I'd just like to add a comment on how awesome all of these answers are. *g* Some of my favorite parts (the parts that I envy just a little) of the Doctrine of Labyrinths are the extra stories and the huge weight of history and varied culture that weighs on the characters and directs the narrative. Not to make it sound clunky, though--you manage it with a silky grace that makes me barely even notice all of the information I'm being given. I wish, wish, wish I could manage that. I either info-dump or don't tell enough.
(My husband and I actually had a very long discussion about Really Good Second World Stories that spent a lot of time on the Doctrine books.)
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(My husband and I actually had a very long discussion about Really Good Second World Stories that spent a lot of time on the Doctrine books.)