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Three parts dead
353 pages
A sharp, neon-lit legal thriller where magic is contract law, gods are corporate entities, and bankruptcy means losing your soul.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a bustling, steam-choked metropolis where high fantasy collides head-on with corporate litigation. It is a brisk, wildly inventive ride that treats magic not as a mystical wonder, but as a ruthless system of contracts, debts, and billable hours. The atmosphere is thick with noir sensibilities, shadowy gargoyles, chain-smoking priests, and neon-lit courtrooms, while the tone remains sharp, wry, and relentlessly clever. You are swept up in the sheer kinetic energy of the world-building, watching a hyper-competent underdog navigate a labyrinth of divine bureaucracy and supernatural capitalism. It will absolutely delight readers who crave intricate, rule-based magic systems, legal thrillers, and stories where intellect and a well-drafted contract are the ultimate weapons against corruption.
- Mood
- noir-tinged
- bustling
- steam-choked
- intellectually stimulating
- Tone
- wry
- clever
- pragmatic
- inventive
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- commodification of faith · supernatural capitalism · navigating bureaucracy · the weight of debt · finding professional footing
- The writing
- Sharp, kinetic, and imaginative, seamlessly blending dry legal jargon with vivid, cinematic descriptions of divine magic.
- The arc
- The protagonist moves from an overwhelmed, out-of-her-depth junior associate to a confident, system-bucking powerhouse.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love intricate, rule-based magic systems and crave the pacing of a legal thriller set in a wildly original fantasy metropolis.
Content notes
- murder
- fantasy violence
- corporate exploitation
- smoking
About the book
"Gladstone has created an amazing world....Combining murder mystery, corporate intrigue, and thaumaturgical fireworks, Three Parts Dead gives us not just an excellent urban fantasy, but [also] a brilliant new world to explore. I can't wait to see what he does next." --Margaret Ronald, author of *Spiral Hunt*
A God has died, and it's up to Tara, first-year associate in the international necromantic firm of Kelethres, Albrecht, and Ao, to bring Him back to life before His city falls apart.
Her client is Kos, recently deceased fire god of the city of Alt Coulumb. Without Him, the metropolis's steam generators will shut down, its trains will cease running, and its four million citizens will riot. Tara's job: resurrect Kos before chaos set sin. Her only help is Abulard, a chain-smoking priest of the dead God, who's having an understandable crisis of faith.
But when the duo discover that Kos was murdered, they have to make a case in Alt Coulumb's courts--and their quest for the truth endangers their partnership, their lives, and Alt Coulumb's hope of survival.
This description comes from the publisher.
Description from Open Library.
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