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Yet another fun one in the Manticore Ascendent series. My only minor complaint is that the conclusion . . . concludes too rapidly. I'd love to let the ending breathe a touch more. This is somewhat common with Zahn in my experience, but it's truly a minor quibble.

Did I like it? Yes

Did I have fun? Yes

Was it good? Yes

Positive side of all my standard questions, nice!

Engaging for sure, but the ending feels so rushed I almost wonder if the publisher split it? I'm almost obligated to find a copy of the sequel (none in my library system yet, alas) and give it a read.

Despite that, I found it enjoyable and a great thought-starter on gender, in addition to being a nice character piece. Was it good? Yes. Did I like it? Yes. Did I have fun? Yes. It checks all the boxes, folks!

A very fun book. I do wonder how it would play if you weren't familiar with the way the Cognitive Realm works.

I was reading this for #ShelvedByGenre, and I have to say I liked each section less and less. The commentary on the (proposed) cyclic nature of time and the ideas that the seeds of empire are within all human efforts are interesting, for sure, but frankly I found it all depressing to read. (This tracks with Walter M. Miller Jr. being a very depressed man, working through the horrors of WWII.) I will say I found the first section to be a quite excellent novella on its own terms. (It's my understanding that the novel is a fix-up; part of my dislike is the large changes in tone and feel.)

My usual questions: Was it good? Yes Did I have fun? Yes Did I like it? Not so much

I do love a book that has a complex structure, and this deftly weaves back and forth across decades, months and days to tell the story. The mystery is pretty good but the real star is the themes of family, alienation and otherness. I would have loved more, but then I always do; the pose is fairly workmanlike but I cannot identify anything actually lacking with it, this is purely personal preference.

Did I like it? yes Was it good? yes Did I have fun? yes

3/3, I'd recommend to almost anyone.

My usual three questions: Was it good? Yes Did I like it? Yes Did I have fun? No This is an unusual octant to be in. I'm quite sure a deeper reading would be rewarded, but I simply don't have the urge to. Our protagonist is expertly and fully broken down, but he's not really built back into . . . anything. Which is a perfectly valid, even interesting literary choice, it's just not something I enjoyed overly much.