Book Review | The Death I Gave Him

The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu weaves a gripping near-future, sci-fi retelling of Hamlet that I didn’t know I needed, until now.

The story is set up as a frame narrative with a grad student trying to reconstruct the events of the infamous Elsinore Incident, and we begin with the murder of Dr. Graham Litchfield, a prestigious biochemist, who was researching immortality. However, when he’s found mysterious dead in his lab, the whole building goes in lockdown and his son sets out to find his murderer with the help of the lab’s Operating System, Horatio.

I’ve got to say, this book is devilishly clever and inventive in so many ways. First, it takes the classic locked room murder mystery trope and sets it in a high tech, booby-trapped lab that's filled with toxic nerve gas. It also features some fantastic spicy scenes with an AI connected to a human's neuromap, so if you’re looking for an unconventional romance, you’re in for a treat.

All in all, this book presents a brilliantly fresh spin on Shakespeare alongside a dose of Frankensteinian mad science, making for one of my favorite thrillers of the year.

Thank you, NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : September 12, 2023

Publisher : Rebellion Publishing

ISBN: 1786189984

Pages : 432

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