Barnstorming on an Invisible Segway

I recently reread the Inda quartet, the first full read-through I've done since I first had my mind blown by the depth of Sherwood's world-building and the rich humanist wisdom she brings to her astonishingly diverse cast of characters. I had forgotten quite how good these books are. So many satisfying individual arcs, but the way all the characters collectively dance their world into existence for us -- it's a major high water mark in fantasy. With pirates!