Apparently there is some ornery chatter across the internet regarding a certain review of this book.  I'll not list the author or link - I think the review was badly written for several reasons.  Just wanted to let you know a few things.

This is not a "great" book.

It is a fun book to read.  It is an easy read.  It is quick to read.  It entertains.  I thought Lynch wrote good dialogue (with lots of bantering) that I could enjoy in any book.  I thought he fleshed out his characters quite well.  I thought he described a terrific city.

I thought he loved naming things too much (everything!).  I thought he used an absent alien race too much as a crutch without providing enough information.

I thought he combined a mystery, a con job, and a fantasy tale rather well.  I thought this could possibly bring more readers into our speculative fiction world.  I know that is always a good thing.

His language is rich and vulgar; his violence is, well, violent.  He is, after all, writing mostly about criminals, the underworld, those who muck about on the bottom rungs of humanity.  His aristocracy is properly above all that.  But even they know how to f*ck so I'm sure not suprised if they say the word.  Gritty is in nowadays.

I am thrilled by GRRM's series; I enjoy Salvatore's characters.  I liked Lynch's first book better than both of those established author's latest efforts.  I read an ARC of this book for Random House and was quite happy to read such a good tale for my first 'recognized' 'review.'

Just some more thoughts about a new author's debut.