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.