Too Like the Lightning

I have a feeling I am going to regret the 3 stars, a bit like I regret them for my first Joe Abercrombie but the feelings are the same: excellent writing, an obvious set up for ongoing trilogy, introduction of plenty of characters, but a lack of a narrative arc in book one lets it down. Suggested to me from a fellow Neal Stephenson the difference, I think lies in that m Stephenson is a writer that likes to learn a lot about his subject, whereas Palmer is very learned about her subject that likes to write. Palmer's choice of a single person POV does not help in the flow as the number of characters, with interchangeable names, never get defined beyond what Mycroft describes them as. You will also need a wiki fan page to sort out not just the characters but the various groups described. Having said that, i am pretty optimistic that things will gel in book two. As someone that went to kindergarten with a Doria Pamphilj, I will be back for a second helping.