There's a lack of subtlety in "Common & Precious"; Susman tends to hammer his points (and in a few places, his characterizations) home with a bit of a heavy stroke. This is not to say they're made badly; but (for example) the nth time Barda's thoughts go on about how competent Kara is you're wishing he didn't repeat himself. While he's not subtle, he's also not clumsy; the villains aren't cardboard cutouts and the characterization works. Susman keeps up the tension as well; a happy ending (such as it would be on the setting of New Tibet) is never certain, and the pacing flows. His over-enthusiasm for the books' obvious message doesn't really get in the way of this, or of the book's emotional impact.

New Tibet is an ice world colony, populated by anthropomorphic animals and riddled with poverty and organized crime. The class differences are stark but the atmosphere is not quite as oppressive as in "Breaking the Ice", an earlier short story collection (including one by the author here). The anthropomorphism of the characters isn't heavily used, apart from fitting into the clear class distinctions, but the furred animals are a good fit for the icy setting; Susman has an excellent world.

There's some interior artwork along with the book, as usual for Sofawolf's offerings; it's well drawn and does add a bit to the book. A good work of science fiction. ( )

My review appears on Livejournal:

http://community.livejournal.com/furrybookreview/1954.html ( )