The Divine Cities Trilogy is definitely worth giving another go to. I finished it last month. That being said, I did have reservations about it -- for a start, I wished the detective duo at the centre had been kept together for a few more books. I enjoyed their dynamic, and I think it could have worked brilliantly as a means to explore the DC world, as well as giving certain aspects of the finale much more power.
A word of warning -- Bennett in Divine Cities did like killing off sympathetic characters -- plus one of the male characters, whom I liked in book 1 and most of book 2, by book 3 does read to me as rather cliched. But I still found the series gripping. Fun to read after work when I want to relax and go elsewhere by hook or by crook or by book.
And I do feel Bennett is developing and changing as a writer, getting stronger and shedding some of the "baby author" tics, so I'm looking forward to reading along with him in that respect.
I'm reading the first book of the Founders trilogy now. Finding it hard to get into, and not sure why. I suspect I will be sucked in later -- I'm not getting any DND vibes off it.
I normally love Tchaikovsky, but Service Model and Alien Clay didn't work for me. Alien Clay felt like too much of a retread of his earlier works. Service Model I didn't finish -- despite enjoying the start -- because it seemed a bit one note, like something that started as a funny-macabre short story and was allowed to balloon beyond all need.
Tchaikovsky is so prolific that I do wonder if he should take a year's break from writing to refresh himself. But I bet he's not the kind of personality that can do that.
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Date: 2025-06-20 05:36 pm (UTC)Like you, I really enjoyed Tainted Cup.
The Divine Cities Trilogy is definitely worth giving another go to. I finished it last month. That being said, I did have reservations about it -- for a start, I wished the detective duo at the centre had been kept together for a few more books. I enjoyed their dynamic, and I think it could have worked brilliantly as a means to explore the DC world, as well as giving certain aspects of the finale much more power.
A word of warning -- Bennett in Divine Cities did like killing off sympathetic characters -- plus one of the male characters, whom I liked in book 1 and most of book 2, by book 3 does read to me as rather cliched. But I still found the series gripping. Fun to read after work when I want to relax and go elsewhere by hook or by crook or by book.
And I do feel Bennett is developing and changing as a writer, getting stronger and shedding some of the "baby author" tics, so I'm looking forward to reading along with him in that respect.
I'm reading the first book of the Founders trilogy now. Finding it hard to get into, and not sure why. I suspect I will be sucked in later -- I'm not getting any DND vibes off it.
I normally love Tchaikovsky, but Service Model and Alien Clay didn't work for me. Alien Clay felt like too much of a retread of his earlier works. Service Model I didn't finish -- despite enjoying the start -- because it seemed a bit one note, like something that started as a funny-macabre short story and was allowed to balloon beyond all need.
Tchaikovsky is so prolific that I do wonder if he should take a year's break from writing to refresh himself. But I bet he's not the kind of personality that can do that.