Coalescent

Actually, this passage about the world on either side is making an allusion that up on this stretch of highway, the barrier between worlds is thin (Vellum borrows/tips its hat heavily to Moorcock's multiverse), and that there are possibilities and worlds all around her, and indeed, at one point she launches herself off the road and out of our world, into another part of the Vellum. Hal's writing is all over the place in the book, but in a good way. At times, vividly descriptive, other times a hard punch to the gut. His deftness and range separate him from China (and his ability to resist using language just to impress--I adore China's writing, but I prefer his short fiction--I haven't had enough patience to finish one of his novels since KING RAT). Duncan's surety of voice and pure range of tone cannot be captured with little snippets. Not even close. And that voice is undoubtedly the novel's greatest strength. As VanderMeer said on his blog, "It’s one of the most assured first novels of the decade, and it’s a novel many writers beginning their tenth novel would kill to have written." I couldn't agree more.