I asked the author if this was more a Michael Marshall or a Michael Marshall Smith before getting it, and he said it's "much more an MMS book, although not SF". This is correct. That blend of slightly bizarre backstory, careful machines, and the power of thought is something that hardly anyone else can pull off, and Smith does it with his usual aplomb. Every other line is funny, too, just in the way people react or the narrative straight-facedly takes the piss. If you liked Only Forward or Spares you'll like this. Also, don't go into any cracks in the land in Siberia.