Like many ACLS patrons, I am a big fan of mystery novels but from time to time, I also enjoy sinking into a fantasy world. Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan series allows me to enjoy both genres at once. Beginning with 2024’s THE TAINTED CUP, the books operate within the concept of “biopunk,” a variation on speculative world building that features genetic modification, rather than technological innovation. It’s a landscape where characters have medically administered “enhancements” instead of magic powers, and plant life has become a tool to build walls, lock doors and, occasionally, murder people. In the latter case, the team of Dinios Kol and Anagosa Dolabra are called in to investigate. Din and Ana are an engaging and funny twist on the classic detective duo – she’s an old lady whose perception is so enhanced that she now remains blindfolded, while Din is a young engraver, a law enforcement officer with a photographic memory that he uses to record info to bring back to his cantankerous boss.
The third entry in Ana and Din’s adventures came with A TRADE OF BLOOD’s release in August 2026. Once again, the author has found an intriguing twist on an ecological concept to use, this time drawing on the ophiocordyceps fungi – a fungus that is able to “mind control” certain species of insect in the real world. A horrible murder has been committed, and the culprit is obvious, but it is quickly revealed that a parasitic fungus forced the young man into the brutal act. Ana and Din must discover who’s pulling the strings behind the destruction of a powerful farming lineage. As with his other works, Bennett makes a pointed political argument even within multi-genre appeal. It’s yet another solid episode in a series that has become a favorite of mine, and my go-to recommendation for both mystery fans looking to branch out a bit and speculative fiction lovers who might enjoy the mode of investigative thriller.
Uncovered review by Anna Louise Wiegenstein, ACLS Brigantine Branch
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