A book that made me gleeful to read. Why? It's urban fantasy in an imagined casbah on a desolate world. It gives me a protagonist who's smart enough that when he's stupid, he'd really stupid. It teased me with the possibility of an mpreg (and you're going to have to trust me on this one) that made me think "neat!" rather than "ew." It was a mystery and and a romp at once, and half the mystery was the entire nature of their world. There were no helpless maidens, the villain was never certain, and danger menaced on all sides. Also, people commented several times on the prettiness of the male protagonist, which made me happy.

Martha Wells always uses her books to look at how societies regulate interactions between men and women, and although a minor theme, this is here too. (rough paraphrase: "If I'd stayed, I'd be someone's second husband and looking after six kids.") Her B.A. in anthropology is an asset to her writing: the society and economy of the city is layered and complex. (I like that sort of thing, okay?) Xenophobia is a recurring theme, and never simplified. Recommended.