse, a little more contrived, but I still enjoyed it.

So when I saw that he had The Knife and the Serpent, a new space opera, coming out, I requested (and was granted) an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly? It was fine. I enjoyed it. It was diverting. A little less space opera and a little more multiversal action story than I would have preferred. But it was no great tale.

The book alternates narrators between a man who slowly comes to learn that his girlfriend is a super spy from an alternate reality and a woman (who happens to be his ex-girlfriend), who is secretly the heir to an evil fortune in a different alternate reality.

The author described this book as a kitchen sink type book in which he threw in a ton of ideas, and it shows. They don’t all work together but it’s not bad. I could’ve used less discussion of the male lead’s submissive sexual kinks, which didn’t really feel plot relevant and kind of felt awkward in a middle school kind of way.

In addition, the second narrator is just a terrible, terrible person. She apparently has no moral compass, is happy to ally herself with her grandmother’s murderer, and late in the book commits mass murder herself with zero remorse. She was utterly unlikeable. I think the book would’ve been stronger if it had established that she didn’t care what happened in an alternate reality because she couldn’t wrap her mind about it and didn’t believe those people to be real. That is a possible interpretation for her actions but it is not explicit and the book is poorer for that.

I don’t mean to complain. This book would make a fine beach book or airport book. It is just not doing anything new or particularly interesting.

I honestly think this book just might not be for me. Parts of it were interesting and in the beginning I really thought I was going to enjoy it but the characters were unlikeable in Tamsins story and in Glenn’s story the conflict drags out for WAY too long for what it is. There is also an obscene amount of conversation surrounding BDSM that truly didn’t fit the book at all. I think it would have been fine to mention as a part of the characters relationships but they bring it up more than the interdemensional space travel which is more what I wanted this book to be about. Some of the world building also felt out of touch / juvenile but this is definitely an adult book.

Some of the world building was interesting and I think someone will enjoy this book it just isn’t my thing.

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
I was looking forward to this one- I love parallel worlds and with that title , I thought it would be a book I would love. But unfortunately, it wasn’t a book for me.
The world building is great, and I enjoyed the descriptions of different worlds especially the Vegas like world and the home world of Viv which is a perfect utopia. The book is full of diverse characters both human and alien.
This is a quick and easy read with an uncomplicated plot. There was a too much romance and talk about romance and relationships which in my view slowed the story down and perhaps was unnecessary to the plot.

Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the ARC!

Tamsin Culver has returned to her childhood home in the Midwest after the murder of her grandmother. She intends to settle the estate and return home to San Francisco, but instead finds that she is an interstellar refugee from another dimension — and that in her home world her family were rulers. Tamsin sets out with some unlikely allies to reclaim what’s rightfully hers. Meanwhile, back in Berkeley, Glenn is a grad student who’s learned that his girlfriend, Vivy, is a secret agent for an interdimensional group set on protecting the worlds of Nigh-Space (the millions of connected realities in space) from those looking to take advantage of them. Vivy, her sentient spaceship partner Eddie, and Glenn embark on an adventure that find them in opposition of Tamsin’s plans of revenge and reveal connections to one another that surprise them all.

The Knife and the Serpent is told in a dual POV format, from the perspectives of Glenn and Tamsin. The POV change and (seemingly) completely different storylines was jarring initially, but as the story progressed and the threads wove together, it was enjoyable to get the dual perspectives. It has a queer and kink-focused element to it which I found really interesting, and it was a sci-fi story that didn’t take itself too seriously. Tons of humor and laugh out loud moments. Overall, it’s a well told, interesting story that keeps you engaged until the end! I’m not sure if this will become a series, but I’d be willing to do some more exploration of the Nigh-Space!

When I picked up this book, I made the mistake of not realizing it was sci-fi. That was my own oversight. The term “space opera” should have been a clear hint, but I focused on the rest of the book description and mistakenly thought it was a fantasy novel. Despite the numerous sci-fi references, I somehow missed them. Sci-fi isn't my usual genre, although I've enjoyed a few sci-fi books before, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

Honestly, it took me a long time to finish this book because I found most of it quite boring. The story itself is okay and has several good aspects, but the extensive technical descriptions of almost everything bogged me down. These lengthy details made me drowsy and lose focus. Additionally, there was a lot of “telling” rather than “showing” in the narrative, which was quite frustrating. Often, I thought things could have been handled differently.

A major drawback for me was the inclusion of kink and genderqueer elements. While I have nothing against these themes, they didn't contribute to the story or character development in this case. I commend the author for trying to add depth to one of the characters, but it felt superficial and almost jokingly done. This aspect might be off-putting to some readers. The presence of genderqueer characters and BDSM might not be for everyone, so I think this should have been mentioned in the book description.

On a positive note, the action picks up significantly after the 70% mark. At this point, the pace quickens, and my interest was reignited, compelling me to read to the end. I almost gave up at 60%, but I'm glad I pushed through a few more chapters as it became more engaging. I found the side characters more appealing than the main characters, especially Tamsin. She added enjoyment to the story with her stone-cold, unapologetic demeanor. However, I wish her character had been developed more deeply to reveal more about her personality beneath the icy exterior. She had the potential to be even more badass.

