Nalo Hopkinson is a champion world builder. The cultures, the native flora and fauna, the implied evolutionary paths... Everything is lush, and detailed, and believable. My main complaint with this novel is that it isn't 200 pages longer. The epic breadth of the plot, Tan-Tan's growth into her role as Robber Queen and legend, happens far too quickly and without the organic flow that characterizes the rest of the narrative. I would definitely have stuck around for further tales of her daring exploits.