If you read the fourth book in the series you need to read this one as well. A fine book.

At times hilarious, but also serious enough to be thoroughly engaging (and it is in fact very dark at times). An enjoyable read.
adventurous

A bit unpleasant to read at times, but then people presumably do not start reading a book like this one figuring they're in for a light-hearted Wodehouse novel.

You need to read The Final Empire before you start on this one, it does not make sense to read this book if you haven't read the first book in the series.
Loveable characters: Yes

This book was awesome and very enjoyable to read.

Quite silly at times, but an interesting premise.

A mixed bag, some of the contributions were frankly a waste of space and time, others were quite interesting. I read it in part because I wanted to get an idea if the books in this series might be comparable in quality to the books in the Evolution and Cognition series by Oxford University Press. 

Judging from this book they are not.