we came thirty-one light years from Earth to terraform planets and chew gum, and we’re all out of gum. Actually, there was gum, or at least the means to manufacture it, but that wasn’t the point.

Although there are some cool ideas in this book (viral alien lifeforms, evolved squids and the flow of time) the writing felt rather dull. It never really took up pace and it got nowhere near the awesomeness of the first book.