This was an amazing book, a good entry into science fiction for someone who has never read any before. The world and character building was so well done, it was easy to visualize the various species and biomes. 
 You don't need to be a fan of science fiction to get in board with this story. One of the major themes looks at racism (or speciesm?) and I think anyone could learn something from this story. Many times I would reread paragraphs and be struck by the similarity between this fictitious world and the real world. 
 High recommend, a book everyone should pick up!