Where Ana and Din Face a Brilliant Villain

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book. As good as, in some ways better than, the first book. That's unusual, isn't it? All five stars.

This is both a fantasy and a mystery, a combination that I love. It's such a cool world, with a whole civilization imagined in a place where godzilla-type monsters emerge each year, bringing both destruction and innovation. After they trample some fantasy cities, the bodies of these behemoths give the people--via their blood and tissues--some pretty magical stuff, mostly for medicine but also for modifying people's abilities in a wide variety of ways. But the reagents and chemicals and final products are also very dangerous, as in this novel, and can be used to kill in ways big and small. A spate of murders involving these products and endangering the essential trade and transportation of them brings Ana and Din to a border kingdom, where they must stop the killings and prevent an act of terrorism.

Besides our two protagonists, there are a bunch of new (minor) characters, the locals involved in the current mystery, and all are original and full of personality in a way that breathes real life into the novel. Well, both novels. And the puzzle nature of the crimes tickles your brain, if you're into such things. Ana tends to give tiny hints of foreshadowing as she closes in on the answers, and I find that very fun to work out.

Also, lots of great action. Our POV dude, Din, is a very capable officer in the field of justice, and sometimes a bit naive or simple, but he isn't made into a bumbler. He is generally reliable without being a Sherlock--that's Ana's role--but he also gets to take part in action at times--like Watson with his gun--and that's pretty satisfying. I like characters that are round and complex and limited in ways, but not goofy or prone to stupid errors. Of course, Ana is very limited as well; she keeps her eyes covered and prefers to solve her mysteries from home, like Nero Wolf or something, because she gets overwhelmed and exhausted if she's out too much. So while they're far from being Superman, or Supersherlock, both being human in many ways, they make a good team, and together are formidable. The author has found a good balance.

This story is quite long, about 450 pages, which is probably close to the median length for fantasy, but I did not feel any lagging anywhere in this novel. I have a couple other fantasies I'm in the middle of, stalled in, and though I like them enough to finish they definitely lag. So I appreciate the pace of this one, and the many elements making it so entertaining. Very fun. Highly recommended.

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