Review: Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. I thought the audiobook narrator did a great job with all of the various characters throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this sci-fi murder mystery. The story was unique and I didn't see the who-dun-it part coming until the reveal. That doesn't happen very often. This book was such a pleasant surprise. I was expecting more of a science fiction novel, which is how it starts out, but it quickly turns into the main character trying to solve the mystery of her patron's murder to clear her name.

This follows Lydia, a translator for the cultural attache for an alien race call the Logi. She is a bit aloof, and while she isn't the best translator her agency has to offer, she gets along well with Fitz (the attache), and he enjoys her company. The act of translating happens telepathically, and the act of translating makes the human feel drunk. If Lydia overdoes it, she often gets to the point of blacking out and is hungover the next day. With Fitz being invited to many social events in New York City, she is often working while attending official events. She feels herself buring out, but she wants to do a good job as she doesn't really know what else she would do with herself other than translate. After a particularly taxing evening of translating, Lydia wakes to finds Fitz murdered and all clues point to her being the culprit. In order to clear her name, she must launch her own investigation into his mysterious death or find herself in jail. As her investigation proceeds, she finds herself in the middle of a very strange and at time ridiculous plot.

I thought the world building was very well done. The book is set in a futuristic earth, after first contact with the Logi has been established. There are factions that accept there presence and those that do not. There is also a huge reliance on gadets and technology. People wear glasses and are plugged into everything much like people today are attached to their smartphones and have instant access to information. Much of their lives are recorded and streamed for entertainment and tracking purposes. I enjoyed the humor that the author weaved into the book.

This was a fun read, and I very much enjoyed it! If you are looking for something a little different I recommend it. This has light sci-fi elements and doesn't get very technical on the science or technology. The mystery was more on the cozy side with a little humor mixed in. This would be a great beach read or something to take to the pool.

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