The Tainted Cup
Shadow of the Leviathan, Book 1
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The Tainted Cup
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Narrated by:
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Andrew Fallaize
About this listen
A peculiar crime. A brilliant investigator. A mystery of epic proportions.
In an opulent mansion at the borders of the Empire, an Imperial officer lies dead - killed when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it's a death at once terrifying and impossible.
Called in to solve the crime is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricity. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory.
Soon, the mystery leads to a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself. For Ana, all this makes for a deliciously thorny puzzle - at last, something to truly hold her attention. And Din? He'll just have to hold on for the ride.
An eccentric detective and her long-suffering assistant untangle a web of magic, deceit, and murder in this sparkling fantasy reimagining of the classic crime novel - from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.
©2024 Robert Jackson Bennett (P)2024 Penguin Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'Part Sherlock Holmes murder mystery, part Through the Looking-Glass, The Tainted Cup is one of the wildest, most original stories I've ever had the privilege to explore' WESLEY CHU
What listeners say about The Tainted Cup
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 14-03-24
Spectacular
Amazing world building, deep characters, the story rolls along and takes you relentlessly with it. Perfectly read with wonderful characterisation, it felt like watching a film.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Citizen Smith
- 04-11-24
excellent
an excellent Sherlock Holmes style fantasy mystery. the two main characters were brilliantly done and the mystery twisting and interesting.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robert
- 09-10-24
A Masterpiece of Storytelling
The Tainted Cup is, without a doubt, one of the best books I have ever read. Despite being around 400 pages long, I never felt bored for a moment. In fact, I was completely absorbed, reading late into the night and always wanting more.
The characters are formidable, and the storyline brilliantly ties together various background stories and imminent dangers. It keeps you on edge from start to finish.
The world construction is genius. The author has created a rich, immersive world, full of vivid details that bring everything to life. An absolutely brilliant read!
Last but not least, the narrator – Andrew Fallaize – was simply brilliant. Hopefully he will narrate the next book in the series too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Angelina Fenner
- 09-08-24
I LOVED THIS
Okay I officially get the hype over Robert Jackson Bennett guys! I loved the writing! The way he describes the world and magic around through thought and conversation, rather than one big info dump paragraph. I loved the wit and banter of the characters! Ana is my absolute favorite.
“What color was the mud?”
“The mud?”
“Yes the mud you must have had in your eyes and ears to be so fucking unaware of what was going on”
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Moore
- 25-04-24
marvellous listen!
how fantastic to discover a riveting twist on the fantasy genre. As much Conan Doyle as Tolkien this is at heart a whodunnit set against a well delineated world . superbly read, too, so that a whole host of characters come to vivid life. highly recommended. I hope there will be more set in this universe.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ka
- 06-11-24
One of the best novels of 2024
Excellent story, great world building and narration. Looking forward to the next one. He is fast becoming one of my automatic buys
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 23-02-24
Best Book of 2024?
If this is the best book I'll read in 2024, I'll be a happy man.
What a brilliant idea to put a Sherlock Holmes style detective (complete with an awesome Watson) into a fantasy world.
Great mystery, amazing worldbuilding, awesome pace. Next installment will be an instabuy for me!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- natalie simmonds
- 09-04-24
An intriguing story, beautifully read
I have not felt this absorbed in a story for a very long time. The world is so well built and the characters rounded and full of personality
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- PH Edwards
- 15-10-24
Brilliant world building and plot
Wonderful world building and prose Dineos Cole and his boss Ana a pair I’d love to hear more of
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- R. Maines
- 18-02-24
Another banger
A new RBJ book series is something to look forward too and book 1 does not disappoint. Set in a world where outside the Empire most wildlife will kill you and a technology at 18th century level but enhanced by biology to alter people so they can do impressive feats. This Sherlockian tale has an eccentric investigator and her very sincere young aide investigate a murder that is much more complex than it first seems.
Really enjoyed it, the plot is a bit predictable at times, it’s less action orientated than the authors previous two series but still well done.
The only fly in the ointment was the narrator who I found very annoying at first, especially some of the accents he tried to pull off and failed at. I eventually got used to him but ugh.
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2 people found this helpful