I loved this series. Haven't read this much fiction in a long time, and it was a great reprieve. He takes scientific concepts I've long enjoyed mentally playing around with and applies wonderful creativity to write stories full of surprises. (EDIT: That said, the beginning was slow, with the story getting more interesting over time. Much like the second book. Also, if you want deep connection with characters, he's not your writer, imo. He's about taking interesting scientific concepts and applying imagination to them.)