This is a really enthralling book. After a bit of a slow start, it transforms into a fascinating take on first contact and on humanity's relationship to technological innovation. It's brimming with interesting ideas, from a video game designed to mediate first contact with aliens to ideological conflicts in an alien-worshipping environmentalist conspiracy, and presents a high-level, sweeping view of humanity's place in the universe, making us feel both tiny and strong at once. The parallel stories of China's Cultural Revolution and a modern, slightly futuristic world coming to grips with the existence of alien life play off each other well, and the entire thing just leaves me wanting more. I'm absolutely looking forward to reading the next one!