The Death I Gave Him by Em. X. Liu

Title: The Death I Gave Him

Author: Em. X. Liu

Genre: Sci-Fi / Mystery

Publisher: Solaris

Pages: 432

Release Date: 12 September 2023

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Hello fellow book lovers! I'm back today with a review for The Death I Gave Him by Em. X. Liu. Intricately detailed and thoroughly immersive, Liu’s STEM-based (and queer) retelling of Hamlet masterfully explores the themes of grief, love, death and the ethics of technology with a locked door mystery that would keep even Agatha Christie hooked until the very last page.

Synopsis

A lyrical, queer sci-fi retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet as a locked-room thriller

Hayden Lichfield’s life is ripped apart when he finds his father murdered in their lab, and the camera logs erased. The killer can only have been after one thing: the Sisyphus Formula the two of them developed together, which might one day reverse death itself. Hoping to lure the killer into the open, Hayden steals the research. In the process, he uncovers a recording his father made in the days before his death, and a dying wish: Avenge me…

With the lab on lockdown, Hayden is trapped with four other people—his uncle Charles, lab technician Gabriel Rasmussen, research intern Felicia Xia and their head of security, Felicia’s father Paul—one of whom must be the killer. His only sure ally is the lab’s resident artificial intelligence, Horatio, who has been his dear friend and companion since its creation. With his world collapsing, Hayden must navigate the building’s secrets, uncover his father’s lies, and push the boundaries of sanity in the pursuit of revenge.

Review

I have to admit I’m still pretty new to Sci-Fi, but the premise of this (a retelling of Hamlet, set in a lab working on a formula to reverse death) sounded too good not to pick up. But I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed this!

And though the killer was fairly easy to guess (especially for anyone familiar with Shakespeare’s original), Liu has incorporated enough new elements (like making Horatio an AI) to keep us all on the edge of our seats.

I was really impressed with the narrative structure (written in the style of a scientific research paper) and felt it definitely grounded the scientific aspects of the plot, bringing a sense of realism to a concept that wouldn’t be out of place in a Black Mirror episode.

Hayden, our futuristic Hamlet plays his role to perfection. His unhinged cynicism and obsessive drive to perfect the Sisyphus formula (which he hopes will one day reverse death) is achingly heart rending to witness especially after the loss of his father which leads to the deterioration of his mental health.

Felicia in contrast, seems to be the complete opposite of her traditional counterpart and I absolutely loved that. Where Ophelia was naive,childlike and controlled by the men in her life, Felicia is far more self aware and willing to do anything to grasp her own slice of power. Even willing to sacrifice her relationship with Hamlet if it means her dream can come true.

The emotions Liu conveys through both Hayden and Felicia was incredible—their turmoil, grief, anger and guilt was explored in a surprisingly relatable manner that really captured the essence of human nature; it’s unpredictability and the abstract purpose we all attempt to glean from it.

But, I admit it was Horatio and his deep understanding of (and relationship with) Hayden that fascinated me the most. Their budding relationship and protectiveness they have for one another was both moving and rather intriguing (especially in terms of logistics as Horatio, in being an AI doesn’t technically have his own body.)

Overall, a cleverly constructed and original take on both Shakespeare and locked door mysteries that I genuinely couldn’t put down.

Also, a huge thank you to Jess Gofton and Solaris Books for the proof.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author

Em X. Liu is a writer and biochemistry graduate who is fascinated by stories of artificial intelligence and Shakespeare in equal measure. Chronically cold-blooded, Em nevertheless resides in Toronto, Canada.

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