While in Toronto I went to the local SF book store and picked this up in a nice UK edition, not yet available in the US. This was a nice treat since I'd just finished The Year of Our War.

This one takes place five years after The Year of Our War, and starts to explore more of the politics and history of the Fourlands, which is interesting stuff. I'm hoping that if Swainston writes more in this setting that she continues in this vain. I'm also hoping to see more of an explanation for the "god left our world" bits present in both books, as it's said so literally that one would think that god might really come back.

So first off, the title is like "AD" as in "2002 the year of our war", which confused me at first because I didn't quite get how to parse the title.

It's about an immortal (one of 50 plus the immortal Emperor) who are engaged in a really long battle against the Insects. This particular immortal, Comet, is the only one who can fly (though many people, mortal and immortal, have wings), and besides that is a junkie.

It's a pretty interesting book, if for no other reason than to read a fantasy novel that's not at all Tolkien-esque. It reminds me of China Mieville, though it's not quite as deep or dark. Elements of it are kind of goofy, but it's interesting stuff.