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Drunk on All Your Strange New Words
A locked-room mystery in a near-future world of politics and alien diplomacy.
Lydia works as translator for the Logi cultural attaché to Earth. They work well together, even if the act of translating his thoughts into English makes her somewhat wobbly on her feet. She’s not the agency’s best translator, but what else is she going to do? She has no qualifications and no discernible talent in any other field. So when tragedy strikes and Lydia finds herself at the center of an intergalactic incident, her future employment prospects look dire—that is, if she can keep herself out of jail! But Lydia soon discovers that help can appear from the most unexpected source....
Lydia works as translator for the Logi cultural attaché to Earth. They work well together, even if the act of translating his thoughts into English makes her somewhat wobbly on her feet. She’s not the agency’s best translator, but what else is she going to do? She has no qualifications and no discernible talent in any other field. So when tragedy strikes and Lydia finds herself at the center of an intergalactic incident, her future employment prospects look dire—that is, if she can keep herself out of jail! But Lydia soon discovers that help can appear from the most unexpected source....
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First published June 28, 2022
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About the author
Eddie Robson
157 books110 followersEddie Robson is a comedy and science fiction writer best known for his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully and his work on a variety of spin-offs from the BBC Television series Doctor Who. He has written books, comics and short stories, and has worked as a freelance journalist for various science fiction magazines. He is married to a female academic and lives in Lancaster.
Robson's comedy writing career began in 2008 with material for Look Away Now. Since then his work has featured on That Mitchell and Webb Sound, Tilt, Play and Record, Newsjack, Recorded For Training Purposes and The Headset Set. The pilot episode of his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 5th July 2012. It starred Katherine Parkinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
His Doctor Who work includes the BBC 7 radio plays Phobos, Human Resources and Grand Theft Cosmos, the CD releases Memory Lane, The Condemned, The Raincloud Man and The Eight Truths, and several short stories for Big Finish's Doctor Who anthologies, Short Trips. He has contributed comic strips to Doctor Who Adventures.
Between 2007 and 2009, Robson was the producer of Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of products, and has contributed four audio plays to the series. He has also written books on film noir and the Coen Brothers for Virgin Publishing, the Doctor Who episode guide Who's Next with co-authors Mark Clapham and Jim Smith, and an illustrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Robson's comedy writing career began in 2008 with material for Look Away Now. Since then his work has featured on That Mitchell and Webb Sound, Tilt, Play and Record, Newsjack, Recorded For Training Purposes and The Headset Set. The pilot episode of his sitcom Welcome To Our Village, Please Invade Carefully was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 5th July 2012. It starred Katherine Parkinson and Julian Rhind-Tutt.
His Doctor Who work includes the BBC 7 radio plays Phobos, Human Resources and Grand Theft Cosmos, the CD releases Memory Lane, The Condemned, The Raincloud Man and The Eight Truths, and several short stories for Big Finish's Doctor Who anthologies, Short Trips. He has contributed comic strips to Doctor Who Adventures.
Between 2007 and 2009, Robson was the producer of Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of products, and has contributed four audio plays to the series. He has also written books on film noir and the Coen Brothers for Virgin Publishing, the Doctor Who episode guide Who's Next with co-authors Mark Clapham and Jim Smith, and an illustrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 681 reviews
September 1, 2022
2.5 to 3 Stars. I seldom read SciFi today, but when I was young, I went through a stage where that was about all I read. Two of my favourite books of 2021 were SciFi books. When I saw the intriguing premise for this book, I was anxious to read it.
I was engaged at the beginning. The story is set mainly in New York City sometime in the future. Aliens, called Logis, have been entrenched there for some time. They have an embassy, and some humans have an innate ability to communicate with them once they undergo extensive and advanced training in a special school. Communication and translation involve unspoken vibes from the alien, which are translated into speech. An unfortunate side effect for the human translator is the build-up of chemicals in their body, leading to a state resembling drunkenness.
Lydia has worked as a translator for Fritz for ten months. He is a Logi cultural attache. Her duties are mainly accompanying Fritz to operas, plays, and social gatherings to assist him in communicating with humans. This leads to the normally reserved and socially withdrawn Lydia experiencing periods of drunkenness, headaches, clumsiness, temper outbursts, and memory loss. She likes and admires Fritz.
We are transported to a world of advanced technology and with names of devices and objects not explained to us until later or must be guessed from context. The story seems to be written for a person living in that future time period. One such device is government issues eyeglasses that connect the wearer to the internet and also records and takes videos of what they encounter.
Lydia is exhausted from the effort involved in translating and visits her home in England for rest and recuperation. She takes pills to try to keep herself in a steady state. Shortly after her return, she finds Fritz's body. He has been shot to death. As the police believe she was the only one in the house at the time, she is the main suspect. At the time of his murder, Lydia was in a drunken sleep, lost her glasses which could prove her whereabouts, and has gaps in her memory. We have learned that the Logi claim to be able to communicate with others of their kind after their death, and this presence gradually fades out.
Lydia is amazed that Fritz's voice still resonates in her head after his death. He implores her to solve his murder and, in doing so, save herself from prison. She has an enemy, Madison, a high-ranking Logi, who threatens her with imprisonment, loss of her career, and eviction from the building, now a crime scene. People access news and conspiracy theories on social media. These can be filtered due to levels of truth and believability. Wild conspiracy theories abound about Fritz's murder and Lydia's involvement. Prejudiced right-wing groups are against the Logi, insisting they are conspiring to destroy human culture and replace it with their own.
In this turmoil. Lydia begins a long, convoluted, complicated search for Fritz's killer. She has some clues and people to interview given to her by Fritz after his death. A man she met at home on her visit to England arrived in New York just before the murder and was thrown into prison. Her investigation leads her to a number of people, including a professor who suggests an unstable ex-student may be part of a conspiracy. She was anti-Logi and worked on a virtual reality game that might reveal some truths. Lydia now believes she has some answers but is she being deceived?
She teams up with her old nemesis, Madison, an alien, but finds she cannot communicate with her. Because Madison has diplomatic immunity, this enables Lydia to further her search unencumbered by threats of prison. They have adventurous car chases while driving an embassy vehicle, and when the truth comes out, they find themselves facing gunfire.
This was said to be a short, humourous story, but I found it over-written, convoluted, and struggled with all its twists and complications. It seemed too long, there were too many characters introduced, and for me, it required a lot of concentration and became boring in places. I did like the characters of Lydia, Madison, and Fritz and the book's premise.
I was engaged at the beginning. The story is set mainly in New York City sometime in the future. Aliens, called Logis, have been entrenched there for some time. They have an embassy, and some humans have an innate ability to communicate with them once they undergo extensive and advanced training in a special school. Communication and translation involve unspoken vibes from the alien, which are translated into speech. An unfortunate side effect for the human translator is the build-up of chemicals in their body, leading to a state resembling drunkenness.
Lydia has worked as a translator for Fritz for ten months. He is a Logi cultural attache. Her duties are mainly accompanying Fritz to operas, plays, and social gatherings to assist him in communicating with humans. This leads to the normally reserved and socially withdrawn Lydia experiencing periods of drunkenness, headaches, clumsiness, temper outbursts, and memory loss. She likes and admires Fritz.
We are transported to a world of advanced technology and with names of devices and objects not explained to us until later or must be guessed from context. The story seems to be written for a person living in that future time period. One such device is government issues eyeglasses that connect the wearer to the internet and also records and takes videos of what they encounter.
Lydia is exhausted from the effort involved in translating and visits her home in England for rest and recuperation. She takes pills to try to keep herself in a steady state. Shortly after her return, she finds Fritz's body. He has been shot to death. As the police believe she was the only one in the house at the time, she is the main suspect. At the time of his murder, Lydia was in a drunken sleep, lost her glasses which could prove her whereabouts, and has gaps in her memory. We have learned that the Logi claim to be able to communicate with others of their kind after their death, and this presence gradually fades out.
Lydia is amazed that Fritz's voice still resonates in her head after his death. He implores her to solve his murder and, in doing so, save herself from prison. She has an enemy, Madison, a high-ranking Logi, who threatens her with imprisonment, loss of her career, and eviction from the building, now a crime scene. People access news and conspiracy theories on social media. These can be filtered due to levels of truth and believability. Wild conspiracy theories abound about Fritz's murder and Lydia's involvement. Prejudiced right-wing groups are against the Logi, insisting they are conspiring to destroy human culture and replace it with their own.
In this turmoil. Lydia begins a long, convoluted, complicated search for Fritz's killer. She has some clues and people to interview given to her by Fritz after his death. A man she met at home on her visit to England arrived in New York just before the murder and was thrown into prison. Her investigation leads her to a number of people, including a professor who suggests an unstable ex-student may be part of a conspiracy. She was anti-Logi and worked on a virtual reality game that might reveal some truths. Lydia now believes she has some answers but is she being deceived?
She teams up with her old nemesis, Madison, an alien, but finds she cannot communicate with her. Because Madison has diplomatic immunity, this enables Lydia to further her search unencumbered by threats of prison. They have adventurous car chases while driving an embassy vehicle, and when the truth comes out, they find themselves facing gunfire.
