For me, this was a bit of a miss (when compared with Vodolazkin's previous work, Laurus).

The narrative style (journal entries rather than chapters) is engaging. The themes of love, justice, memory, and exploring the relative evils of totalitarianism and late-modern capitalism are robust. Somehow, though, the story flags, and the characters are less endearing than the motley medieval assortment of Laurus.

Even so, the thread between Laurus, and The Aviator is an emerging minority report critiquing the "success" of liberal modernity and consumer-driven concepts of flourishing. I do hope Vodolazkin continues to think and write, and I'll keep reading.