My only problem with this story was that the author did too good a job with the narrator. Sure, he was a bit of schmuck, but he seemed like among the nicest his people had to offer. In a screwed up, arrogant, self-assured way, he was trying to be a good person, to behave with courtesy and honor. Therefore, it left a bad taste in my mouth when I realized that not only was this not really his story, but that he was going to be vilified and mocked the entire way through.
I kind of wonder if the gender-roles-stuff in this story didn't fall into the Indiana Jones/Nazi Paradox. Have you heard of it? I can't remember who it was - the Dalai Lama? - who said, of the Nazis in Indiana Jones, "they didn't die because they were Nazis; they were Nazis so we wouldn't mind watching them die." In other words, if something bad happens to someone because he's a jerk, that's one thing, but if someone is made to be a jerk so that the audience won't care when something bad happens to them - will laugh, will cheer - then it's lazy and dehumanizing. It's a very fine line, and I won't say that I always know when a story lies on one side or the other. However, this was the reaction I had to the gender roles elements in this story: the bad sexist narrator gets his in the end, despite the fact that all his actions were basically motivated by compassion, but he was a bad sexist guy, so who cares?
I'm going to repeat part of that, because it really summarized my feelings on Kai: although he is, in fact, a prideful and arrogant man, his actions were motivated by compassion, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that he was given no compassion by the author in return.
That said, I thought the story was incredibly clever and well-paced. The point of view shenanigans breathed new life into an old story. I was particularly amused by the mask conceit, which made it easier for Kai's sister's true feelings to go unseen. The story felt like a puzzle, the pieces gradually falling into place around me, and I was very amused.
I'm also particularly thankful that this story was good, as I listened to it last night, in bed, while riding out a stomach flu. Outlander was able to distract me from the worst stomach pain I've felt since Cairo, so it was definitely a winner! I give it four slightly ill zeppelins out of five.