She’s happened upon her translating job because she took a test that revealed her affinity for learning to communicate with the Logi, but it’s a stressful and draining job. Lydia is a delight! She’s a fairly awkward woman who doesn’t really seem to fit in anywhere. This isn’t a fast-paced plot by any means, but the joy in reading this book comes from the characters and the world-building. Most of the plot centers around the murder mystery, as Lydia gets help from an unexpected source and follows clues on a circuitous path through the city. Now she’s the number one suspect in Fitz’s murder, although she’s pretty sure she didn’t do it, and so she sets off to discover for herself the identity of the real killer and the reason that Fitz was targeted. Lydia has no memories of the night before and doesn’t remember how she got home. One morning, after a long night spent attending a play and an after party with Fitz, Lydia wakes up to discover Fitz’s dead body in his office. Communicating telepathically with the Logi induces a feeling of being drunk (hence the book’s title), which leads to Lydia doing reckless and sometimes embarrassing things while she’s working. Lydia enjoys her job, although the hours are long and exhausting and it’s starting to take a toll on her. She’s been assigned as the translator to the Logi cultural attaché, an alien who calls himself Fitzwilliam, or “Fitz” for short.

Our main character Lydia is one such translator, having completed a course at the London School of Thought Language. In this future, an alien race called the Logi have made peaceful contact with humans, although their language is completely different and only select humans who have an ability to communicate telepathically are able to speak with them. The story takes place in a future New York where climate change has decimated the landscape of the famous city to the extent that parts of Manhattan are under water. Last year I read Hearts of Oak and loved Robson’s quirky style, and his latest is just as quirky and fun to read. I absolutely love his writing style, his subtle humor and the interesting characters who populate his stories. Reading an Eddie Robson book is such a joy. The nitty-gritty: Cozy mystery, humor and futuristic sci-fi combine to make Eddie Robson’s latest a uniquely fun read. Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Drunk on all your strange new words