Low Town presented itself as a mystery/lite sci-fi /adventure story. Daniel Polansky does a masterful job of describing both the look and the feel of Low Town and does the same with all of the characters involved with the story. It was an excellent read that I hope will be followed by many more.

Memories "light the corners of my mind" until they suddenly rip into real life to send you on a search of what really happened. "Misty, water-colored" become murky and dark as the journey toward the truth takes many twists and turns. "The way we were" is not necessarily the way we were but perhaps what we believed is the way it was.

The book started out immediately drawing the reader in ,wanting to know more and then it gradually slowed down to a more even pace still leaving enough unanswered questions for the reader to want to continue until all the loose ends were tied up. But were they? Memories.... friends...

P.S. I live in Syracuse

Fact and fiction,history and present day and an unsolved manuscript - it's all a reader could ask for. This is not a beach book however. It takes some time and effort to sort through the explanations of who's who, who was who and who tutored who, in the age when astrology and astronomy were connected to religion,king and country.

I have never read Iain Banks and at first had a difficult time with the Scottish dialect. I found myself having to go back and reread sections to be sure I really understood what it meant.

I admit I found the book slow going and a challenge, but it was full of interesting personalities, family interactions and a very descriptive writing style.