I am hovering around the 3.879435 out of 5 for this book. No quiet a 4 but way better than a 3. 
 Stross is ....... well, he is....... you see he write like......... 
 That sums up Stross. He is just out there on his own little planet, one minute writing hi tech scifi, where causality effects are detailed in a Stephen Hawking kind of way, then slams you back to earth when a talking rabbit toting a shotgun and a belt of farmers scalps asks you what you think are staring at. 
 If you have read any Stross you'll know what I mean, if you haven't you should give him a try, because it is hard to take him seriously and I say that in the best possible way. Sometimes the hi tech gets intense and you need to come back to earth and he finds some really quirky ways to do that. This type of writing just keeps things 'out there' as you have no idea what is going to come next. 
 The story has some very interesting themes to it. Basically a far flung world has stuck to the doctrine of old Soviet Union and had serfs and no technology rules to the people. There was a revolution in the planning when a alien entity turned up and gave every citizen three wishes. (true honestly, could I make this up?). What happens next is a roller coaster ride in the collapse of an empire when literally overnight possessions and currency has no value. You want a castle? boom, you have one. you want anti ageing? boom your 6 years old. 
 Secondary to the story is the fleet flying from the mother planet to take out the three wish aliens, but they want to get there before the aliens did, but breaching Causality, by going years into the future and sling shooting back into the past. Whilst in the future, they could pick up messages they are going to send to themselves, when back in the past to tell them of the battle they are going to have and have already had. I have lost you haven't I? 
 Needless to cause, causality violation is a big part of this story and I found it fascinating. I am definitely recommending this book because it is FUN! Stross has the ability to make me laugh out loud and I don't often do that when reading scifi.