The Sword and Laser discussion

I think I'll start spoiler free, not sure if I'll get into them at the end of this post, or not. I really liked this story, and could easily see reading more of them. My take is it is a cozy urban fantasy detective story set in not-Edwardian not-London. I think worldbuilding is the big gateway for this one, and I enjoyed that, I also liked the characters, but at least in this novel I did not see much development, although I could see where that might come in the future. I also thought the plot was good, but mostly straight forward. Others have called it a bit macabre, and it is, but I don't think for the most part it leans into it too much. I'd still put it more in the cozy side, in that it does not put the reader into too much difficulty to read it.

It's also for that reason, that I doubt that there will be as much discussion on this book. It's the books that deal with difficult things, and bring out strong emotions, both for and against, that really get this group talking. And for me, at this time in my life, these cozy stories are the ones I tend to enjoy more. Not saying the more difficult ones can't be really good, and interesting, but they also can cause more division. This can also be great for those looking for engagement. But that is why it is nice this group bounces around with choices as much as it does.

I think I'll stop there, and post some thoughts on the story

I enjoyed this book too. I found the main characters interesting and the different types of magic are cool. I'll admit I didn't see the end coming but then I never do in detective/mystery stories. It's one reason I read them. I like to be surprised by the reveal of the villain and how they did whatever it is they did (usually murder).

From the very beginning the (view spoiler)[princess seemed sus to me. It wasn't that the writer did a bad job hiding her, but the nature of the type of story just makes her an obvious suspect for a big bad of some kind. And when the Sorceress made an appearance, it seemed like a very likely choice. To me the secretary being the kings kid did take me longer to see coming, but it also made sense once the story started pointing in that direction. (hide spoiler)]

It's hard for me to just sit back and let a story wash over me, be it a mystery or not. No matter the media, I'm always trying to figure out where the story is going. About the only time that doesn't happen, is when I don't care about a story. If I'm engaged in it at all, my brain starts processing it. To me this is part of the fun of stories. But also probably part of the reason I don't like grim dark stuff, or most horror stories. I don't want to think of where the story might be going, or how bad it might get. I think it's great that others can just let the stories wash over them and experience them as they happen, that just rarely happens for me.

As well as the wonderfully complementary central couple, what really drew me in was the language. Another review described it as ‘a perfect blend of 10 dollar words and yeoman’s prose,’ which I can’t improve upon. ‘10 dollar words’ is often meant as a criticism, but here it feels like the highest compliment. Instead of obfuscating, the language sharpened the characters and world into finer, more vivid detail.

As a big fan of Josiah Bancroft and his first series Books of Babel I eagerly awaited the next tome Josiah wrote. While the host of our fine group seems to fixate on the erotic part of the relationship, I just liked how War supported Iz in her choice of career and his love for cooking. The joy War found cooking for the dragon who became an enthusiastic friend willing to taste a whole different world than the previous one the dragon enjoyed was a nice touch in the tale.

Finished the book and it reminded me a lot of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, just with a bit of steampunk worldbuilding. Not a bad book although I found the first part of the investigation too linear for my likening.