Servant of the Muses by Brad A. White is a noir mythological mystery that follows detective Jake Conrad as he searches for his missing secretary after being hired by her sister. He soon discovers that his assistant Clio and her sister Erato are no ordinary women, but are in fact muses, and the case become s a lot more dangerous.
This novella was reviewed during the first round of SFINCS3.
This review may contain minor spoilers.
Worldbuilding: I'll admit that I don't often read stories inspired by Greek mythos and it's not my preferred form of fantasy (outside of when I devoured the Percy Jackson series in middle school). But in spite of my lack of knowledge, I thought the inclusion of the muses and some background information about various Greek gods made for an interesting twist on a classic noir mystery.
Emotions: This story didn't evoke a ton of emotions in me, but it was a very fun read! I did appreciate Jake's genuine concern for Clio as the investigation to find her progresses. Though he had unknowingly bound her to himself, it was clear that he cared deeply about her. I think for some the climax would definitely be emotional, but I didn't quite make a strong enough connection to the characters.
Intrigue: White crafted a very interesting mystery with a twist I genuinely didn't see coming (but thought was well planned out). I've also never read a noir greek mythology mystery and I think it makes for a very unique and fun story.
Relationships: The relationship between Jake and Erato didn't quite hit for me. I know that she's the muse of passion/love but Jake's constant lusting after her and describing her body left a somewhat sour taste in my mouth. I did find the relationship between the three muses we meet in this story to be interesting (Erato, Clio, and Urania). White does a good job at depicting the messy family dynamics of greek gods.
Descriptions: This is the aspect where this story shines the brightest. White has perfectly captured the feel of a classic noir mystery, from the way Jake speaks, to the types of villains he faces, to the metaphors use, this story is absolutely steeped in the heavy smoke and whiskey of a good noir mystery.
Engagement: The pacing of this story was very well done. Jake picks up on clues at just the right times, there's a few dramatic show downs with some minor villains sprinkled in throughout to keep the tension high, and the final clue slots into place at just the right moment.
Final thoughts: I enjoyed reading this novella and thought the execution of blending the two genres to be well done.If you like greek mythology and noir mysteries, this is the perfect combination of the two.
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