User Profile

I forgot to review this when I finished it last year (which is a tragedy).

I confess that the beginning of the book was a little confusing, even to a hardened lover of in-media-res weird fantasy/sci-fi stuff. Much of the setting (or more accurately the world building) is left to the reader's imagination and is only roughly sketched out by the narrator. Normally, good worldbuilding is what draws me into a work of speculative fiction, whether fantasy or science fiction; I want a compelling and interesting world, with all of the weird unusual bits carefully thought through and odd consequences considered. This book does not do that - or at least does not do it explicitly.

Add to that a few first impressions that left me thoroughly unimpressed with the protagonists (they're all jerks! I don't usually cheer for idiots or the morally questionable.), and I really wasn't sure why this book was so highly recommended.

I read a bit more, and I was hooked. From the irreverent and hilarious narration, to the perfectly timed twists and turns, the story here is incredible. And soon the curmudgeonly and irredeemably stoic characters start to show some soft spots and more nuanced personality traits, making them not just likeable but even sympathetic (even when they are acting like jerks).

And then it was over, and I was heartbroken and eager for the next instalment all at once.

[On the third readthrough]
This book has become both a delight and a source of deep enjoyment. It's wonderful to go back (knowing some of what comes later) and see the hints and signs of things to come, as well as being able to more deeply appreciate and understand some of what confused or distracted me about the worldbuilding on my first read.