Truly a unique experience. The world building, the way it is told, most of the characters – all of it is very different from what you normally experience in SFF or in any novel. 

There are beloved aspects to draw you in: the interesting ideas of the future, the political intrigue, the way you feel for some of the characters after a very short time. However, you won´t often find a book set in the future but written with elements from the 18th century, told by a criminal who isn’t giving you the full picture of everything, partly because this is written for someone from their time period, partly because they might be hiding something. I was never too lost, though, the lack of information I had always felt intentional and not like I had missed an important line. 

This is a highly political book where the world building is the story. This makes it full of twists and I was excited to find out more. There are still enough personal moments and characters to latch on to, even if relating to them is hard, due to the world being so different. It´s a future unlike what most authors imagine, influenced by the past and a mixture of improvements and changes for the worst. For example, the idea of chosen familiy and citizenship is one of my favourite ideas explored in here, but other aspects like the way the world leaders operate isn’t how you imagine your typical future scenario. I also love the discussion of religion and philosophy in science fiction. 

I still don’t think I get everything but that’s part of the fun, I guess.