I was recommended this book by a friend, and I was not disappointed! It is an amazing read. Vinge has an imagination off the charts, with world building to rival Tolkien. The picture of the galaxy he paints is like a splash on a canvas: enough detail for one to get the general feel, but much of the minutiae left for the imagination to contrive. The pacing in the third quarter of the book felt a little slow relative to the rest of the book, but over all it was an action-packed adventure -- a wonderful mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Vinge also does an amazing job of weaving plot twists onto the story; many such twists have their roots within the first few chapters of the book. The reader is essentially "thrown" into the book's universe, but Vinge gradually builds up the reader's understanding of his canon. It is a longer novel, but well worth the length.