I love finding science fiction that hearkens back to some of the older classic science fiction from my youth, and Bowl of Heaven and Shipstar are just such a find.It's full of hard science, as well as a real sense of adventure and wonder. It explores the difficulties that interstellar travel would pose for the human race, but then juxtaposes it against a solution that is engineered on an infinity larger scale; it also dissects just how fragile such systems are regardless of their size.

There is plenty to discover on the biological side as well as the authors have constructed a vast biosphere that has collected a wide range of life forms over the millennia that the Bowl has traveled through space, and the range of different life forms is not simply confined to humanoid types. The ending also hints at there being life forms in the universe that have evolved far beyond that of those currently controlling the Bowl.

Very worthwhile read if you are like me and really just want something to make you ponder the vastness that is our universe. But, make sure you read both books as they really are just a very large novel broken up into two books.