My gods. What a world, what worlds, what universebuilding this is. Truly out there, and I love it so. You have to be bought in, and I can't blame anyone who hates it or is not along for the ride, but my god. It is exquisite. I have long held Hyperion, for all its follies, as one of my favorite works of all time, and this fills a similar cup. Twisty and layered and delicious.