This book took a very long time to read. It's not that it's especially long, it's just that it moves very slowly, especially for the first half or so. The world is complicated and rich, but at the same time totally foreign - as much a detailed fantasy world as scifi - and the need for it to be explained to the reader doesn't help the plot progression. As such, it's very easy to put down and not return to for some time, as it doesn't have that grip. All this said, the last half I read in a matter of a few evenings. Once you pick up the required inertia and connect to the main character you start to really want to know what happens next. At this point you (mostly) understand the world and how the parts of it all fit together, and can appreciate the story. The most disappointing thing about that is that as you feel it coming to a climax and a reveal, you realise that there's at least one more book to go.

I think I will put off starting that book to get through a few others I've got lined up, but I'll definitely find time for in the not too distant future.