Cage of Souls is quite the unique read in part because of the conversational and amusing tone with which the story is relayed but mostly because of the world building. This is a book packed with lots of ideas and full of glimpses at a fascinating world but told through the eyes of an unreliable and fairly uninformed narrator leaving a lot of the secrets about just how things came to be in this world left intentionally mysterious. 

It's definitely a book with far more questions than answers and there are many puzzles such as the mishmash of anachronistic technology present, possible time travelers, strange roaming robotic (?) leviathans, or the myriad species being thrown up in an evolutionary crucible occurring at what feels like the last days of humanity. There are simply many secrets lost to time and too many new mysteries thrown up by the chaotic world around to be investigated, if anyone even cared enough to do so in this seemingly decaying society. 

The lack of answers to some of this or the multiple theories proposed by the narrator can be somewhat frustrating but at the same time it's tantalising and realistic enough that it works for the most part. There are also a few issues with character motivations towards the end, it feels like the plot needing to be moved along rather than some things happening organically. And while I enjoyed my time with Cage of Souls it is a fairly slow read, and overlong in parts, that has to be experienced fairly languidly. 

Despite its flaws as a novel Cage of Souls remains rather charming throughout and while I don't always get on board fully with Tchaikovsky's works the ideas and style alone are worth the entry fee.