Review: Amazing and enjoyable
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2013
This book ticks all the boxes.  It's very well written, the characters are interesting, well fleshed out and individual and I found myself really caring what happened to them.  It's well paced, it doesn't drag and it takes a very complex amazingly 'real' world with its own history and internal cohesiveness and introduces and expands the back-tapestry without being preachy or boring or gratuitous.  I've found myself reading so many other speculative fiction/fantasy novels with complex and well thought out worlds and thinking 'why did the author put that in here? Was it just to show that s/he thought it, or knew it, or what?'.  That is emphatically not a problem with this book or this author.It's streamlined and works very very well.  Stylistically it reminded me quite a lot of some early Andre Norton or Ben Bova.If I had a (TINY) complaint, it would be the almost literal last page cliffhanger.  It was clear that -something- was going to happen, but I think it might've been better kept for the beginning hook of the second book.  I do so hope there's a second book in the works.  I am quite looking forward to finding out what happens next.Well worth your time.