The humor is another positive aspect of the book. I enjoy sarcastic humor, and there is plenty of it here. This made AI side characters Eddie and Swarm particularly enjoyable and added some flair to the story.

Overall, it’s not a terrible book, but I’d find it difficult to recommend. The writing style seems more suited for a young adult audience, yet the BDSM and kink references cater to a mature audience, despite the lack of explicit descriptions. It seems these elements were intended to be humorous, but they didn’t appeal to me and simultaneously made the novel unsuitable for younger readers.

I haven't read any of Tim Pratt’s other works, so I have nothing to compare this to. Since this genre isn't my preference and I prefer stories with more depth and layered characters, I don’t plan on reading more of his books. The Knife and the Serpent offers neither depth nor layers.

I was also disappointed with the rushed ending. If executed properly, this book could serve as a great first installment in a series because there is much potential to expand on.

My sincerest thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a strange and fun ride of a story. It is a dual POV story with lots of interconnectedness, revolving around these two characters that is not really known until about halfway into the story. Both feel like they are the protagonist until later on when their ideologies come head to head. I really loved the humor throughout the story, especially from Swarm and Eddie.

The pacing was great for the fast-paced nature of a plot involving a heist and the planned takeover of not one but two worlds. The multiverse concept was fun and written in a way that makes sense and does not follow the usual style of building a multiverse (no branching universes). There are also mentions of a lot of sexual kinks, but no open door depictions of them, so here is your heads up if that is not your thing. If it were not for this, I would say it leans a little on the YA side, but the characters are of that NA age range (or at least appear to be).

I rounded this one up to 4 stars, just because there were so many delightfully humorous bits that will stick with me. I loved the premise of this story: two main narrators each finding out that someone they knew was an alien from an adjacent reality in the multiverse. The plot was a little messy, but still quite enjoyable.

After her grandmother is murdered, programmer Tamsin returns to her midwestern hometown to settle the estate, only to discover that her grandmother had been a wealthy oligarch in a world with highly advanced technology. As Tamsin learns of the vast wealth and power she is rightful heir to, her ambitions grow exponentially.

Grad student Glenn discovers that his girlfriend Vivi is a secret agent working on behalf of The Interventionists, an interdimensional organization working to protect those in those in less-developed worlds. Glenn and Vivi find themselves at odds with Tamsin's dangerous quest for power; did I mention that Glenn and Tamsin used to date? It's complicated.

If mentions of kink or diverse sexuality bother you this might not be your book; it's not super explicit or open door but just seemed like random mentions that didn't really contribute to the story, just came across as a little alien fetishization? These were just more silly than actually sexy.

The two main characters were not exceptionally captivating, but the minor villains and sidekicks were divine and hilarious; I found myself bookmarking so many comic passages. The whole story was quite light-hearted, just a fun read.

Thank you so much to Angry Robot for this ARC to review!

My first Tim Pratt novel! And yes, I can see why he's so popular. This novel is a wild ride.

There are two points of view in the novel, which start off separate and then - inevitably - become intertwined. The first is Glenn, whose story begins with the sentence "This is how I found out my girlfriend is a champion of Nigh-Space." Glenn is having a perfectly normal life when he hooks up with Vivian - Vivy - and finds himself falling in love, getting matching tattoos, and having the best kinky sex of his life; the dom/sub relationship is, he points out, important for understanding how they interact over the rest of the epic tale he's telling. Which involves learning that there are multiple planes of existence, there are groups who would like to extend their control over as many as possible, and that Vivy works for one of the groups attempting to just let planets get on with being themselves, rather than ruthlessly colonised.

The second is Tamsin, who gets home one day to a weird business card stuck in her door, and then finds out that her grandmother has been murdered. With no other family around, Tamsin is responsible for dealing with the estate; when she gets to her grandmother's house, things go very peculiar, to the point where she learns - from her embarrassing ex-boyfriend no less - that she is not actually from Earth but from a planet on an adjoining plane, and there are people who would like to use the door that allows such travel thankyouverymuch. She herself goes through the door, back to her original home, where her family - originally one of the ruling families on their planet - had been eliminated when she was a baby. You might be able to guess where it goes from here.

Eventually the two stories coincide, there are some battles and a fair bit of sneaking, a snarky spaceship compelled to wear a human suit for a while, trust issues are revealed and discussed, people's true natures are revealed, and so on.

This book is a lot of fun. I had been very worried that this would turn out to be the start of a series - it so easily could be! There are so many planets and potential enemies! - but no, it's a standalone, and while I think it did wrap up a bit quickly, it was also quite a satisfying conclusion. All in all, definitely worth reading.

I have read and enjoyed a few different books by this author so I was eager to read their newest release. The premise is interesting, but the author's choice of tone did not entirely work for me. The narrative is very light hearted and at times silly. I found it hard to provide an objective review given the fact that I don't tend to love these goofy stories. There was some enjoyable sections of the narrative, but ultimately I found this one not to my tastes and fairly forgettable.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.