This is the book that made me fall in love with Barker. I will admit, however, that the last time I tried to read it a bit of the glamour was gone. It's a wonderful story filled with creative races and some of the more freeform creation that I have ever read. The way in which Pie-O-Pah travels between the worlds still fills me with wonder. The book does get a bit long, however, and that was the main problem I had the last time I tried to read it. If you like androgyny then this is an amazing work which deals with the perception of beauty as well as the perception of freedom and faith.