This is probably my favourite Guy Gavriel Kay book. It's probably more 8 1/2 than 8, but I can't quite bring myself to give it a 9 because I find his characters a little uni-dimensional - they tend to be either good or bad. Those that may be ambiguous are only so because they are PRETENDING to be one and are actually the other.
Still, it's a really well-thought-out world, with an interesting premise, and a wonderfully-told story.