A disparate community locked in a constant battle against the dark legacy of past mistakes supplies the political setting for Bujold's charming and unlikley love story. Her writing is as flawless and her vision of an alternate world as broad and convincing as ever. The storyline offers a slightly narrower scope (less intrigue and more romance) than her other fantasy titles, but I, for one, will be reading the rest of the quartet in the expectation that the balance will be reversed in the second half of the quartet. Bujold's main characters, Fawn and Dag, are appealing and credible; the dual society she sets up leading to obstacles aplenty. As for the ‘menace’, I'm looking forward to discovering how it came into being and where – if – it will end.
