I was intrigued by the basic concept of the series, involving dimensions tied together by the laws of alchemy and an ongoing conflict between two groups of alchemists over a yin/yang view of balancing the elements and the importance of free will. The plotline is fairly intricate, bouncing back and forth between dimensions and time lines as the two groups do their best to infiltrate and undercut each other. Much depends on manuscripts, ancient and otherwise, and on bees, although it takes quite a while for the bee problems to make a lot of sense. I enjoyed the alchemical aspects a great deal, and found the prose well written. My problem was a lack of distinction between the characters, who all seemed to have the same voice. Some of that results from their all being alchemists at one level or another, but I kept having to double check which character was which. This was annoying in a book where keeping track of who's allied with whom, in public or in secret, is all important to following the plotline. Nor did I understand the reasoning behind the process of conjunction, which amounted to a mix of Celebrity Death Match and human sacrifice. The survivor may win what amounts to immortality, but how does that balance anything? Why is it any different from feeding Moloch? Even the people directly confronting conjunction don't seem to question that. ( )