Steven Silver called the book "a humorous novel, although not in a laugh-out-loud way." He sees its "main point satire, a fact which is driven home if the reader begins to look at characterization or plot, neither of which appear in particular abundance. ... The characters are drawn with broad strokes, each inspired by one, or possibly two, character traits." But "as [with most satire, he causes the readerto recognize the humor of the situation and compare it to their own situation." Silver sees "Zdim's travels throughout Novaria as a pretext for unleashing slings and arrows of outrageous satire at governmental practices and systems ... thereby highlighting the follies of our own system of government." The hero's contact with other cultures, the "fantasy staples" of "the semi-human Zaperazh, the horse nomadic Hruntings, and the cannibalistic Paaluans ... clearly shows why each is as implausible as the more 'corrupt' human institutions of civilizations."