This is a superb debut novel and an excellent beginning to what looks to be an amazing new series. With the amount of fantasy being produced today (much of it ranging from okay to terrible), this is the kind of novel that keeps people like me interested in the genre. The strengths of the book make providing a decent description of it difficult because of just how much is going on in the story, but the following is at least some of the marvelous ideas and concepts contained within.To being with, this is dark and gritty fantasy "noir" set in a world with a long, and largely forgotten, history. The story is set at the beginning of the long-anticipated "Freeze" (think an ice age expected to last for decades) and the City of Villjamur is in preparation mode. Part of this preparation involves the ruling counsel keeping tens of thousands refugees seeking shelter out of the City in order to reduce the burden on the City's resources, thus leaving them to starve to death. This decision does not sit well with everyone in the City. Add to that a series of bizzare (and seemingly impossible) murders plaguing the City that maybe linked to an ancient, mysterious religious cult with secret (but very powerful) members and you have the makings for some politcal intrigue that would make Goerge R. R. Martin proud.The plot is very strong and all the moving threads are handled very deftly by the author. However, what really sets this book head and shoulders above so much of the other books in the genre is the world-building and the characters, which include both human and non-human alike. Looking at the characters first, a few of my favorties were: (1) A rumel who leads the investigation of the bizzare murders (rumels are a long lived non-human race that run the Villjamur judicial branch) (2) the Albino commander of Villjamur's elite guard (3) a powerful sorceror taking desparate measures to maintain his long life and (4) Jurra, a Dawnir, and only known member of the ancient race credited with all of the magic and technology existing in the world.Finally, the world-building is AS GOOD AS IT GETS. In addiiton to the different races and cultures living together in the City (rumel, Dawnir, banshees and garudas), each of which is given their own unique voice by the author, you have religious/magical cults vying for power, a corrupt ruling council, animated corpses used as soldiers and the City of Villjamur itself that is described in such beautiful and lyrical prose as to make it truly come alive.This is the kind of book you want to go back and reread a second time in order to absorb everything that is going on. I can't wait for the sequel, City of Ruin, which is coming out shortly. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!