I really enjoyed this book a lot. It breaks genre boundaries as a sci-fi historical-fiction romance. 'The Company' series of books is about a number of immortal operatives recruited in the past to save historical treasures from being lost to time. This is the first book in the series, and sets the stage for the rest of the books. Kage Baker is a wonderful storyteller, and there were several times throughout the course of the book where I found myself stopping to re-read paragraphs, because the language was just so beautiful. The premise of the series, modern educated immortals following along with, but only somewhat partaking of history, provides a wonderful mix of being "in" on historic events, while at the same time viewing them with a thoroughly modern perspective. It really lets you feel what is was like to live through times when an entire country's religion was switched back and forth at the whim of different kings and queens, and clever devices like listing to radio broadcasts of news of the day let the story seamlessly encompass a broader scope than just what the main characters experience directly.