OK, who in the "David Mitchell" fan club is ready to read this one?

Enjoyed it lots. The setting is Nagasaki, Japan, primarily during the years 1799-1800. The scope ranges from the massive (nation building, global trade, political power struggles) to minute (a gnarled old herbalist living alone on the side of a mountain). We get a kaleidoscope of characters, and just about all of them have something to hide, some deal to be struck, some advantage to be taken.

It's historical fiction; it's a story of faith; it's a romance; it's an adventure. Recommended.