A fun, fast read– once I started, it sucked me in. It is an alternate world, alternate tech– lots of gears and strange technology, no overt magic, Victorian manners and interesting interactions between the various strata of society.
I liked the gritty, strange tech of the world. It made for a place that felt real as a city– as more than the touristy veneer that some fantastic cities feel like. Similarly, the technology was strange– partially understood by the characters, but no long asides explaining where it came from, which was great. The airships were cool, as were the algorithm’s devices… and source.
The book does a really good job of pushing real characters. Everyone involved has an angle, people draw back just when you need them, and the secrets are all social– they are people secrets as much as technology or control secrets. The details of Veridon’s politics and their influence on Jacob is constant– but it develops at a reasonable pace, and the twists make sense in the newly expanded context that’s revealed when the world turns upside down (again).