I've read a lot of great books in the science fiction section that I wouldn't really call science fiction, but this is science fiction in all the right ways. Fun characters (human and non - I found myself wishing for a listing of aliens, I was having trouble keeping track), deep thoughts on society and politics, plenty of action, and cool science - a key character in its own right and not just window dressing. Plenty of digs at AI, too, which, considering this book was published twenty-five years ago, shows good scifi stands the test of time.