The first chunk of this book was a little bit weak, in particularly the introduction of the new character Ms. Hazard. She represents a different style to the magic in this universe, which is interesting, but she just seems too good at her job. In the same manner as Superman, the more powerful someone becomes, the harder it is to make them interesting.

That does get better in the later half of the book, especially in the climax. I’m still not sure what to think about the mixed first/third person writing style, but it is interesting to see some of the scenes from two very different points of view. I miss Mo though.

So far as world building goes, Stross continues to build out the more interesting parts of the world, building towards an eventual apocalypse (or at least rather bad day). The visuals of the Sleeper and the Pyramid are still some of my favorite parts of these books, especially the idea that the wall from the previous books is designed to keep people out, not in. I hadn’t gotten that impression before.