The Fox

Ah, it was so much fun to dive back into this world again - I thought I could just save this for late-night pleasure reading, but it wouldn't be denied and ended up demanding all of my reading attention all day long. It's a grand adventure, where you just keep turning the page, desperate to know what's going to happen next, with fully drawn characters that you take to your heart, and a political system that is just odd enough to be fascinating. An absolutely grand adventure - sheer fun! I do enjoy the way she plays with gender, creating some regions with no gender roles at all, and others with very defined gender roles, yet all so richly different from what we might have expected. Such fun!

(Actually though, it really looks more like two entirely different novels, or parts two and three of the series - each with a complete climax and resolution and thoughtful epilogue - but who can complain about getting two books in one? I loved the way the central climax was handled, shift to shift to shift, the whole thing really kept me on my toes.)

Overall it's great plot construction and world-building, very rich and nuanced and detailed. I just didn't want to have to emerge from the world. It's a great old-fashioned adventure, but with gender and sexuality treated right! Completely, absolutely, perfectly satisfying! I'm all so eager to pick up the next!