This was said to be a short, humourous story, but I found it over-written, convoluted, and struggled with all its twists and complications. It seemed too long, there were too many characters introduced, and for me, it required a lot of concentration and became boring in places. I did like the characters of Lydia, Madison, and Fritz and the book's premise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2022
I've read plenty of first contact sci-fi epics in my time, but Eddie Robson has given me a great appreciation for the art of post-contact fiction: in which aliens have long since announced themselves and live among the denizens of Earth. Robson's Logi are a race of peaceful creatures who cannot communicate with words - only with telepathic signals. Certain humans have the capacity to pick up these signals and translate them, with one crucial cavert: it makes them drunk. Enter Lydia, a disillusioned translator who likes her boss but is growing tired of her demanding job and incessant drunken state. When a mysterious death occurs and the police prove incompetent, Lydia sets off on her own to get to the bottom of the mystery.
This story did a great job of building a "near-future" version of the modern world: Lydia's New York City is highly believable with its self-driving cars, smart glasses, and immersive VR video games. I found the fictional experience of media to be especially fascinating: all news articles, tweets, posts, etc. are assigned a "truthfulness" rating by an AI, which people can then filter as desired. Robson does a great job of showing how even this purportedly objective system can be fallible, and in doing so arrives at a interesting critique of modern media bias. He also wove in the mystery aspects very well: I was genuinely surprised by the twists and thought they played well into the future he constructed.
Also, this is just generally a great commentary on translation and cross-cultural exchange; both the crucial role of translators in society, and the power they hold to either elevate or hold hostages the voices of the communities they serve.
This story did a great job of building a "near-future" version of the modern world: Lydia's New York City is highly believable with its self-driving cars, smart glasses, and immersive VR video games. I found the fictional experience of media to be especially fascinating: all news articles, tweets, posts, etc. are assigned a "truthfulness" rating by an AI, which people can then filter as desired. Robson does a great job of showing how even this purportedly objective system can be fallible, and in doing so arrives at a interesting critique of modern media bias. He also wove in the mystery aspects very well: I was genuinely surprised by the twists and thought they played well into the future he constructed.
Also, this is just generally a great commentary on translation and cross-cultural exchange; both the crucial role of translators in society, and the power they hold to either elevate or hold hostages the voices of the communities they serve.
January 18, 2023
Fun and quick novel on a woman who is a translator to an alien embassy. Soon this turns into a twisty murder investigation and a commentary on the dangers of fake news and conspiracies
The police are livid.
We didn’t expect them not to be.
Lydia finds herself in a hot pickle when her employer gets murdered. A fun novel that takes in quite a lot modern day themes.
It is a story quite similar to A Memory Called Empire, but then set on earth and focused on a human translator in service of an alien embassy (I am allowed everywhere) in New York. These aliens are especially intrigued by literature and despise/are resistent to mechanical ways of translation. Translation works via telepathy and induces a kind of drunkenness (and low metabolism/sugar craving) on the humans assigned to cultural attaches.
Some sex and body positivity comes into the story as well, but at its heart this is a twisty, fast-paced who-dunnit.
VR and fake news to put a murder in a whole different light play important roles, and comment on current day affairs. An enjoyable read with enough elements to be distinct in terms of worldbuilding and effective in how its written.
The police are livid.
We didn’t expect them not to be.
Lydia finds herself in a hot pickle when her employer gets murdered. A fun novel that takes in quite a lot modern day themes.
It is a story quite similar to A Memory Called Empire, but then set on earth and focused on a human translator in service of an alien embassy (I am allowed everywhere) in New York. These aliens are especially intrigued by literature and despise/are resistent to mechanical ways of translation. Translation works via telepathy and induces a kind of drunkenness (and low metabolism/sugar craving) on the humans assigned to cultural attaches.
Some sex and body positivity comes into the story as well, but at its heart this is a twisty, fast-paced who-dunnit.
VR and fake news to put a murder in a whole different light play important roles, and comment on current day affairs. An enjoyable read with enough elements to be distinct in terms of worldbuilding and effective in how its written.
January 29, 2024
So interesting and witty, but I wish we got more in-depth insight on elements of the world and plot— like a further exploration of the linguistic and translation reality, greater understanding of the political motivations of fringe groups, the relationship between the police and the conspiracy…
Full length review: https://sunnythoughts.binderybooks.co...
Full length review: https://sunnythoughts.binderybooks.co...
June 19, 2022
Review of Audiobook Only
This review is for the audiobook, not the text.
Usually when I listen to an audiobook, I read along in the text.
However, although I applied for both the ebook and the audiobook on NetGalley,
I was only approved for the audiobook.
So please overlook any errors I make relating to the text, as I had no access to it.
Audio Reader Very Good, Except for New York Accents
Overall, Amy Scanlon was an excellent audio narrator. I sometimes found her voice mesmerizing.
Her narration was cool and smooth at times; more expressive at others. She voiced the characters very convincingly. She was a good fit for the material.
My one complaint about her would be that, like many British audio readers, she doesn't get the regional variations in American accents very well. She used a generic American accent for all American characters.
The story is set in New York. I'm a New Yorker, and she did not reproduce New York accents at all.
Story
I have mixed feelings about the story.
I was captivated by the wonderful title.
The story started out quite intriguing, but devolved as it went on. The denouement was disappointing.
It's a science fiction murder mystery, set in near future NY City. NYC is surrounded by a sea wall, there are driverless cars and smart glasses, etc. The NYPD gets involved and lots of others.
The main character, Lydia, is the translator for the for Fitz, the cultural attache on Earth from
the planet Logir (I hope I spelled it correctly, but don't know, since I had no access to the text).
Lydia is a British emigre from Halifax in Yorkshire. She was trained at a London school for translators.
Lydia and Fitz work well together.
But translating Logisi makes trained translators feel "intoxicated". (Which explains the title of the book).
I don't want to say much more about the story to avoid giving away spoilers.
As science fiction, it's not terribly interesting as the entire story takes place on Earth, and there's little world building. The Logis remain mysterious and unexplained. We learn next to nothing about their culture. Perhaps this is fine, because the story takes place entirely on Earth.
As a mystery, it's convoluted, involving video gaming and game development; conspiracy theories about the Logi disseminated on social media; police corruption, etc. But ultimately the ending is disappointing.
However, the story kept my interest all along. A lot of this was because of the excellent audio narrator.
The main character, Lydia, was the most compelling, as she’s the only one we really get to know. The other characters were interesting too, but we don’t learn as much about them, and are therefore less invested in them.
Summary
So:
Audiobook: 4
Novel itself: 3.5
Thanks for the ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing an ARC (Advanced Review Copy) of the audiobook.
#DrunkonAllYourStrangeNewWords #NetGalley
This review is for the audiobook, not the text.
Usually when I listen to an audiobook, I read along in the text.
However, although I applied for both the ebook and the audiobook on NetGalley,
I was only approved for the audiobook.
So please overlook any errors I make relating to the text, as I had no access to it.
Audio Reader Very Good, Except for New York Accents
Overall, Amy Scanlon was an excellent audio narrator. I sometimes found her voice mesmerizing.
Her narration was cool and smooth at times; more expressive at others. She voiced the characters very convincingly. She was a good fit for the material.
My one complaint about her would be that, like many British audio readers, she doesn't get the regional variations in American accents very well. She used a generic American accent for all American characters.
The story is set in New York. I'm a New Yorker, and she did not reproduce New York accents at all.
Story
I have mixed feelings about the story.
I was captivated by the wonderful title.
The story started out quite intriguing, but devolved as it went on. The denouement was disappointing.
It's a science fiction murder mystery, set in near future NY City. NYC is surrounded by a sea wall, there are driverless cars and smart glasses, etc. The NYPD gets involved and lots of others.
The main character, Lydia, is the translator for the for Fitz, the cultural attache on Earth from
the planet Logir (I hope I spelled it correctly, but don't know, since I had no access to the text).
Lydia is a British emigre from Halifax in Yorkshire. She was trained at a London school for translators.
Lydia and Fitz work well together.
But translating Logisi makes trained translators feel "intoxicated". (Which explains the title of the book).
I don't want to say much more about the story to avoid giving away spoilers.
As science fiction, it's not terribly interesting as the entire story takes place on Earth, and there's little world building. The Logis remain mysterious and unexplained. We learn next to nothing about their culture. Perhaps this is fine, because the story takes place entirely on Earth.
As a mystery, it's convoluted, involving video gaming and game development; conspiracy theories about the Logi disseminated on social media; police corruption, etc. But ultimately the ending is disappointing.
However, the story kept my interest all along. A lot of this was because of the excellent audio narrator.
The main character, Lydia, was the most compelling, as she’s the only one we really get to know. The other characters were interesting too, but we don’t learn as much about them, and are therefore less invested in them.
Summary
So:
Audiobook: 4
Novel itself: 3.5
Thanks for the ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing an ARC (Advanced Review Copy) of the audiobook.
#DrunkonAllYourStrangeNewWords #NetGalley
December 13, 2022
I have the sense that the author and I have a similar sense of humor. This was zippy, snarky, and such a mash up of subgenres I don't even know where to start. Like, take your traditional Urban Fantasy, but make it scifi about aliens whose language makes your head go all wibbly.
CONTENT WARNING:
Really super fun and effortless. The end was a bit bizarre, but honestly, with all the plates it kept spinning, I'm not sure how the ending would have been traditional. Highly recommend.
CONTENT WARNING:
Really super fun and effortless. The end was a bit bizarre, but honestly, with all the plates it kept spinning, I'm not sure how the ending would have been traditional. Highly recommend.
