This books was recommended to me by several people and I had seen a lot of praise for it other places. I guess it didn't quite live up to my expectations after all that hype, but it was still extremely good and I will read the sequels. I thought the humor was a little off. It got some chuckles but it felt a little half hearted. I really liked the aliens and other technology. (view spoiler)[Body modification and the range of available tech is also extremely interesting though I can get a bit picky if I feel the author doesn't go into as much depth as I want. (hide spoiler)] I thought the scope of the book was great. Right away it drops you into a fantastical world that leaves you imagining more but it also doesn't feel overwhelmingly huge or leave a disappointing number loose threads.