Kari Maund is a British writer who has a Ph.D. in mediaeval British history with a specialisation is early mediaeval Wales. She writes fantasy under the penname Kari Sperring and her main influences are J.R.R. Tolkien and Alexandre Dumas. She lives in Cambridge, England with her partner and cats. There’s a pronunciation guide for her books at 
Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring
It took me a long time to get through Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring. As a fantasy novel, it meets all the requirements in terms of the setting, the use of magic and the plot. I think that it took so long because I had a hard time getting into any of the characters, and for me that is essential to my enjoyment of a book.
Gracielis is a gigolo. He is well-mannered, good-looking and seemingly omnisexual in his willingness and ability to become attractive to anyone.
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Thanks, Kat, great input!
Marion, thanks for the audiobook article! Interestingly, they list All Systems Red by Martha Wells. Here's part of my review…
And, oh...as to that 2.5-star rating: I think I gave Damon Knight's "Beyond the Barrier" a similar halfhearted rating earlier…
And speaking of mixed, that's how the book left me...mixed! As in MIXED UP!
[…] marketing materials for itself, the ultimate cargo cult, dedicated to spam, stranded on the terminal beach at time’s end.…