Roberto's Reviews > How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It

Are the characters nihilistic, casually cruel, sexist? Sure. It's a problematic book in that way.

The "this is Constantinople except where I need to change it to help the plot" is problematic in its own way, too.

Is it some sort of "see, I am not racist because I swapped people's colours around from the close historical parallel I am using" crap? Oh yep.

BUT ... I read it in two days, it was fun. So make of that what you will, it's what it is.