Then read The Islands of Chaldea, DWJ's last. Mh, speaking of odd ducks: she and Aiken were two of a kind-- both regard loss of close relatives as no big deal. And Wynne Jones is generally much less genial. Why yes, I could guess where Ursula took over: it was when the signals for a happy end came so neat and quick. DWJ would have been much more problematic about it.
Time for something completely different: probably continuing with The Steampunk Trilogy which is a bit more like, except for that steampunk obsession with whores and brothels. The absence of which is one sign of good steampunk, in my book.