September 1, 2022
Eddie Robson’s first contact / locked-room murder mystery mash-up begins with a literally arresting moment: While attending an opera she is translating for Fitzwilliam, an alien known as a Logi, and the cultural attaché for his species on earth, Lydia gets up too quickly during the interval, becomes lightheaded, and falls over the balcony.
Before she can plummet to her undignified demise, and probably squash a few unlucky fellow patrons in the cheap seats, Fitz promptly reaches out a “long, slender” arm and yanks her back onto the balcony with brute, yet gracious, strength.
This opening serves two purposes: It emphasises how alien and indecipherable the Logi truly are, and it dramatically demonstrates the perils for translators like Lydia who are assigned to work with them, following rigorous training at the London School of Thought Language (there is a New York version as well, in case you were wondering if Robson is being imperialist.)
Processing the Logi’s language in your brain is akin to feeling drunk, without actually being inebriated. It is a necessary distinction “because your body wasn’t dealing with toxins, and the process didn’t damage your body in the same way alcohol did. So it was like getting drunk with no downside? Awesome.” And hence the equally arresting title: ‘Drunk on All Your Strange New Words’.
I do not want to delve too much into the world-building, for this is the kind of book a reader has to discover and savour, but another fantastic conceit I want to highlight is that, due to the Logi’s peculiar physical makeup and technology, they are not fans of digital media.
Hence the foundation of Earth’s trade with their homeworld, Logia, is … you guessed it: physical books! So, you have all the trappings of the bibliophile sub-genre to boot, complete with clandestine rare book dealing. And we even end up with a dead body in a study and a dastardly murder mystery to solve!
Okay, if you haven’t read the book and are sufficiently intrigued, please go out and do so as soon as your ‘to read’ pile allows and ignore my next caveat. This book has made me ponder the curious alchemy between book, author, and reader, a trinity probably as mysterious as the religious doctrine itself.
While I enjoyed it a lot, I ended up feeling slightly underwhelmed by the end. The locked-room mystery was too convoluted for my taste, while I would have loved to have read more about the Logi, their culture, and their fractious interaction with a species they consider to be their intellectual inferior.
There seems to be a trend in recent SF, or it could just be the type of books I have been reading of late, in which characters communicate either telepathically, or we have the extreme alternative where another consciousness or personality is embedded in their own minds. Here I am thinking of Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire and Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan series, for example.
This means the narrative inevitably becomes dialogue heavy. One has to be careful that the cast of characters is effectively delineated, especially if there are many. However, Robson deftly balances dialogue with exposition and setpieces. This is a fun, fast, and engaging read. Though I must say I struggled with Madison, who reminded me more of a cross between Miss Havisham and Maggie Smith than an alien being who thinks social media is the low point of human civilisation.
Still, Robson is an incredibly original voice in a field where there is so much derivation. If one particular book is successful, it immediately seems to spawn a plethora of imitators, which is more a commercial consequence than it is a creative one, I think. We need more courageous writers like Robson willing to think out of the genre box, more publishers willing to bet a buck on the outcome, and then, lastly, more curious and adventurous readers.
Before she can plummet to her undignified demise, and probably squash a few unlucky fellow patrons in the cheap seats, Fitz promptly reaches out a “long, slender” arm and yanks her back onto the balcony with brute, yet gracious, strength.
This opening serves two purposes: It emphasises how alien and indecipherable the Logi truly are, and it dramatically demonstrates the perils for translators like Lydia who are assigned to work with them, following rigorous training at the London School of Thought Language (there is a New York version as well, in case you were wondering if Robson is being imperialist.)
Processing the Logi’s language in your brain is akin to feeling drunk, without actually being inebriated. It is a necessary distinction “because your body wasn’t dealing with toxins, and the process didn’t damage your body in the same way alcohol did. So it was like getting drunk with no downside? Awesome.” And hence the equally arresting title: ‘Drunk on All Your Strange New Words’.
I do not want to delve too much into the world-building, for this is the kind of book a reader has to discover and savour, but another fantastic conceit I want to highlight is that, due to the Logi’s peculiar physical makeup and technology, they are not fans of digital media.
Hence the foundation of Earth’s trade with their homeworld, Logia, is … you guessed it: physical books! So, you have all the trappings of the bibliophile sub-genre to boot, complete with clandestine rare book dealing. And we even end up with a dead body in a study and a dastardly murder mystery to solve!
Okay, if you haven’t read the book and are sufficiently intrigued, please go out and do so as soon as your ‘to read’ pile allows and ignore my next caveat. This book has made me ponder the curious alchemy between book, author, and reader, a trinity probably as mysterious as the religious doctrine itself.
While I enjoyed it a lot, I ended up feeling slightly underwhelmed by the end. The locked-room mystery was too convoluted for my taste, while I would have loved to have read more about the Logi, their culture, and their fractious interaction with a species they consider to be their intellectual inferior.
There seems to be a trend in recent SF, or it could just be the type of books I have been reading of late, in which characters communicate either telepathically, or we have the extreme alternative where another consciousness or personality is embedded in their own minds. Here I am thinking of Yoon Ha Lee’s Machineries of Empire and Arkady Martine’s Teixcalaan series, for example.
This means the narrative inevitably becomes dialogue heavy. One has to be careful that the cast of characters is effectively delineated, especially if there are many. However, Robson deftly balances dialogue with exposition and setpieces. This is a fun, fast, and engaging read. Though I must say I struggled with Madison, who reminded me more of a cross between Miss Havisham and Maggie Smith than an alien being who thinks social media is the low point of human civilisation.
Still, Robson is an incredibly original voice in a field where there is so much derivation. If one particular book is successful, it immediately seems to spawn a plethora of imitators, which is more a commercial consequence than it is a creative one, I think. We need more courageous writers like Robson willing to think out of the genre box, more publishers willing to bet a buck on the outcome, and then, lastly, more curious and adventurous readers.
June 15, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the audio ARC. It hasn't affected the content of my review.
Firstly, I'm going to apologize in advance because this review might end up being the equivalent of one of those annoying YouTube comments where some genius pops in to be like "FIRST!" and sometimes they're not even first but they're so proud of themselves anyway. I hope I don't descend to that level but I can't promise anything because I had such a good time with this book I'm afraid my filters for reasonable behavior may currently be affected (appropriate, considering the book's plot).
I was approved for this book yesterday morning when I was sitting on the couch in my PJ's and I got so excited I squealed, downloaded it instantly, and immediately started listening. I have now finished it approximately twenty hours later and can safely say this is one you should add to your TBRs if you like mysteries and/or near-future science fiction (with aliens!). There is so much packed into this tiny book. Lydia is our main character, and she's a translator for the cultural attache of the Logi, an alien race that made first contact with humans years back, and whose presence has affected human culture greatly (and human culture is of course beginning to affect them back).
The Logi need translators not because they can't learn to speak human languages, but because their method of speaking is only available physiologically to a small percentage of humans, as they speak telephatically. Hilariously, the people chosen to train for these jobs have to also be trained to overcome the side effects of speaking with a Logi, which is a state very much like drunkenness (hence the title of the book). This state of being drunk is one our narrator, Lydia, very much has to deal with, and instances of it affecting her are significant to the plot, especially as her boss winds up murdered in his study, while she is the only living person remaining in their shared house, and due to being language drunk the night before, she has no memory of anything after about 9 PM.
The plot to uncover who murdered Fitz, her former boss, is a twisty one full of genuine surprises, but more importantly, being with Lydia as she is first blamed for the murder, and then gets caught up in trying to find out what's really going on, is a genuine great time. There's an undercurrent of humor to this entire book, even when dark things like murder are happening. The narrator of the audiobook, Amy Scanlon, does a fantastic job voicing the UK-expat Lydia (although some of her American accents are a bit weird) and especially manages to grasp (and enhance) the tone of the book, which another narrator could have easily butchered. The worldbuilding in this is also really fun, and the concepts Robson is able to explore because of it are intriguing (but full of spoilers). This is a sci-fi future I really don't think I would mind living in, although I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as cozy. This is still a world in which people are struggling to filter out the bullshit.
For most of the book, this was a solid five-star read for me, but while the denouement of the mystery was great, the end of the book afterwards felt just a tiny bit lackluster, like it was missing something to bring the whole thing together. I could have done with just a bit more of whatever my brain thinks is missing. But I still loved it, and will read it again, and need to buy myself a hard copy when it goes on sale in two weeks.
[4.5 stars, rounded up]
Firstly, I'm going to apologize in advance because this review might end up being the equivalent of one of those annoying YouTube comments where some genius pops in to be like "FIRST!" and sometimes they're not even first but they're so proud of themselves anyway. I hope I don't descend to that level but I can't promise anything because I had such a good time with this book I'm afraid my filters for reasonable behavior may currently be affected (appropriate, considering the book's plot).
I was approved for this book yesterday morning when I was sitting on the couch in my PJ's and I got so excited I squealed, downloaded it instantly, and immediately started listening. I have now finished it approximately twenty hours later and can safely say this is one you should add to your TBRs if you like mysteries and/or near-future science fiction (with aliens!). There is so much packed into this tiny book. Lydia is our main character, and she's a translator for the cultural attache of the Logi, an alien race that made first contact with humans years back, and whose presence has affected human culture greatly (and human culture is of course beginning to affect them back).
