This book, begins a third sequence in the "modern-world collapsing as technology fails and magic returns" setting that marked out the Age Of Misrule and Dark Age sequences as two of the most interesting fantasy trilogies of recent years.
All of the Chadbourn features are here- credibly flawed characters, taut writing, deep research and a plot that absolutely tears along, but this book has an engaging warmth to it that draws the reader in more than it's predecessors. Perhaps it's the return to familiar characters ( you should certainly read the Age Of Misrule books before starting this one- in fact, you should read them anyway as they're great ) or something about the way they grow through a story which revolves around the importance of hope and humanity but I felt more emotionally engaged by this than any of it's predecessors.
Running behind the scenes of reality, on a whistlestop tour of some of history's more mysterious corners, this is a very promising start to the new trilogy.