Stormdancer

Wow. Seriously, just wow. Like many have said, they had me at “Japanese steampunk.” But really, it's not all that steampunk-y. It's more about Japanese mythology and political/environmental commentary in an alt-historical setting.

And, ick, I've done a lousy job of selling it. At its core, it's a story about a girl and a mythical creature forming a bond–a story told a bazillion times. But when it's told as well as this one is, who cares how well trod this path is?

The sequel can't come fast enough.