Dr. Norrell and Jonathan Strange by Susanna Clarke

You just know that nothing really really bad is going to happen to anybody who is really talked about much. Plenty of people die but never anyone personalized. This makes the reading somewhat light. A lighthearted, cute story that I consider somewhat unambitious. You're never drawn in deep. Of course if you were, then the author must find a way to bring you back out. Which many fail at. Steven King in The Talisman and The Stand for example being such failures. Hobb's Fitz being a success.
G. Martin being an example of someone who really draws you in, really makes it real and does kill off main characters but whom instead of eventually failing to pull the reader back out appropriately seems to have decided to just never finish.

Clarke takes what I consider a far less ambitious route.

Yet I imagine there are reviews that gush about how original her story is, largely in part to the footnotes which are used to make this fantasy alternate history seem rich. It is inventive and enjoyable to read but nothing quite that outstanding. Ultimately an unambitious book.

The alternate fantasy history makes it much easier to have nuance in social interactions. It may not be impossible to have great nuance in social interactions in an utterly alien world but no good example comes to mind.

Bits of hero with an ace, I suppose it could be said to depend upon such. A hero who slowly develops his ace....

What I get here is alternate history of earth for easier high degree of nuance in social interactions and make sure to kill people that appear to be main characters. Along of course with injustice, and hero with an ace that is slowly developed.