This can be considered China Meiville's more 'straight' novel upon first read-through. The fantasy is not as in your face as previous outings and deliberately so. Instead it is relegated to a point of perception in the reader, a sort of anti-fantasy. It played with my expectations, with reveals that do not go where you expect or want them to go but at the same time leaving you wanting more. This is a tight telling of a crime procedural that had me page flipping til the end. Always a good sign.