The Logi need translators not because they can't learn to speak human languages, but because their method of speaking is only available physiologically to a small percentage of humans, as they speak telephatically. Hilariously, the people chosen to train for these jobs have to also be trained to overcome the side effects of speaking with a Logi, which is a state very much like drunkenness (hence the title of the book). This state of being drunk is one our narrator, Lydia, very much has to deal with, and instances of it affecting her are significant to the plot, especially as her boss winds up murdered in his study, while she is the only living person remaining in their shared house, and due to being language drunk the night before, she has no memory of anything after about 9 PM.
The plot to uncover who murdered Fitz, her former boss, is a twisty one full of genuine surprises, but more importantly, being with Lydia as she is first blamed for the murder, and then gets caught up in trying to find out what's really going on, is a genuine great time. There's an undercurrent of humor to this entire book, even when dark things like murder are happening. The narrator of the audiobook, Amy Scanlon, does a fantastic job voicing the UK-expat Lydia (although some of her American accents are a bit weird) and especially manages to grasp (and enhance) the tone of the book, which another narrator could have easily butchered. The worldbuilding in this is also really fun, and the concepts Robson is able to explore because of it are intriguing (but full of spoilers). This is a sci-fi future I really don't think I would mind living in, although I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as cozy. This is still a world in which people are struggling to filter out the bullshit.
For most of the book, this was a solid five-star read for me, but while the denouement of the mystery was great, the end of the book afterwards felt just a tiny bit lackluster, like it was missing something to bring the whole thing together. I could have done with just a bit more of whatever my brain thinks is missing. But I still loved it, and will read it again, and need to buy myself a hard copy when it goes on sale in two weeks.
[4.5 stars, rounded up]
June 6, 2022
3.5 Stars
This is a cute, entertaining short science fiction novel. This is set in a future where we have made contact with aliens, yet this book feels more like a contemporary story rather than a piece of science fiction. Despite the aliens, this novel is very accessible to sci fi newbies, particularly those who enjoy softer science fiction.
My favourite parts were definitely the aspects at the beginning involving translation and language. I wish they had been a larger part of the book. As for the murder mystery, it was there but almost a background to the story of this funny translator. I typically prefer science fiction so this one was just top cute for my tastes.
I would recommend this one to those that enjoy lighter sci fi romps without any hard science.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This is a cute, entertaining short science fiction novel. This is set in a future where we have made contact with aliens, yet this book feels more like a contemporary story rather than a piece of science fiction. Despite the aliens, this novel is very accessible to sci fi newbies, particularly those who enjoy softer science fiction.
My favourite parts were definitely the aspects at the beginning involving translation and language. I wish they had been a larger part of the book. As for the murder mystery, it was there but almost a background to the story of this funny translator. I typically prefer science fiction so this one was just top cute for my tastes.
I would recommend this one to those that enjoy lighter sci fi romps without any hard science.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
December 24, 2022
Lately, I've found that strange little sci-fi, fantasy and weird speculative books are appealing to me. Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is definitely a weird, fun book.
Based in a future post-first contact world, Lydia is a translator for an alien. The Logi, as the aliens are known, communicate via telepathy and some humans are capable of translating. The only downside is that it produces a feeling that is akin to being drunk while communicating with and interpreting for the Logi. Lydia gets wrapped up in a murder mystery when her Logi is found dead, and the plot moves full steam ahead from there.
What I liked: the fun first contact ideas, the world building as Robson imagines what our near future could look like in terms of tech, social circles, work, climate change, etc. It's kind of fun watching authors follow roads from our present into a possible future, and seeing how they imagine our current technology and ways of life would evolve. Lydia was a fun character to follow as we move through her world and learn everything through her eyes. A lot of the side characters were neat, each bringing some new aspect of the world into focus with their parts.
What I didn't like: the unfolding of the murder mystery. I felt like too much of Lydia's amateur investigation depended on clues and plot threads that felt like coincidence, or just kind of happened out of nowhere. Like when she runs into
The things I didn't like didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story, though! It was fun and interesting and a good way to spend a few afternoons of reading.
6/18: 3.5 rounded up, this was fun. Review to come.
5/18: HELLO I JUST WON AN ARC OF THIS FROM TOR!!!
Based in a future post-first contact world, Lydia is a translator for an alien. The Logi, as the aliens are known, communicate via telepathy and some humans are capable of translating. The only downside is that it produces a feeling that is akin to being drunk while communicating with and interpreting for the Logi. Lydia gets wrapped up in a murder mystery when her Logi is found dead, and the plot moves full steam ahead from there.
What I liked: the fun first contact ideas, the world building as Robson imagines what our near future could look like in terms of tech, social circles, work, climate change, etc. It's kind of fun watching authors follow roads from our present into a possible future, and seeing how they imagine our current technology and ways of life would evolve. Lydia was a fun character to follow as we move through her world and learn everything through her eyes. A lot of the side characters were neat, each bringing some new aspect of the world into focus with their parts.
What I didn't like: the unfolding of the murder mystery. I felt like too much of Lydia's amateur investigation depended on clues and plot threads that felt like coincidence, or just kind of happened out of nowhere. Like when she runs into
The things I didn't like didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story, though! It was fun and interesting and a good way to spend a few afternoons of reading.
6/18: 3.5 rounded up, this was fun. Review to come.
5/18: HELLO I JUST WON AN ARC OF THIS FROM TOR!!!
August 18, 2023
An interesting sci-fi murder mystery taking place in a post-contact futuristic New York. I loved the emphasis on translation, as well the mundane horrors of an increasingly technological world. Lydia is a compelling and believable main character - not quite a bad person, but a messy one. There’s a lot of humor in this book as well, and I couldn’t get enough of the Logi (even if I kept picturing them as Slenderman ?)
The ending is a little haphazard regarding motivations, and took a less interesting turn than the story initially seemed to be leaning towards. But given the ideas planted and overall themes of this book, it makes sense.
Would definitely recommend for people looking for something a little unusual!
The ending is a little haphazard regarding motivations, and took a less interesting turn than the story initially seemed to be leaning towards. But given the ideas planted and overall themes of this book, it makes sense.
Would definitely recommend for people looking for something a little unusual!
July 2, 2022
Ahoy there me mateys! I received an eArc of this sci-fi novella through NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings . . .
This is the story of Lydia who works as a translator for the telepathic alien cultural attaché nicknamed Fitz. The entertaining aspect of this book is that working as a translator causes the humans to basically get drunk the longer that they translate. So when Fitz is killed, Lydia finds herself as the main suspect. Only she can't remember what happened that night. Did she really do it?
The highlight of the novel for me was learning about the translating, how training for that job happened, and the actual translating itself. I love word play and cultural differences and so that was the main appeal of the novella. I also enjoyed the relationship between Fitz and Lydia. Ye don't get a lot about the alien culture but I enjoyed what was presented.
The world building, characterization, and murder mystery elements were a bit light. I thought the solution to the murder was a bit odd and nonsensical. But I was rooting for Lydia and did enjoy following her story. A quick fun read. Arrrr!
This is the story of Lydia who works as a translator for the telepathic alien cultural attaché nicknamed Fitz. The entertaining aspect of this book is that working as a translator causes the humans to basically get drunk the longer that they translate. So when Fitz is killed, Lydia finds herself as the main suspect. Only she can't remember what happened that night. Did she really do it?
The highlight of the novel for me was learning about the translating, how training for that job happened, and the actual translating itself. I love word play and cultural differences and so that was the main appeal of the novella. I also enjoyed the relationship between Fitz and Lydia. Ye don't get a lot about the alien culture but I enjoyed what was presented.
The world building, characterization, and murder mystery elements were a bit light. I thought the solution to the murder was a bit odd and nonsensical. But I was rooting for Lydia and did enjoy following her story. A quick fun read. Arrrr!
August 12, 2022
It took me almost a week to get through the first 60 pages, and then a day to finish the remaining 200+, which accurately reflects my changing level of interest in this quirky piece of speculative fiction.
It opens with disaffected near-future-not-millennial Lydia Southwell at the daily grind. Her job is illustrious - translating for the alien species that has made contact with Earth - but the details of working for her alien boss 'Fitzwilliam' ("Their names simply don't translate [...] and while Lydia could describe what she thinks of when she hears his name (pale violet; ice slowly cracking over the surface of a pond; the scent of lemon; and then just a bunch of numbers), that's not actually his name, and also it would take ages to say") - are decidedly mundane. As the cultural attaché for the Logi, Fitz attends the theater, hobnobs with publishers and media people, decides which human works are worth translating into Logisi.
Also, there's that interesting detail that translating for the telepathic Logi has the effect of making humans blackout drunk if they do too much of it:
All this was fine but not inspiring urgent page-flipping: the first part is speculative near-future fiction that takes a very pointed look at the future of social media and its impact on people who constantly get their feed through glasses. The aliens are intriguing but the science is non-existent, and Lydia with her casual drug use and apathy didn't immediately win me over.
And then Things Happen, and suddenly the story swerves into another genre, and then later on, the bottom drops out and it turns into a different one again. I didn't see either of these coming (though maybe I should have, given Eddie Robson's previous book Hearts of Oak), and I was delighted by the evidence of devious plotting and how important things casually mentioned earlier became. It's a short book, and every sentence feels necessary.
One of the major plot points is resolved disappointingly , but Lydia's character arc and that of her strange but weirdly functional relationships with the Logi, are fully satisfying. The last paragraph is a gem: closure, loss, growth, and the bittersweetness of memory all wrapped up in a few brief lines.
