An unsolicited followup to my last post
I read The Spiral Labyrinth and it was good, as I expected. So, I can recommend all of Hughes' Archonate books with a clear conscience. This is, also as expected, not the ideal book to start with, since a fair number of references are made to events from Majestrum and the Hapthorn stories in The Gist Hunter. Hughes does a fine job of explaining those references for new readers without annoying those who already know them, so it is certainly possible to read this first (I read Majestrum without having read the stories, which lead into it), but it's not what I'd recommend.
The extra story included in the deluxe edition is fun but not very relevant to the overarching Hapthorn plotline. Which is of course as it should be, since relatively few people will get to read it (unless and until it is reprinted elsewhere).
The extra story included in the deluxe edition is fun but not very relevant to the overarching Hapthorn plotline. Which is of course as it should be, since relatively few people will get to read it (unless and until it is reprinted elsewhere).