Ethan of Athos was a different breed of a book than the rest of early Miles. First, it is a standalone -- and Miles only makes an appearance in a much-removed manner as an object in Ellie’s “what would Jesus Admiral Naismith do” decision-making. Second, it threw me off by hitting a little too close to Knife of Never Letting Go, which works with a premise of a similar society but giving it a much more violent and unhappy spin. And the unfortunate association aside, the whole talking shop about exploitation of ovarian culture just gives me the creeps that I get -- defensive? Protective? About the subject at hand in a way that prevents me from enjoying the thought experiment. Thankfully, the oppressive presence of planet was over as soon as Ethan got off-planet, and Elli helped, and faith in LMB helped and paid off as well, because it wrapped up in a pretty tidy way (if you can learn to let go of the idea that the whole genetic experiment that was at the center of this book’s plot will not matter one bit for the series at large). But I doubt I will ever reread it.