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I can't wait... I have to start this one now!

This was not the normal type of sci-fi story I read and I didn't think I would enjoy it at first. But the more I read, the more I fell in love with this story. It's very rich, deep, symbolic, and full of meaning. The characters are deep and very interesting, and the elaborately detailed world/universe of the story is incredibly thorough and stimulating. This story had a great pace and evolved from a story of planetary politics to political inrigue and thriller-type pace. I finish this book feeling like I have experienced something profound and yet sad that it's over - and yet I've already downloaded the sequel! Arkady Martine is masterful and a bit like the Stephen King of the genre. Maybe my top book of the year!

Four chapters in and it's already vastly different from the recent books I've read. It's very detailed and elaborate, much like older scifi novels, and I'm reading slowly and carefully to digest the unique culture presented early on. I'm liking this though!

I really wanted to like this story as it is complex and full of twists and kept me entertained. I kept finding some weird nuances that turned me off, like the USAFR F-35B (which is not an Air Force aircraft), and the maintenance guys who ripped out the guts of the plane, including the VTOL engine. Yet as far as scifi goes, this was a good book and a complex story with lots of moving pieces. Characters were not too flat though some scenes felt forced and developed too quickly. However, I very much love the First Contact series and this fits well into this anthology of scenarios. Good read!

I have read very few perfect books, and this one was not perfect either... but I enjoyed it completely! This story had its emotional highs and lows, its stresses and lulls, and in the end, I find that I like the way that it ended... or at least I think it ended? Sure, the story could continue and even involve our characters again. But I suspect if there's any more, it will involve other characters. Very good story telling and action/adventure in a realistic sci-fi environment. I will miss our characters and this story.