This is a very well written victorian/sherlock holes style mystery set in a world where magic is real. The characters have some depth, the story is well paced. The plot is complicated enough to be interesting and not quite obvious where it is going. I do admit for having a bias towards the mystery sf/fantasy genre, but even with that taken into account, I still will have to say it's one of the most enjoyable books I've read recently. Though I did just finish the Death Gate Cycle (see review) just previous to this so, that probably influences that some.

I highly recomend this book.

I have to say this is probably some of the worse writing I've waded through in some time. The number of foot notes alone are enough to drive you nuts. The story itself is reasonably interesting, and the characters are ok, if a little shallow. The main attraction of the series is the strange worlds that the series is set in. The sheer uniqueness of them is enough to keep some interest alive, but not enough to justify 7 books. When I finally finished the series my principal reaction was. "That was kind of pointless". Over all I would recomend a PASS on this series.