Walter Jon Williams has been on my must-read list since [b:Hardwired|304761|Hardwired (Hardwired, #1)|Walter Jon Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1317581332s/304761.jpg|2253019] in 1986. It might be my favourite cyperpunk novel. I've loved just about every other book he's written since then, particularly the science fiction.

But even in 1992's [b:Aristoi|837188|Aristoi|Walter Jon Williams|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1208280310s/837188.jpg|1875875], a hard sci-fi novel about nanotech, he had a fully developed medieval type world.

With this book, he's brought us to a full-fledged medieval world with a touch of magic that adds interest but doesn't overwhelm the story.

Quillifer, the protagonist, is likable. Enough of a rogue to be fun, not too much so you can't root for him.

I'm really glad that there are going to be two more books about him, and also happy that this volume had a satisfying ending that doesn't leave us hanging until those other books come out.

[If you want a taste of Quillifer without getting the massive novel, there's an adapted excerpt in [] [b:The Book of Swords|27917260|The Book of Swords|Gardner Dozois|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499259633s/27917260.jpg|47930307]. Oddly enough, unless I'm remembering wrong, the adaptation is that the magic was removed in the The Book of Swords excerpt.]