I just finished this last night and thought it was absolutely fabulous. Bear's stories have been recieved pretty well over here so I figure I'd recommend this. (as for specific genre.. well.. it has cyborgs and bioengineered creatures, but it also has gods and valkyries and assorted Norse mythology, so I am going with fantasy.
).
Here's my disjointed review as posted on goodreads
(if you have a goodreads account, feel free to add me,
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1366121 . Its been pointed out that GoodReads has a bit of an advantage over some of the other social networking-type book sites in that it allows for podcast novels, which is a cool thing.)
I've loved Bear's short fiction on Escape Pod, so was excited to get my hands on one of her full length novels. And I was not dissapointed! This is a sweeping, elegant story that meshes technology with ancient mythology. There's a bit of melodrama, but I think that just goes hand in hand with the whole "valkyrie" theme, and its really not overbearing. A quick spoiler-free synopsis: the last valkyrie, long coping with guilt and loss, tracks a sinister and ancient foe through a high-tech city. But not all is as it seems, and the weary angel is in for a few shocks.
The book definitely has the feel of an epic about it. I actually thought it was self contained, though now I see its the first in a series. I think it speaks quite well of the book it could pass as a stand-alone.
The ending is poignant as all get out, seriously one of the best I've read in a long time. I do believe I teared up a little.
All together, just absolutely a wonderful tale. Highly recommended.
Here's tor.com's significantly more coherent review:
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=9440I just really enjoyed this a lot, so I figured I'd recommend it here.