It opens with disaffected near-future-not-millennial Lydia Southwell at the daily grind. Her job is illustrious - translating for the alien species that has made contact with Earth - but the details of working for her alien boss 'Fitzwilliam' ("Their names simply don't translate [...] and while Lydia could describe what she thinks of when she hears his name (pale violet; ice slowly cracking over the surface of a pond; the scent of lemon; and then just a bunch of numbers), that's not actually his name, and also it would take ages to say") - are decidedly mundane. As the cultural attaché for the Logi, Fitz attends the theater, hobnobs with publishers and media people, decides which human works are worth translating into Logisi.
Also, there's that interesting detail that translating for the telepathic Logi has the effect of making humans blackout drunk if they do too much of it:
The footage from the diplomatic car that carried Lydia and Fitz back to the residence last night makes for an uneventful eight minutes and seventeen seconds' viewing, apart from the bit half-way through where Lydia can be seen to wind the window down and scream "ANNE BRONTE COULD KICK EMILY'S ARSE" at Fifth Avenue, before Fitz reaches out an arm and guides her gently back to her seat.
All this was fine but not inspiring urgent page-flipping: the first part is speculative near-future fiction that takes a very pointed look at the future of social media and its impact on people who constantly get their feed through glasses. The aliens are intriguing but the science is non-existent, and Lydia with her casual drug use and apathy didn't immediately win me over.
And then Things Happen, and suddenly the story swerves into another genre, and then later on, the bottom drops out and it turns into a different one again. I didn't see either of these coming (though maybe I should have, given Eddie Robson's previous book Hearts of Oak), and I was delighted by the evidence of devious plotting and how important things casually mentioned earlier became. It's a short book, and every sentence feels necessary.
One of the major plot points is resolved disappointingly , but Lydia's character arc and that of her strange but weirdly functional relationships with the Logi, are fully satisfying. The last paragraph is a gem: closure, loss, growth, and the bittersweetness of memory all wrapped up in a few brief lines.
June 25, 2022
7/10; Drunk on All Your Strange New Words was such a welcome read. I’ve been reading a lot of dark fantasy recently and well, it’s really nice to change it up. Sitting at 288 pages, this was an enjoyable soft sci-fi set in a post-contact period. The aliens (Logi) have already established first contact and have entered into a cultural working relationship with humans on Earth. With a murder mystery central to the plot, it made for an interesting way to explore the novel technology as well as a futuristic New York.
Lydia is a translator for human/alien communication and received training at the London School of Thought Language. The Logi don't use their mouths to speak. For Lydia, and the other human/alien translators, communicating telepathically with the Logi, i.e. processing the language in their brain, made them feel drunk..
The story takes place primarily in New York, with a brief visit to Halifax, England. The world building was inventive as far as the technology/digital details went. The period the story takes place in is very digitally connected. I wish we would've gotten a little more information on the Logi because I think it would have enriched the story more. Information on the first contact with the Logi, why the Logi came to Earth and their early interactions with human beings would've been interesting to learn. We learn a little about Logi culture throughout the story. Robson did do an excellent job weaving these details into the narration and avoided dumping info at the reader.
The murder mystery was pretty good. I did feel that there were some areas that didn't wrap up as much for me as I would have liked.. I feel that wrapping up the mystery took primary precedence (as it should, of course) however some other details felt unresolved. As for the characters... I loved the two main Logi's, Fitz and Madison. They were the heart of the story for me which was why I wanted to learn more about their civilization. Overall, Drunk on All Your New Words was a very enjoyable read. I loved the title as well.
Thank you to the author (Eddie Robson) and publisher (Tor) for an advance reading copy of Drunk on All Your Strange New Words. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions. Drunk on All Your Strange New Words releases June 28th, 2022.
Lydia is a translator for human/alien communication and received training at the London School of Thought Language. The Logi don't use their mouths to speak. For Lydia, and the other human/alien translators, communicating telepathically with the Logi, i.e. processing the language in their brain, made them feel drunk..
The story takes place primarily in New York, with a brief visit to Halifax, England. The world building was inventive as far as the technology/digital details went. The period the story takes place in is very digitally connected. I wish we would've gotten a little more information on the Logi because I think it would have enriched the story more. Information on the first contact with the Logi, why the Logi came to Earth and their early interactions with human beings would've been interesting to learn. We learn a little about Logi culture throughout the story. Robson did do an excellent job weaving these details into the narration and avoided dumping info at the reader.
The murder mystery was pretty good. I did feel that there were some areas that didn't wrap up as much for me as I would have liked.. I feel that wrapping up the mystery took primary precedence (as it should, of course) however some other details felt unresolved. As for the characters... I loved the two main Logi's, Fitz and Madison. They were the heart of the story for me which was why I wanted to learn more about their civilization. Overall, Drunk on All Your New Words was a very enjoyable read. I loved the title as well.
Thank you to the author (Eddie Robson) and publisher (Tor) for an advance reading copy of Drunk on All Your Strange New Words. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions. Drunk on All Your Strange New Words releases June 28th, 2022.
November 19, 2022
What started off brilliantly with a mesmerising set-up, then went into a completely different direction than I hoped it would and fades out into something forgettably average.
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a mysterious title that fits enjoyably well: this is the story of Lydia, an alien-to-human-translator who works for Fitz, a cultural attaché of the Logi. The Logi are an alien species that made contact with our planet a couple of decades ago and who haven't overcome their problems of speaking our language yet, which is why translators are needed who communicate telepathically (a process that makes them feel drunk, which explains the title!).
I thought this was going to be heavier on the cultural examination side. After all, this novel claims to be about the nature of translation. In the afterword, Robson explains how he got the idea at a screening of the South Korean film Parasite, where he started to wonder how translation will look like in the future, with our world constantly pushing more automated and computer-generated processes. Unfortunately, there's very little philosophical pondering in here, as this quickly spirals towards a regular whodunnit featuring some aliens.
It's not even bad, I just felt like it could have been so much more. My disappointment mainly stems from how good the early chapters were that immediately drew me into this world. I was loving all about it: both Lydia and Fitz were humorous and had a great dynamic and watching them in social settings was fascinating. How does the world interact with a new species amongst them? I also thought the idea that the translation process comes at the cost of chemicals in your body that will make you drunk was a great twist as well. But when something, that I don't want to spoil now, happens, the story becomes a convoluted thing with too many characters and too little focus.
I'm not sure about this – it's something with a great idea at its core and too little made from that.
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a mysterious title that fits enjoyably well: this is the story of Lydia, an alien-to-human-translator who works for Fitz, a cultural attaché of the Logi. The Logi are an alien species that made contact with our planet a couple of decades ago and who haven't overcome their problems of speaking our language yet, which is why translators are needed who communicate telepathically (a process that makes them feel drunk, which explains the title!).
I thought this was going to be heavier on the cultural examination side. After all, this novel claims to be about the nature of translation. In the afterword, Robson explains how he got the idea at a screening of the South Korean film Parasite, where he started to wonder how translation will look like in the future, with our world constantly pushing more automated and computer-generated processes. Unfortunately, there's very little philosophical pondering in here, as this quickly spirals towards a regular whodunnit featuring some aliens.
It's not even bad, I just felt like it could have been so much more. My disappointment mainly stems from how good the early chapters were that immediately drew me into this world. I was loving all about it: both Lydia and Fitz were humorous and had a great dynamic and watching them in social settings was fascinating. How does the world interact with a new species amongst them? I also thought the idea that the translation process comes at the cost of chemicals in your body that will make you drunk was a great twist as well. But when something, that I don't want to spoil now, happens, the story becomes a convoluted thing with too many characters and too little focus.
I'm not sure about this – it's something with a great idea at its core and too little made from that.
July 16, 2022
A book about languages, about translation, about the possible future of the internet and a world where everyone’s plugged in all the time. I read it in one sitting.
July 3, 2025
Very fun summer reading, a clever scifi murder mystery / thriller within a future world that feels possible and plausible (sadly - it's a bit dystopian if you ask me).
I appreciated so many little details about the worldbuilding. For instance, the fact that protagonist Lydia's mother was a gaming streamer (cause she was probably an older Millennial who had grown up gaming and streaming!), and how that was never really emphasized, just suggested. I liked how the world continued current trends with online grifters, fake news, deep fakes, AIs and such, the microdegrees from universities etc etc.
Lydia was quite an engaging main character and her relationshop with her boss, alien Fitz, quite affecting in some places. There was also a lot of focus on the state of creative 'industries' (I hate that they have to be industries), like books and video games and plays and so on.
I do think this could have had plenty more depth. For instance, I expected a lot more from the 'drunkenness' aspect of the plot, sometimes it felt completely dropped (), and also I would have liked to see more about translation and the Logi aliens themselves, their culture, their society, etc. But we did get enough for the book to be fun, engaging, and for it to zip by at a very pleasant pace, with the last quarter having quite a few twists and turns!
I appreciated so many little details about the worldbuilding. For instance, the fact that protagonist Lydia's mother was a gaming streamer (cause she was probably an older Millennial who had grown up gaming and streaming!), and how that was never really emphasized, just suggested. I liked how the world continued current trends with online grifters, fake news, deep fakes, AIs and such, the microdegrees from universities etc etc.
Lydia was quite an engaging main character and her relationshop with her boss, alien Fitz, quite affecting in some places. There was also a lot of focus on the state of creative 'industries' (I hate that they have to be industries), like books and video games and plays and so on.
