Since I did not read tha author’s previous book, Leech, I had literally no idea what to expect going into this. I started reading on my Kindle, but finished the majority of it in audio, so thisi s an audiobook review. The worldbuilding in this book is exquisite. The details never run afoul of one another, controlling people by perfume, living with infestations and venom and mutations, workers of all sorts with tattooed contracts they’ll never earn out, exterminating dangerous infestations and supporting the high-handed machinations of nobles, entwined with music and performance and romance.
My one quibble with the book itself is that I could not come to really like the main character. He’s an endless, thin stretched artist trying to protect a sibling in a world where he has little to no chance of success, and her does most of this a lack of spine. Still, he was true to his character throughout, and the way the story winds from present to past and reveals its secrets is astonishing. Will definitely look for more from Mr Ennes.
The narration from Max Meyers was mixed for me, and part of this wouldi be on the engineers who processed the audio. The boisterous characgters boomed out, but most of the characters that were intended to be the “good guys” spoke so low it was like a whisper, and too many sounded alike. Overall, though, with the exception of a tendency to mispronounce some words (again, this shoulid have been caught by whoever proofed the audio) he did a remarkable job voicing an incredibly diverse set of characters.
The beginning of this book gave me China Mieville and King Rat vibes, but beyond those opening bits, so differet I was swept away. Highly recommended.