Although I was really enjoying the book to begin with, I felt like my enjoyment levels sank as the novel progressed. I felt the pacing was awfully slow, which made the book feel like it was dragging along. I also felt that some of the characters were quite 2D. On top of that, the plot, although brilliant in concept, felt unexplored in crucial areas, which made it feel overly complicated and thinly layered with overwritten depth.

I think the book could best be described as part adventure novel, part travel log and part list of destinations. I think this novel was a good example of why “Show not Tell” is an important rule, as it completely tells and barely shows.

Lastly, I feel like every medium-scale conflict in the book was miraculously solved, either by chance (in the style of the “Deus ex machina” trope), or bribery. These two tropes were used to excess, which irritated me whilst reading, as I felt that everything had fallen together a bit too perfectly for my tastes.

Overall, I felt it was a decent book, but not one I would re-read in the future. I have to say, this seems like a time when the film is better than the book (cough cough the 2004 movie).