This is a large fucking book. There were elements that I absolutely loved and things that thoroughly frustrated me. I am fine with the mosaic quality of the storytelling. I also think it's a deliberate writing choice to present the main characters in the capital-H Heroic style, where even as they perform these acts, the process of legend-making inevitably freezes over their lives, turning them into parables. But it also feels like while the author is aware that the story reinforces certain prejudices and stereotypes (female subservience, savage tropes, heteronormativity), the story is tentative in its attempts to subvert many of them. In some spots, I also miss Ken Liu's delicate precision in his short story writing. Overall, however, I found myself thoroughly engrossed with the world and reluctant to leave it to read other books.