A kaleidoscopic blend of genres, a supernatural mystery that keeps changing shape—amongst many other things—that requires patience, attention, and lots of post facto puzzling things out. Perhaps, for me, too much: I wasn't carried along by what I read as much as I was carried along by my expectation that there'd be more clues ahead. Then it ended and, man, I could use more.

I did not like how some of the dialogue from Black and Japanese characters was done, nor Cassie's repeated use of "Honest Injun." Fine with weird anachronisms, like people still having landlines and answering machines in a world where interstellar travel is as affordable as an RV, but some of the attitudes regarding women and racialized people don't read without mild discomfort.

@lucasrizoli I'm happy to hear that I wasn't the only one that bounced off this Wolfe book hard. It felt pointless after a while. Also, like you wrote, tasteless in more than a few places.

@AndreasD, I didn't bounce off it, but I would not have had read it were any other author's name on the cover, that's for sure. That it was Wolfe's meant that I expected to be confused, to have to pay close attention, and that my expectations would be unmet or subverted.