This note contains spoilers for the book.

Generations ships! And, of course, society has broken down, and the hardware is breaking down. You've got a rather feudal setup resulting. It does make a nice excuse for a somewhat Vancian (Dying Earth Vance) trip through strangeness.

The fairly common background elements are well thought-out, not generic, and the story is mostly driven by character. The characters are not standard types particularly, and they're well done, making for an enjoyable story.