Book Review: Drunk on All Your Strange New Worlds by Eddie Robson (2022)

Before coming into this year as the Year I Read Only Sci-Fi books, 'fun' is not a word I would have used to describe any sci-fi book I've read before. But this year I did have some fun reads, first with The Kaiju Preservation Society and now with Drunk On All Your Strange New Worlds.

Drunk On All Your Strange New Worlds begins as a seemingly straight-forward murder mystery in which an alien cultural attaché's murder casts suspicion on his translator, Lydia, who sets out to prove her innocence by finding the real killer(s). Driven by dry wit and a clever finger on the pulse of the intersection between technology and conspiracy theories, this book was a joy to read. Moreover, we're given a realistic, relatable protagonist in Lydia who not only has to deal with the fact that translating for the aliens makes her drunk but has to deal with recognizing her other limitations and the mistakes she has and does make. While she takes on more than many of us might in her situation, we can imagine the results being the same if we did in fact do what she does in the book. 

Unlike many other books, Eddie Robson keeps the dialogue realistic and doesn't go overboard with descriptions. This book is also delightfully deceptive in that given the breezy writing style you don't think you have to pay that much attention, but as the ending plays out you find out that yes, you should have been paying more attention (and thus you may find yourself going back to re-read some chapters). 

While there is no deep meaning to be found anywhere in this bit of sci-fi, it's just as well. It would have detracted from the fun in this case. 

Final Score: 8.5/10

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