I really enjoyed this story, and a proper story it was with well described characters, twist and turns, and a solidstory arc. The world the author created was unique so interesting to read and easy to understand.
Besides the confusing ending for me a very satisfying read. ( )

Queen of Clouds by Neil Williamson. Billy Braid is apprenticed to a woodworker who makes “sylvans” out of special trees. Sylvans are sort of sentient puppets, animated by “motes” and Billy is the only one who can hear them think. They work until they eventually rot back to the earth. When the master receives an order for a sylvan from a family in the city of Karpentine, he sends Billy to deliver it. Billy has never been out of his mountain backwater, but he’s quickly sucked into the Machiavellian politics of the city and the fight for Law for All. This was quite enjoyable, and I will definitely look out for Williamson’s other work.Received via the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program in return for an unbiased review.

I loved the story! The characters were fleshed out nicely and some were even likeable. The only drawbacks for me were the sexual content (very minimal, to begin with) and the blatant nihilism that was being pushed throughout the story. If you can get past those, the story itself is still great! ( )