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Surprisingly good! This is an original novel, in that most of the plot consists in world-building, and in explaining the minutiae of court intrigue through the eyes of the new emperor. It this sounds boring, it shouldn't, at least to readers (like me) who enjoy a lot of political intrigue and elaborate fantasy cultures. The story follows the new emperor as he tries to both adjust to his role and adjust it to make it conform to his moral standards.

The characters are less complex than the world itself; their relationships are somewhat simple (though this may simply be due to the fact that, per his status, the main character remains isolated for much of the novel) and there isn't much in the way of psychological or ethical complexity. Nonetheless, this was a very fine read.