I've been looking forward to this one for a long time but it's not quite what I expected.
The writing is a rich lush intoxicant, there is plenty of flow and tastes of the exotic that I love in fantasy when so many books rely on more staid or uniform environments and cultures. The langue at times however is muddied, there are lines I had to re-read a few times before I understood them and this is not helped by the overt philosophical feel of the book. This could have been a strength if the balance between plot and philosophical thought had been right, but as it is sometimes it over powers.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. As I've said there is the exotic in this book that puts me in mind of Amanda Dowum's 'The Drowning City', there are great ideas, exploration, myths, rich history, wonderful characters, magic, whole worlds waiting to be expanded upon AND so many intertwining stories so by and large I really liked it. With so many excellent set pieces I would have love this book to be illustrated like old expeditions; there is a lot of colour and live in there that feels very refreshing.
I am really looking forward to its sequel and seeing where he's going to go with it.
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