Silk

Kiernan is one of those writers who, like Gene Wolfe or CJ Cherryh, affects my thinking process. The syntax structure and delivery of words is Just... Off... Kilter... enough that I have to stop myself and review just what the heck is going on. I love it when a writer can make me do that.

This is the first published Kiernan novel but not the first one I have read. As an early work, it's not quite up to the weirdness of The Tindalos Asset trilogy or the sheer brilliance of The Drowning Girl. Thematically, it is not really much like those works either. I would say it falls closer to The Red Tree in that respect. Regardless, there is more here than merely a glimmer of what is to come later in Kiernan's career. They are a writer that deserves every accolade, in my opinion.