Aliens, espionage, and world history: this book touches on them all. Chu has written a novel that is full of both action and introspection on the nature of humanity. Through his characters, he acknowledges that even with the fate of the world in the balance, choices are rarely black and white. He makes Roen a relatable character by having him react like an average person actually would when thrust into these situations. Most people may want the glamour of James Bond, but in reality we mainly want to be comfortable and to not be shot at. Chu also makes the harder decision to utilize training and indirect access to millennia of knowledge, when he could have just taken the Matrix route and uploaded the prior knowledge and skills. This also creates a bond with the reader as we empathize with the struggle and change that Roen goes through. 
 I greatly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the sequel and Chu's other books.