Well, I am not sure what I just listened to but it sure was a fun ride! This 2007 Hugo nominated book tells the story of a crew sent to investigate the source of alien probes. Led by a re-animated vampire because they can think on levels unimaginable by humans, they are tasked with figuring out who the aliens are and if they are belligerent. A small crew with diverse talents, they have no idea what they are in for.

And, to be honest, I am not entirely sure what they ran into, even after listening to the book. Probably because I couldn't go back an reread some of the more confusing portions - I just kept plunging ahead! Certainly not a fault of the narrator, as T. Ryder Smith did an amazing job with this wildly literate tale.

A real treat for hard science fiction fans, as the world envisioned by Peter Watts in the far future just explodes off the page. Everything from strange plagues to virtual sex are seamlessly interwoven into the story. Just amazing.

I'm going to knock it down to 4 stars only because I couldn't quite follow some of the twists and turns of the story. Not that I don't think they weren't structurally sound, I just found it hard to track. But an amazing book nonetheless and I can't wait to read the free short story (found (here) and the followup book, [b:Echopraxia|18490708|Echopraxia (Firefall, #2)|Peter Watts|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1380224957l/18490708.SX50.jpg|26174428].