The core story was fantastic. Humans arrive on a planet inhabited by low-tech, dog-like creatures that have consciousness only in small packs. Meanwhile, a "blight" threatens all of humankind and other space-faring civilizations. The next factor in this universe is where I start to throw my hands up and say "whatever!": there are speed limits for the speed of light by which levels of technology are capped and these form zones in the universe. It all feels like a little too much to worry about vis a vis the story at hand.