I decided to start reading this on my day off, and I didn't realize I was blitzing through the entire thing until I was already done.
Love the set up and the slow burn of the talisman's decisions, as far as public stuff is concerned. Whatever intelligence is guiding it knows how to push and massage boundaries very well. Situations that are explainable, believable enough for the people that need to be persuaded, and all the while benchmarks are being set that will make it impossible to go back.
Oh it's fantastic and I'm excited to see what is coming up!