As usual, Scalzi's work is an entertaining and satisfying read, featuring a somewhat ambiguous money-grubbing anti-hero who falls back to his former lawyer days to protect a new alien species on a planet that he is helping to raze for profit. There are good lawyers, bad lawyers, cute creatures, a nasty mega-corporation, a nasty thug employed by the nasty corporation, a small group of people versus the Big Bad, sabotage and attempted murders, actual murders, and more, all culminating into a final dramatic and compelling court room showdown. This book could be made into a movie, easy. It moves quick, reads easy, is smart but not mystifying, makes you cry a little but then ends with a big happy smile. Thumbs up!