So this is by far the highest rating I've given a book I've DNFed. It is a wonderfully organized background volume for the lore of Lazarus, perfect for fanfiction writers or anyone intending to play in a Lazarus-based RPG. I intend on doing neither of those things, so the encyclopedic presentation read a little dry. However, I can definitely see myself using it as a reference while I continue the actual storyline. The level of thought, detail, complexity, and believability the creators have put into this world, as laid out in this volume, is incontrovertible evidence for why the actual storyline works so incredibly well.

Flipping through the volume allowed me to stumble on some interesting tidbits, like the "grief farms," which are basically online government-sponsored and controlled spaces for (in effect, primarily male) users to vent their furious energy that the government weaponizes against its political enemies. Sounds terrifyingly familiar and believable, no? ( )