Reading the Hugos

The Tainted Cup

A book club in which we read current and potential Hugo Award nominees.

The Hugos are one of the most prestigious awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy media, and one of only a few major awards that are actually voted on by readers! Let's get together to discuss current and potential future Hugo Award nominees and decide whether we would vote for them or not.

The book selection for December is The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett.

In Daretana’s most opulent mansion, a high Imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Called in to investigate this mystery is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol. Din is an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, and act as his superior’s eyes and ears—quite literally, in this case, as among Ana’s quirks are her insistence on wearing a blindfold at all times, and her refusal to step outside the walls of her home. As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

For teen and up readers. Books can be checked out at any NLRPLS library location or online on the Libby app. For more information, contact Megan at Laman Library. No registration required.