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Three Parts Dead (Craft Sequence, #1)

Max Gladstone

Start date: May 21, 2015

Finish date: June 18, 2015

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Karen

Why we're reading this: May 2015 Group Contemporary Novel Discussion
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Dec 05, 2016 Scott Firestone rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, authors-to-watch

Kos, fire god of the city Alt Coulumb, is dead. If something's not done about it by the first moon, the steam generators will cease to function, trains will roll to a stop, and the city will likely riot.

A sort-of law firm made up of mages is called in to investigate. It's a fairly simple plot.

What elevates Three Parts Dead is the world-building. We get a small glimpse into what is obviously a huge and fascinating world. Gladstone's confident writing makes me want to look under every rock and a Kos, fire god of the city Alt Coulumb, is dead. If something's not done about it by the first moon, the steam generators will cease to function, trains will roll to a stop, and the city will likely riot.

A sort-of law firm made up of mages is called in to investigate. It's a fairly simple plot.

What elevates Three Parts Dead is the world-building. We get a small glimpse into what is obviously a huge and fascinating world. Gladstone's confident writing makes me want to look under every rock and around every corner to see what else this world holds. It's fantastic.

It's "peopled" with mages, vampires, priests, gargoyles, sea serpents, gods, and pirates. And the characters are terrific.

It does have a few problems. First, it suffers from Kitchen-Sink Syndrome. He's got tons and tons of ideas, and he seemed to want to cram them all into this book. But both Alastair Reynolds and China Mieville did this with their first books, and they turned into terrific writers.

Second, while the city is cool, it doesn't really feel alive. There are 4 million people in Alt Coulumb, but it never feels like it.

Third, the book starts off roughly. It's somewhat confusing, and jumbled, and you're on shaky ground as to what's happening. After the first few chapters, it settles into a straightforward style. This makes those first chapters seem worse because he doesn't carry the "style" through the rest of the book. It just feels like a novice handling of the early part of the story.

One odd thing I noticed was that reviews kept suggesting the "legal thriller" aspect is greater than it is. Certainly there are a couple of "courtroom"-type scenes, but not many. This isn't magical John Grisham, so don't expect that.

I had my problems, but I really did like the book. It's exciting, fun, creative, inventive, and just cool. The characters are great, believable, and chilling. I'll DEFINITELY be reading further into the Craft Sequence.

Three Parts Dead is a flawed book that shows enough potential to overcome those flaws and earn a high score. Recommended. ...more

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Aug 10, 2017 Carro rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Clever and different but not quite to my taste - not sure why, but I didn't warm to it. I think I will read the sequel, but I am not likely to re-read this series unless the sequel "chimes" a bit more for me.
The concept is a world with Gods and "craft", which mix together technology and magic. The world started with Gods and then people worked out how to use the same powers (in a smaller way) and that is craft.
The two PoV characters are a craft apprentice and a technical priest apprentice, and t ...more

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