A nice blend of sci-fi ideas, space-opera adventure, and political intrigue. Not the kind of mind-bending stuff my most favorite SF is made of, but still a very fun read. It's a pretty long book, but definitely kept me interested and entertained, and made me glad I was able to get my hands on both books right away so that I can get right into the second one. This is the first I've read of this author, but judging by this I will probably be reading more after these two.