A Drop of Corruption
core novel 2025 Shadow of the Leviathan
Record
| First published | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 4.47 (56,226 ratings, collected 2026-09-14) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9781399725408 |
| Internal chronology | 2 |
Synopsis
A Drop of Corruption returns to the Empire of Khanum, a world shaped by the seasonal emergence of colossal leviathans from the sea. In the remote border region of Yarrowdale, a Treasury Officer vanishes impossibly from inside a locked room that was guarded at every entrance, an impossibility that threatens to unravel confidence in the empire's already strained finances. The Empire summons its brilliant, blindfolded investigator Ana Dolabra, whose unconventional methods have already made her reputation, along with her diligent and meticulous assistant Dinios Kol, to unravel the case. As the pair dig into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance, they uncover tensions among the region's officials and hints of a scheme reaching beyond a single missing officer. Working against local suspicion of outsiders and the pressure of an empire eager for answers, Ana and Din must piece together how someone could vanish from an impossible space.
Where it sits
- Universe: Shadow of the Leviathan
- Series: Shadow of the Leviathan core; position 2 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Notes
- From the series record (Shadow of the Leviathan): An ongoing fantasy-mystery series (Del Rey / Hodderscape) set in the Empire of Khanum, protected by sea walls against leviathan attacks, whose leviathan-derived technology grants investigators enhanced senses. Per this project's standing in-progress-eligibility rule (in-progress series remain eligible for ranking and are not penalised), this universe is admitted despite being unfinished. Internal chronology equals publication order; no dispute found. A Trade of Blood's release date (August 4, 2026) has passed (2026-08-06), confirmed via multiple contemporaneous review posts.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Shadow of the Leviathan: position 2 of 3: previous The Tainted Cup (2024) · next A Trade of Blood (2026)
Sources
- The Tainted Cup (Wikipedia)
- The 2025 Hugo Awards: The Tainted Cup Wins Best Novel (Penguin Random House)
- 2025 WFC Nominations and Winners (World Fantasy Convention)
- https://fanfiaddict.com/review-a-drop-of-corruption-shadow-of-the-leviathan-2-by-robert-jackson-bennett/
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