I loved this story. I can see some review points on the lengthiness, and if it is not your style then 900 pages or 38 hours of audio could be rough. I found the audiobook to be a wonderful format, footnotes and all. It took a long time for me to finish but I enjoyed the characters, history, and rich environment. I don't recommend much but if it intrigues you, give it a try. I was happy to have taken it from a list of recommendations.