I knew from the podcast "The Incomparable" that this book would be about sapient animals in space. So I assumed I knew how weird it was going to be. I was wrong.

I was so so wrong.

Do I start with the Jewish elephants in space? Or the talking to dead people? Or the ongoing attempts to understand what's going on and when this is happening and if it's science fiction or fantasy or weird-spec-fic? I think I need a WTSF tag. (Worst of all, I'm not even sure if it's the weirdest thing I've read all year and we're only two weeks into January.)
Anyway, this book was brilliant. I can see why it was up for the Nebula, Schoen does some really interesting things with the way that memory and personhood works and I'm almost sad he didn't have the time to interrogate the rest of the conceits that spun his universe into being. The thoughtfulness of the science fiction works with the sheer bizarreness of the setting. Although I'd advise against learning too much about this book before reading it. Meet the weirdness as it comes.