I do think this could have had plenty more depth. For instance, I expected a lot more from the 'drunkenness' aspect of the plot, sometimes it felt completely dropped (), and also I would have liked to see more about translation and the Logi aliens themselves, their culture, their society, etc. But we did get enough for the book to be fun, engaging, and for it to zip by at a very pleasant pace, with the last quarter having quite a few twists and turns!
July 4, 2022
Eddie Robson’s previous novel, Hearts of Oak, was a 5-star read for me, so it’s not too surprising that this new book also gets ALL the stars!
In Drunk on All Your Strange New Words, the action takes place in a version of New York at some point in the future, where rising sea levels have devastated most coastal areas, New York exists as a tourist mecca behind sea barriers, and an alien race known as the Logi have established embassies and commerce with the population of Earth.
Main character Lydia works as a translator. The Logi speak mind to mind, and only those with an aptitude for telepathic communication can work in the field. Lydia is highly trained and very good at what she does, and she enjoys her time with “Fitz”, the human name the Logi cultural ambassador goes by. The only downside is that the work of mind-to-mind communication has a chemical side effect equivalent to intoxication, so the longer work hours or more complicated exchanges Lydia carries out, the drunker she becomes.
Can we just pause here to admire what an amazing set-up for the story this is? I’ve never come across anything like it, and I was immediately fascinated by the entire premise.
That’s just the beginning, though. The morning after a particularly challenging night of translation work, Lydia finds Fitz murdered in his study inside the Logi cultural residence. The doors were all locked for the night, only Lydia and Fitz were inside, and Lydia was so drunk from translating that she doesn’t remember anything at all past the middle of the evening. She’s clearly the prime suspect, and to make matters worse, she can’t even say with certainty that she didn’t do it.
The investigation into the murder is incredibly engrossing, with Lydia, the police, and other Logi diplomats carrying out their own inquiries. Lydia checks out clues and seemingly random connections, all of which seem to point to a larger conspiracy… or does it? It’s complicated, to say the least.
Drunk includes deft, intricate plotting, great character profiles, clever dialogue, and a fabulous new version of our world to think about. Grim and dark in many ways, it also includes a renewed interest in hard-copy books, so that’s something to look forward to if this future comes to pass! The author includes technology and slang that are different from our own, but not so impenetrable that it’s hard to follow. The writing is very accessible, and there’s an underlying sense of lightness and humor, even in dark moments, that make this a very enjoyable read.
Bottom line? I loved this book, and couldn’t put it down. Don’t miss it!
In Drunk on All Your Strange New Words, the action takes place in a version of New York at some point in the future, where rising sea levels have devastated most coastal areas, New York exists as a tourist mecca behind sea barriers, and an alien race known as the Logi have established embassies and commerce with the population of Earth.
Main character Lydia works as a translator. The Logi speak mind to mind, and only those with an aptitude for telepathic communication can work in the field. Lydia is highly trained and very good at what she does, and she enjoys her time with “Fitz”, the human name the Logi cultural ambassador goes by. The only downside is that the work of mind-to-mind communication has a chemical side effect equivalent to intoxication, so the longer work hours or more complicated exchanges Lydia carries out, the drunker she becomes.
Can we just pause here to admire what an amazing set-up for the story this is? I’ve never come across anything like it, and I was immediately fascinated by the entire premise.
That’s just the beginning, though. The morning after a particularly challenging night of translation work, Lydia finds Fitz murdered in his study inside the Logi cultural residence. The doors were all locked for the night, only Lydia and Fitz were inside, and Lydia was so drunk from translating that she doesn’t remember anything at all past the middle of the evening. She’s clearly the prime suspect, and to make matters worse, she can’t even say with certainty that she didn’t do it.
The investigation into the murder is incredibly engrossing, with Lydia, the police, and other Logi diplomats carrying out their own inquiries. Lydia checks out clues and seemingly random connections, all of which seem to point to a larger conspiracy… or does it? It’s complicated, to say the least.
Drunk includes deft, intricate plotting, great character profiles, clever dialogue, and a fabulous new version of our world to think about. Grim and dark in many ways, it also includes a renewed interest in hard-copy books, so that’s something to look forward to if this future comes to pass! The author includes technology and slang that are different from our own, but not so impenetrable that it’s hard to follow. The writing is very accessible, and there’s an underlying sense of lightness and humor, even in dark moments, that make this a very enjoyable read.
Bottom line? I loved this book, and couldn’t put it down. Don’t miss it!
July 17, 2025
3.5 stars
A really interesting SciFi concept. Loved the way this book talked about language and translation! Wasn’t really that interested in the mystery until the end.
A really interesting SciFi concept. Loved the way this book talked about language and translation! Wasn’t really that interested in the mystery until the end.
January 24, 2022
Picked this up via TOR (free access to egalleys in return for an honest review, can't beat it right?), the premise/blurb sounded interesting so I gave it a shot.
It's not bad. 3 stars may feel like damning with faint praise to some folks, but if you consider it like a bell curve then you'll realize most books would honestly range in that 2.5-3.5 area. This would fall on the higher end, because it was interesting and kept me engaged. I can't really give any more detail without stepping into spoiler territory, but I just wish the plot had centered more around the aliens than the translator. It feels like there's a lot of backstory that could've really made things pop, but instead we get a whodunit in a post-climate change Manhattan.
This would be perfect for a summer beach read, though, so if you're hunting for a quick little page-turner that doesn't ask too much from you, well, here it is!
It's not bad. 3 stars may feel like damning with faint praise to some folks, but if you consider it like a bell curve then you'll realize most books would honestly range in that 2.5-3.5 area. This would fall on the higher end, because it was interesting and kept me engaged. I can't really give any more detail without stepping into spoiler territory, but I just wish the plot had centered more around the aliens than the translator. It feels like there's a lot of backstory that could've really made things pop, but instead we get a whodunit in a post-climate change Manhattan.
This would be perfect for a summer beach read, though, so if you're hunting for a quick little page-turner that doesn't ask too much from you, well, here it is!
July 8, 2022
A selection from my ‘Anticipated Releases of 2022‘
Robson imagines a near-future world with self-driving cars, smart-glasses, VR games, and a humanity who has made peaceful relations with a telepathic alien species. Using their education they’re given at a prestigious school for translators, graduates can then being working with the ‘Logi’ as a translator. Though with the job comes a few side effects, such as the more you’re translating, the more intoxicated you become.
When Lydia was a kid, of course she’d heard that communicating with the Logi made you drunk—everyone heard that—but she honestly wasn’t sure if it was just a stupid urban myth. On her first day at the London School of Thought Language (LSTL) they told her that processing the language in your brain didn’t make you drunk but it did make you feeldrunk, a distinction Lydia found hard to grasp: drunkenness is a feeling, so what’s the difference between feeling drunk and being drunk? They explained that from a biological perspective it was very different because your body wasn’t dealing with toxins, and the process didn’t damage your body in the same way alcohol did. So it was like getting drunk with no downside?
Awesome. At least, that was what she thought at the time.
Through the story we learn about the history and effects of the ‘translation’ process and how humans view the ‘Logi’ race as friends or as enemies. There are moments of discrimination and galactic xenophobia against them in public as well as the media though there are circles who hope to work with the prestigious Logi and request their support on their projects.
Lydia was a solid main character. With her own flaws and fluxuating hopelessness, she manages to set out to solve the mysterious tragedy in order to clear her name. Though that’s where things get interesting. What proceeds is a rabbit hole of characters, players and associates of her employer. Though once you follow through to the end of this labyrinthine game of who-dun-it, there are things that have been kept from the reader which leads to a pretty interesting ending that i didn’t see coming.
I enjoyed this glimpse of an integrated telepathic alien race rather than humanity-destroying threats. Robson paints a picture that they’re treated more like royalty with fancy gatherings and gala events while being respected (though not by all) by the higher echelons of society. Also the ‘mystery’ piece felt a bit more down-to-earth as we only had to Lydia’s novice detective skills rather than some hyper-observant savant.
This is a solid light-scifi who-dun-it with some chuckles in a future NYC where humanity and aliens can co-exist, and whoever wields the language has the power.
Robson imagines a near-future world with self-driving cars, smart-glasses, VR games, and a humanity who has made peaceful relations with a telepathic alien species. Using their education they’re given at a prestigious school for translators, graduates can then being working with the ‘Logi’ as a translator. Though with the job comes a few side effects, such as the more you’re translating, the more intoxicated you become.
When Lydia was a kid, of course she’d heard that communicating with the Logi made you drunk—everyone heard that—but she honestly wasn’t sure if it was just a stupid urban myth. On her first day at the London School of Thought Language (LSTL) they told her that processing the language in your brain didn’t make you drunk but it did make you feeldrunk, a distinction Lydia found hard to grasp: drunkenness is a feeling, so what’s the difference between feeling drunk and being drunk? They explained that from a biological perspective it was very different because your body wasn’t dealing with toxins, and the process didn’t damage your body in the same way alcohol did. So it was like getting drunk with no downside?
Awesome. At least, that was what she thought at the time.
Through the story we learn about the history and effects of the ‘translation’ process and how humans view the ‘Logi’ race as friends or as enemies. There are moments of discrimination and galactic xenophobia against them in public as well as the media though there are circles who hope to work with the prestigious Logi and request their support on their projects.
Lydia was a solid main character. With her own flaws and fluxuating hopelessness, she manages to set out to solve the mysterious tragedy in order to clear her name. Though that’s where things get interesting. What proceeds is a rabbit hole of characters, players and associates of her employer. Though once you follow through to the end of this labyrinthine game of who-dun-it, there are things that have been kept from the reader which leads to a pretty interesting ending that i didn’t see coming.
