Oh! Sorry to barge in uninvited, but I just finished that book and I must squee madly to anyone talking about it. It's marvellous, in every conceivable way, from the black, black humour which I love to pieces, to the magic itself which is original and interesting, to the characters, who are so memorable.

Not only that, but it is definitely the queerest book I have read in a long time, and that's in the slashy, modern usage of the word. Wait till you get to the end. Queer queer queer. (Both male and female). It's astonishing. I am Susanna Clarke's bitch. :)