I very much enjoyed reading this book. It's written in an engaging style that picks you up and draws you along - I found myself page turning and staying up to read one more chapter before bed. Usually a good sign that you've got yourself an engaging read!

The book is a fictionalised alternate history of the British colonial period of the early 19th century. Although it is inescapably told from a 21th century vantage point - the discussions of the characters often use phrases like "lived experience" that are not of their time - I thought it did a great job of setting the scene of the time period with its cruelties, inequalities and contradictions. I was particularly impressed with the setting - the descriptions of Oxford and the way that the author was able to create this feeling of a bubble within the city were especially well done, and the novel was at its best when it was set in and around the Tower of Babel. (I felt that when the narrative left the city it was not quite as strong in general).

I've read a lot of books of the form "character from disadvantaged background is given a chance to do something great, pushes through barriers of discrimination to succeed", to the point where I'm sometimes a bit numb to the formula. Whether or not you think this book is one of those probably hinges on your definition of "success"(!), but for me it neatly subverts the form in a pleasing way.

Characterisation is decent although I did feel that sometimes there was a bit too much explicit that could have been implicit. But one of the things that really stood out was how naturally the main friendship group was written. I thought the author did an excellent job of exploring how different personalities can fit together within a small group of friends.

It's very tempting to review books like this by analogy - you can see elements from authors like Susannah Clarke, Mary Gentle and JK Rowling. But ultimately I think this book is best described on its own merits. Its got a great setting and builds to a tense climax. It has an interesting point of view on the colonial time-period and manages to tell a fresh and satisfying story with it (rather than just making a point). Can recommend!