I enjoyed this glimpse of an integrated telepathic alien race rather than humanity-destroying threats. Robson paints a picture that they’re treated more like royalty with fancy gatherings and gala events while being respected (though not by all) by the higher echelons of society. Also the ‘mystery’ piece felt a bit more down-to-earth as we only had to Lydia’s novice detective skills rather than some hyper-observant savant.
This is a solid light-scifi who-dun-it with some chuckles in a future NYC where humanity and aliens can co-exist, and whoever wields the language has the power.
October 2, 2023
Well that's done.
I've been reading this one for a few months on and off, it was my bathroom and standing in que book on my phone. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't great. Nothing wrong with it per se, but also never really went anywhere. I liked the idea of telepathic translators that get drunk on translating for their alien speakers. But by the end I just didn't really care.
I've been reading this one for a few months on and off, it was my bathroom and standing in que book on my phone. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't great. Nothing wrong with it per se, but also never really went anywhere. I liked the idea of telepathic translators that get drunk on translating for their alien speakers. But by the end I just didn't really care.
November 9, 2024
I’m normally not really into mystery/thrillers, but this one has the right amount of humor and imaginative near-future world-building (plus some weird, likable aliens) to keep me hooked the whole way.
June 27, 2025
Once the plot got going, I could hardly put this book down. Well-crafted twists and turns, an enjoyable journey watching everything unfold. I have some qualms with the world building—the dystopian levels of plugged-in didn’t land right for me—but the book was fun enough that I was willing to set that aside and enjoy the ride.
February 21, 2022
The alien race and their manner of communication is very interesting (I’m very happy that they are definitely non-human and aren’t pretending to be).
On the characters: The characterization is very middle-of-the-road as there isn’t much distinction and depth beyond the protagonist (the side characters are generalized and stereotypes more often than not). I would have liked to learn more about the aliens, even just to enrich their characterization. But there is enough depth to avoid complete two-dimensional characters.
On the writing: This might be a personal critique but, for me, the third-person present tense writing flops completely. I realize, normally, present tense writing lends itself to faster pacing (and I assume that’s what Robson’s after), however it reads awkwardly, and it feels out of step with the POV. Aside from that, the overall writing was well-executed.
On the plot: The plot is unique and interesting, but I feel it did meander a bit toward the end. The overuse of twists, turns and double backs creates more confusion than a streamlined plot progression. Without spoiling the story, I’m also a bit disappointed that the different plotlines don’t merge into a single cohesive ‘reason’ or ‘motivation’ at the end.
On the worldbuilding: There isn’t much information about this new world as a whole or how it came to be like it is, which is fine, but it feels like a lost opportunity for me – the alien culture, and the human acclimation to it, is at the center of the story but Robson doesn’t expand on how the aliens came to be on Earth or how their culture is actually different or the same (aside from a mild hint at religious differences, which isn’t explored in further detail). There’s also quite a bit of the concepts that isn’t explained fully, so it does take a lot to decipher things’ meanings or use or place within this new world. The ‘social media’ inserts feel like an unnecessary addition that doesn’t move the plot or emphasize character at all – as if it’s just there as a nice-looking gimmick.
Final thoughts: Aside from the mouthful that is the title, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a fun, interesting read that kept my attention even though I struggled with the present tense writing. The characters, plot, setting, and overall writing is good, and I would recommend this book.
On the characters: The characterization is very middle-of-the-road as there isn’t much distinction and depth beyond the protagonist (the side characters are generalized and stereotypes more often than not). I would have liked to learn more about the aliens, even just to enrich their characterization. But there is enough depth to avoid complete two-dimensional characters.
On the writing: This might be a personal critique but, for me, the third-person present tense writing flops completely. I realize, normally, present tense writing lends itself to faster pacing (and I assume that’s what Robson’s after), however it reads awkwardly, and it feels out of step with the POV. Aside from that, the overall writing was well-executed.
On the plot: The plot is unique and interesting, but I feel it did meander a bit toward the end. The overuse of twists, turns and double backs creates more confusion than a streamlined plot progression. Without spoiling the story, I’m also a bit disappointed that the different plotlines don’t merge into a single cohesive ‘reason’ or ‘motivation’ at the end.
On the worldbuilding: There isn’t much information about this new world as a whole or how it came to be like it is, which is fine, but it feels like a lost opportunity for me – the alien culture, and the human acclimation to it, is at the center of the story but Robson doesn’t expand on how the aliens came to be on Earth or how their culture is actually different or the same (aside from a mild hint at religious differences, which isn’t explored in further detail). There’s also quite a bit of the concepts that isn’t explained fully, so it does take a lot to decipher things’ meanings or use or place within this new world. The ‘social media’ inserts feel like an unnecessary addition that doesn’t move the plot or emphasize character at all – as if it’s just there as a nice-looking gimmick.
Final thoughts: Aside from the mouthful that is the title, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a fun, interesting read that kept my attention even though I struggled with the present tense writing. The characters, plot, setting, and overall writing is good, and I would recommend this book.
June 5, 2023
This was a little weird, but in the best way. Eddie Robson sets this tale in a time of climate disasters, and some time after alien contact, to a point where there is a diplomatic relationship between the aliens and humans. The aliens cannot speak human languages, and require translators. Lydia is a translator, and she's been working with the Logi cultural attache, known as Fitwilliam "Fitz", for a while. The downside of translating for the Logi is that translators have a chemical reaction occurs in their brains while working, which they experience as feeling drunk. A particularly heavy translation effort can result in deep drunkenness-like behaviour and blackouts.
Lydia is good at translation, and it's sufficiently lucrative that after punching (because she's been translating) someone behaving like a jerk to her at an event , she contemplates giving her notice, but not seriously. After returning from a vacation with her dysfunctional family, she returns to Manhattan and the Apartment she shares with Fitz, and discovers he's been murdered.
She's the natural suspect because no one else was there, and there is record of her behaving drunkenly in public.
Lydia decides she's going to investigate when she starts hearing Fitz's voice in her head, and he urges her to dig into his former activities and people he knew in an effort to find out who killed him. Lydia ends up finding what she thinks is a conspiracy, but is it?....
This was really good. I loved Lydia's attitude and smarts. The world she lives in isn't one I want to live in, but I found it fascinating, and dark. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I liked his vision of a future where we live with aliens, have all sorts of different technologies. It's a little confusing at the start, but Robson makes it easy to suss out what's going on, and what the stakes are for Lydia if she fails. This was grim, and unexpectedly funny.
Lydia is good at translation, and it's sufficiently lucrative that after punching (because she's been translating) someone behaving like a jerk to her at an event , she contemplates giving her notice, but not seriously. After returning from a vacation with her dysfunctional family, she returns to Manhattan and the Apartment she shares with Fitz, and discovers he's been murdered.
She's the natural suspect because no one else was there, and there is record of her behaving drunkenly in public.
Lydia decides she's going to investigate when she starts hearing Fitz's voice in her head, and he urges her to dig into his former activities and people he knew in an effort to find out who killed him. Lydia ends up finding what she thinks is a conspiracy, but is it?....
This was really good. I loved Lydia's attitude and smarts. The world she lives in isn't one I want to live in, but I found it fascinating, and dark. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I liked his vision of a future where we live with aliens, have all sorts of different technologies. It's a little confusing at the start, but Robson makes it easy to suss out what's going on, and what the stakes are for Lydia if she fails. This was grim, and unexpectedly funny.
June 1, 2022
Read this review and other Science Fiction/Fantasy book reviews at The Quill to Live
Two years ago, I read a short little novel titled Hearts of Oak and came away as bitter as old bark. It was bland with a few twists and turns that kept the plot moving, and ended with such a slap in the face, I was turned off from Eddie Robson for a while. Lo and behold, I was flabbergasted when Andrew slapped an ARC of Robson’s latest novel, Drunk On All Your Strange New Words, on top of my TBR pile. The joy of receiving the first volume of the Berserk manga overshadowed by the work that lay ahead. In my typical fashion, I decided to dive right in and do my job. Robson’s latest is a tedious dive into the future of social media, and conspiratorial plots that might fit right in with today’s headlines.
Lydia is a human translator for the Logi, a peaceful alien race that can only communicate telepathically. She works specifically with their cultural attaché, Fitz. Only a small set of humanity has the ability to receive their brainwaves, and even fewer of them make it through the rigorous training required of them to act as official translators. Even after they make it through, the process of translation makes the human feel as if they are drunk, making their duty quite exhausting. After a “drunken” altercation with a theater producer, and a short vacation home to Halifax U.K., Lydia wakes up one morning to find Fitz murdered. Considering she’s the last one who saw him alive, she is suspect numero uno. And something strange is going on that she’s never heard about before; she can still hear Fitz, and he might just help her solve the case.
I’m going to start with the positive. Though a little annoying at times, I do think Robson walks the fine line of portraying a heightened state of social media in the future. It’s an attempt that sometimes crosses over into boomer territory, while also offering some commentary on the idea of measuring the “truthiness” of individual posts, and how those systems could be gamed. And while some of the posts are pretty cringey, they were one of the few things I found myself chuckling at during my read. I just wish there was a little more done with them. They kind of serve as window dressing, breaking up the monotony a little bit.
