Ninefox Gambit

Wow! There is a massive amount of things going on in this 1st book and a hell of a lot to love! The Hexarch Empire is pretty dark and dystopian, and very dogmatic, sort of like the Spanish Inquisition on Math steroids. There is a great deal of complicated, centuries long, political intrigue between and within the Six factions, as well as some gritty military action which results in a lot of brutal deaths. The characters, particularly the minor ones, are written well enough that you actually care about them dying. Topping it all off, is a really well written lead character, Kel Cheris who serves as an "anchor" to a 400+ year old, insane (already dead) tactical genius General. I didn't completely understand the mathematically based calendrical technology and how their whole society is bound to it, but I did find it novel and interesting. I'm hoping to get a better grasp as the series continues. Yeah, it all sounds a bit crazy, but it really works well and I'm looking forward to the next book.