But with rebellion rising all around Rochester, she may well lose her grip on power before she can prevent the coming of the cold. There is no shortage of either entertainment or intellectual stimulation in Souls in the Great Machine . Moral complexity abounds in the cast of characters, who undergo quicksilver changes of allegiance and circumstance over the years-long course of the tale. As Zarvoras' plan evolves, she alters the world, and these changes spiral out of her control in utterly believable ways. Discovering the source of the Call leads to vastly altered circumstances for the avian hybrids, and as the secret of the Calculor leaks out to other city-states, Rochester's stranglehold on power erodes.
People fall in and out of love quickly, and lose their sanity even faster.
McMullen gives readers a lot of romance and sex, but much of the action takes place behind closed doors. Battles within the exhaustive wars are generally detailed at a remove. Readers who like to linger over every kiss or moment of bloodshed may find this less satisfying. Though these women are never boring, their behavior is not always convincing. Even so, McMullen's writing is energetic, imaginative and humorous.