Wonderful, satisfying, imaginative story. Very high body count, but usually at exactly the point where I felt like a little bit of murder would be a convenient way to resolve difficulties and move things along. I found myself getting a little distracted during the middle third or so, but then things picked up again at the end. I do wish, though, that those two parallel grand houses had not both been left to molder. Surely the second one could have been put to some more effective use?