Sarah Monette

What an odd little story. It links up all over the place with the other stories in the series, but has no direct connections or consequences in either direction (yet, anyway). It starts with the wreck of _The Wisdom of Choharo_, but goes off in a completely different direction; a Witness is a major part of the solution, but judicial Witnesses in Cairado are a very different thing from the Witness for the Dead in Amalo. It's a mystery or three, a historical overview of some interesting events show more (I wonder if the Emperor will need a study of those ancient riots?), and the story of one man being thoroughly uprooted for the choices he made. Rich and complex (of course), too many weird names (also of course), and definitely worth reading. show less

It feels good to be back in one of my favourite fantasy worlds. There are trams, post-offices, newspapers, and photography (in this world, photography is a very questionable occupation, which was interesting). I have not had much luck with steampunk/fantasy before, so this series is very refreshing.

Compared to The Witness for the Dead, this novel has a tighter plot, with not as much happening in ca 240 pages. This makes it a much better book.The Goblin Emperor is still the golden standard, show more though.) Also, the relationships between characters are evolving in lovely ways and some new interesting characters are introduced. Once again, I enjoyed the combination of fantasy and mystery, and how meticulously Thara Celehar follows his calling, no matter how big or small the mystery. Despite a lot of dark things happening, there is kindness, hope, and glimpses of humour.

Thara Celehar, it was nice to meet you again. I wish you would stop shouldering all your burdens alone and learn to accept that your friends do care about you. I can see some of your barriers coming down. You do need more laughter and dancing in your life.

The ending is promising - I think more books are coming ;)

P.S. I had a dream about seeing a performance at Vermillion Opera, with some great music and scenography. I’d love to have more such book-related dreams… show less

In the second segment of this series, we’re dealing with the somewhat impoverished Witness, young Othala Thara Celehar. Death is a constant in Amalo (hence the series title, The Cemeteries of Amalo) and it is his role to respond to petitions for investigations into untoward or unexpected deaths. Addison is very good at weaving stories of these various investigations into one cohesive whole while at the same time building the reader's awareness of the various plateaus of existence – show more whether biological or spiritual. Some of the petitioners' concerns seem relatively minor, but then lead you deeper into the world and culture she's created. This installment of the series moved the main character along in ways I had not anticipated. It was a quick read initially, but one which will stand up to a second read down the road.

Celehar is living with grief and guilt after the death of his lover, Evru. The strain is visible to all who care about him. By the end of the story, the comment is made about Celehar that he must be living his life constantly on-guard. It takes another crisis to force this realization and Celehar still has some work to do to further his own healing from loss. show less

As usual, an incredibly rich story. It's a murder mystery... or two, or several, but while that's what drives the story it's not what it's about. Celehar and those around him, the interactions and developing relationships of every sort are what make this so rich. The new Witness is fascinating; Celehar's old opponent gets twisty, and messes himself up; we get to see more of the cartographers, the judicial Witnesses, and the opera (though not in-depth like the last book, for that last). We show more also encounter photographers, foundling girls and a couple schools for them, and university Scholars - the fabric of the city exposing new folds and patterns. I read it in one sitting, and I expect I'll read it again several times, and discover new aspects each time. The names continue to be very confusing - particularly as one family name showed up in two very different groups. But the relationship was eventually explained. Wonderful.
Reread - Again, very rich. Thara solves another mystery - this time most of it is connected, if sideways and twisted. Some very nasty people involved, and the results are very hard on him. But there's still hope. The end is quite hopeful - between the archprelate's message, and his beginning to deal with old and new griefs, things might even end up better. And now I get to read the next book, and see. show less