This one was always going to be pretty much a slam dunk. It is edited by Juliet Ulman, Jeff VanderMeer has been enthusing about it for some time, all the signs were good; and they were right. Some people may find Thunderer a bit slow, but it has a lovely vision of the fantasy city that somehow connects Viriconium and New Crobuzon to the Multiverse without ever seeming derivative. Ignore the “a novel of high fantasy” on the cover – there’s not an elf or knight or princess in the book; just a bunch of thieves and intellectuals. Here’s a quick quote for you:

“That’s the true face of evil in this city,” Olympia said. “The true modern monster works entirely through disingenuous statement to the press.”

I would have liked to see Arjun on the cover though.