I suggest you not read the Kindle version; the typographical elements add to the usual problems with that format.

There is also an unabridged audiobook available from Audible. What's not available are e-books or audiobooks for readers outside North America, because Tor doesn't have those rights and no UK/Commonwealth publisher has yet picked up the book. It is, however, perfectly legal for people outside North America to, for instance, buy a printed copy from Amazon.com.

I'm still #1 on 2 copies, today, but when I click for availability details the one that's not "on Order" is "All Copies in Use", which means it's been checked out.

I wonder if a librarian or other staffer goinked it to read first? :-> If it were on its way to me it would be notated differently.

More entertainingly, amazon.co.uk considers the author's name to be "Assistant Professor of History Ada Palmer", with the pleasing implication that first publication was in Radch.

Not to mention multiple problems with the worldbuilding.

Jo Walton @13: Oh, I already bought it. :) I'm just adjusting its position in the "to read" stack.

abi@8: And I'm keeping the coinage "voker".

Yes! The section explaining the term filled me with delight.

One thing that struck me is how considerate an author Ada Palmer is: heaps of allusions, languages, history, invention, and other complexity, but always with just enough explanation. Instead of being, "See how smart I am!" it's consistently, "Let me share this really neat thing with you!"

Jacque@15: I hate cliffhangers

I can't say how you would react, but I didn't feel left dangling by the ending. I felt like I'd just hit the end of an amazing meal of many intricate courses, and was then told there would be another one coming on a later day. I'm really looking forward to the next meal, but right now I'm replete.

In other day or three I'll go back and reread to see what else there is in the book.

It's a cliffhanger; but, atypically for me, I just didn't mind at all.

Keeping in mind that I'm only describing my own reaction (and others obviously reacted differently): I've read plenty of books that end in cliffhangers, and I generally dislike the feeling of having a book just stop. Plot-wise, that's what happens here, but it didn't hit me the same way. Do you ever have it happen that you're reading a book and then something makes you say, "Wait, now I really want to reread that bit a couple of chapters back to see how it fit in?" The end of Too Like the Lightning made me feel like that with the whole rest of the book.

So: I'll grab the next book as soon as I can get my hands on it; but for the time being I'm satisfied. Your mileage may vary.

No spoilers here, but I can start a spoiler thread.

Thank you abi!

*Re-dons cloak of lurkiness*