Poets and Murder : A Judge Dee Mystery (Gulik, Robert Hans Van, Judge Dee Mystery.)

Rating:
Summary: The strength of this book lies not in the story...
Review: As far as plot goes, this book isn't all that great. Van Gulik wrote his Judge Dee stories in his spare time and apparantly didn't have a lot of it. What makes this book worth reading, though, is the impecable recreation of classical Chinese society and Confucian social structure. That being kept in mind, this book is a worthy read.

Rating:
Summary: Good for Background Material
Review: This isn't the kind of book to pick up if you're looking for an intricate mystery full of twists and reversals, or for a thriller that will keep you eagerly turning the pages in a rush of excitement and dread. Good ol' Judge Dee doesn't really have to knock himself out too much to solve this problem; the clues and confessions practically come crawling and whimpering to him.

But if you're interested in a different setting than usual, this might be your...um...cup of tea. It's set in a China of hundreds of years ago, with a society that's different from the West in many of its attitudes but all too similar in basic human fears and needs.

The characterization is not too deep, but you can find a good amount of material here about customs and clothing and buildings and food. The period details, in other words, are really more important than the plot.

This is a good tool for a fantasy role-player doing some research for her next character. Or, if you only have a couple of hours and you need something to read, this slim little volume is not a bad choice. Just don't expect to be blown away in wonder.