Not quite as good as its predecessor, but the first "quest" is one of my favorite moments in fantasy.

I've heard a lot about Cherryh, but this is really the first book of hers I've read. She does a wonderful job of writing an alien society and encapsulating what it might mean to communicate with beings who look something like what we do. but don't think that way.
Well written, well handled and science fiction the way I like it - character driven, but with a serious consciousness of the philosophical issues inherent in the genre as well as an appreciation for the science in the fiction.

Technically, I listened to this book, which I think changes my reception of it. The amount of time it takes me to read is drastically altered (so the book felt a bit slow) but, conversely, the reader's Welsh accent was superb.
Now, what did I make of this book? I enjoyed it, certainly, but I always felt as though, as a book, it was slipping away from me. It's not that I didn't get it or couldn't appreciate it, I just never quite connected with the main character, for all that we were inside her diary and mind.
Still, it was a brilliant take on fairies and magic in our world and, best of all, left me with a whole new reading list.

Jo Walton's mix of mystery and alternate universe remains a wonderful read, though a disquieting one as well. Her characters are excellent and her ability to recreate a world that never was is incredibly enjoyable.
This series is profoundly moving and disturbing, which is part of what makes it so very compelling.
I highly recommend it.

I really wanted to love this story. I mean, steampunk, zombies and airships, right?
Except I'm more Foglio style gaslamp fantasy (Steamprep?) and zombies tend to annoy me...though the airships are awesome, I grant.
I just never connected with the characters the way I expected to. THe premise was interesting, the world was well-populated and well thought out, the plot worked. The only real objection I have is that the two main characters kept vacillating between 19th and 21st century personas and that always annoys me.
But more than that, I just never got into the story. It's a nice technical achievement and all, but I simply could not be bothered to care.