Other than that, though, a lot of the issues I had with Hearts of Oak reared their ugly heads here. The characters were barely fleshed out. Lydia had the most going for her, but even she felt like a reader stand-in. I can tell you she’s from Halifax, likes to drive cars without automation, and is probably bisexual. Oh, she also doesn’t want to go to jail for something she is pretty sure she didn’t do, the main impetus for solving the crime. There wasn’t much of a set up for her relationship with Fitz to really make his death feel like a crime beyond the fact that he was an alien who was murdered. The folks that Lydia interacts with through the story come and go as needed to make the plot feel like it was moving, but they were barely even there. Robson’s writing is serviceable but doesn’t add a lot of feeling. The scenery was barely noticeable, to the point where one scene took place on the roof of a building and I didn’t notice it until halfway through the scene.
I will say, just to clear the air, I am generally not a fan of murder mysteries. Solving the mystery doesn’t work on its own for me, and I need more buy-in. I want motives, I want character, I want intrigue, and maybe that makes me a greedy bastard. I want to care about the outcome; I don’t want to just feel good having solved it before the main character. And for the love of humanity, don’t just hoodwink me with an unearned twist. Unfortunately, none of those criteria were really met in Drunk. Every single event felt designed to infuriate me specifically, each gallivanting as Schrodinger's red herring. I know that’s how mysteries are supposed to work, but none of the trails or reveals had much weight, besides one, which Robson deserves a bit of commendation for. It utilized Chekhov’s gun, relied on the limited information Lydia had at her disposal, and the translation aspect of the book. It wasn’t amazing, but I did like it.
In terms of themes and commentary though, I found the book lacking. Now this will probably come off a bit harsh, but the translation aspect was pretty low effort. Considering the toll that it takes on the translators, and the lack of verbal speech by the Logi, I expected a little more feeling, a little more nuance. Instead, it’s just some italics missing “he said, she said.” There were barely any moments where Lydia even actually translated Logisi to other humans, often just sticking to conversation between her and Fitz, or later Madison. It also feels irrelevant to the story, it’s just a neat little thing that makes it feel like an alien contact novel. I wanted more connection to the story, to the happenings, to the damn murder, and the state of politics. Instead, it just feels like “we just need to be better at communicating” without even doing by example. It just takes it as a given that a novel about alien translations should be about the need to say nicer things to each other.
What is so frustrating is that the pieces are there. The truthiness for social media posts, the constant need to update one’s feed to be presentable to the world, and the possibility for camaraderie between Lydia and the Logi she interacts with. Instead, it feels like the reader has to do all of the work in their own head in order for the novel to have a point. To make the points Robson grasps for, make sense. And after all of that, the murder mystery ends with Robson farting in your face, as if the mystery was just an ephemeral hot wind. I’m all for subversion, and I will admit there was a bit of work put into this one, at least until the very end. But fuck me was I pissed at the final reveal. Not because I got it wrong, but because it felt unearned.
I don’t think Andrew could make me read more Robson, even if it meant I’d get booted from the site. His books feel like screenplays for long running adventure serials, not necessarily bad, just not the right medium. Here’s this weird scenario, how does one deal with it?! There is no atmosphere, no character, no stakes beyond what the reader adds. And that might work for you, but for me, it’s a deal breaker.
Rating: Drunk On All Your Strange New Words 4.0/10
-Alex
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
Two years ago, I read a short little novel titled Hearts of Oak and came away as bitter as old bark. It was bland with a few twists and turns that kept the plot moving, and ended with such a slap in the face, I was turned off from Eddie Robson for a while. Lo and behold, I was flabbergasted when Andrew slapped an ARC of Robson’s latest novel, Drunk On All Your Strange New Words, on top of my TBR pile. The joy of receiving the first volume of the Berserk manga overshadowed by the work that lay ahead. In my typical fashion, I decided to dive right in and do my job. Robson’s latest is a tedious dive into the future of social media, and conspiratorial plots that might fit right in with today’s headlines.
Lydia is a human translator for the Logi, a peaceful alien race that can only communicate telepathically. She works specifically with their cultural attaché, Fitz. Only a small set of humanity has the ability to receive their brainwaves, and even fewer of them make it through the rigorous training required of them to act as official translators. Even after they make it through, the process of translation makes the human feel as if they are drunk, making their duty quite exhausting. After a “drunken” altercation with a theater producer, and a short vacation home to Halifax U.K., Lydia wakes up one morning to find Fitz murdered. Considering she’s the last one who saw him alive, she is suspect numero uno. And something strange is going on that she’s never heard about before; she can still hear Fitz, and he might just help her solve the case.
I’m going to start with the positive. Though a little annoying at times, I do think Robson walks the fine line of portraying a heightened state of social media in the future. It’s an attempt that sometimes crosses over into boomer territory, while also offering some commentary on the idea of measuring the “truthiness” of individual posts, and how those systems could be gamed. And while some of the posts are pretty cringey, they were one of the few things I found myself chuckling at during my read. I just wish there was a little more done with them. They kind of serve as window dressing, breaking up the monotony a little bit.
Other than that, though, a lot of the issues I had with Hearts of Oak reared their ugly heads here. The characters were barely fleshed out. Lydia had the most going for her, but even she felt like a reader stand-in. I can tell you she’s from Halifax, likes to drive cars without automation, and is probably bisexual. Oh, she also doesn’t want to go to jail for something she is pretty sure she didn’t do, the main impetus for solving the crime. There wasn’t much of a set up for her relationship with Fitz to really make his death feel like a crime beyond the fact that he was an alien who was murdered. The folks that Lydia interacts with through the story come and go as needed to make the plot feel like it was moving, but they were barely even there. Robson’s writing is serviceable but doesn’t add a lot of feeling. The scenery was barely noticeable, to the point where one scene took place on the roof of a building and I didn’t notice it until halfway through the scene.
I will say, just to clear the air, I am generally not a fan of murder mysteries. Solving the mystery doesn’t work on its own for me, and I need more buy-in. I want motives, I want character, I want intrigue, and maybe that makes me a greedy bastard. I want to care about the outcome; I don’t want to just feel good having solved it before the main character. And for the love of humanity, don’t just hoodwink me with an unearned twist. Unfortunately, none of those criteria were really met in Drunk. Every single event felt designed to infuriate me specifically, each gallivanting as Schrodinger's red herring. I know that’s how mysteries are supposed to work, but none of the trails or reveals had much weight, besides one, which Robson deserves a bit of commendation for. It utilized Chekhov’s gun, relied on the limited information Lydia had at her disposal, and the translation aspect of the book. It wasn’t amazing, but I did like it.
In terms of themes and commentary though, I found the book lacking. Now this will probably come off a bit harsh, but the translation aspect was pretty low effort. Considering the toll that it takes on the translators, and the lack of verbal speech by the Logi, I expected a little more feeling, a little more nuance. Instead, it’s just some italics missing “he said, she said.” There were barely any moments where Lydia even actually translated Logisi to other humans, often just sticking to conversation between her and Fitz, or later Madison. It also feels irrelevant to the story, it’s just a neat little thing that makes it feel like an alien contact novel. I wanted more connection to the story, to the happenings, to the damn murder, and the state of politics. Instead, it just feels like “we just need to be better at communicating” without even doing by example. It just takes it as a given that a novel about alien translations should be about the need to say nicer things to each other.
What is so frustrating is that the pieces are there. The truthiness for social media posts, the constant need to update one’s feed to be presentable to the world, and the possibility for camaraderie between Lydia and the Logi she interacts with. Instead, it feels like the reader has to do all of the work in their own head in order for the novel to have a point. To make the points Robson grasps for, make sense. And after all of that, the murder mystery ends with Robson farting in your face, as if the mystery was just an ephemeral hot wind. I’m all for subversion, and I will admit there was a bit of work put into this one, at least until the very end. But fuck me was I pissed at the final reveal. Not because I got it wrong, but because it felt unearned.
I don’t think Andrew could make me read more Robson, even if it meant I’d get booted from the site. His books feel like screenplays for long running adventure serials, not necessarily bad, just not the right medium. Here’s this weird scenario, how does one deal with it?! There is no atmosphere, no character, no stakes beyond what the reader adds. And that might work for you, but for me, it’s a deal breaker.
Rating: Drunk On All Your Strange New Words 4.0/10
-Alex
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
February 8, 2025
JOHN LENNON WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!
July 2, 2025
Well this was just fun, and I appreciate well crafted, smart fun! There was much more amateur detective novel than I was expecting, and was disappointed went it strayed too far away from the challenges of cultural exchange and translation (ie aliens) to focus on human problems. But overall the near future world building like truthiness ratings and Meta Glasses was well done and engaging, and it is very funny. A super summer read
June 11, 2022
Overall, I liked it. I really liked the fact that this was a post-first contact situation, where aliens are already just a part of society (and the various ways that's affected the world are just facts of life), and the murder mystery was an excellent way of exploring the changes made to the world. But I felt like the mystery was just sort of... there. I didn't feel overly engaged in trying to figure out whodunnit or why, and when the case was solved it felt more like just... "Okay, well, that answers that." There were so many red herrings that the actual resolution felt like one of several options and the author just pointed at one at random and said, "That one's right."
Overall, as a scifi novel, it's an excellent world and stands out among others in the genre. I felt like the world was similar to one China Miéville might create while still being separate enough that it didn't feel like it was cribbing from him.
Overall, as a scifi novel, it's an excellent world and stands out among others in the genre. I felt like the world was similar to one China Miéville might create while still being separate enough that it didn't feel like it was cribbing from him.
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