This book was excellent. One of those stories that lived up to the hype and beyond. (And it made fun of French theory, but that's admittedly a side-note). It makes me think of the book that Ian McDonald's "The Dervish House" dreamed of being. There are similar themes in both books, but Willow's book is far better in terms of plot and execution. And her writing has that sly, humorous bite to it that always endears me to a writer.