Gregory

The book itself is not as strong as some of Simmons' other work I've read or listened-to. The story is a bit loose and rambling, but not in the grand tapestry way of, say, "Hyperion." Just loose and rambling.

The real source of my engagement with the audio book came from the performance(s). Mel Foster carries the bulk of the weight here, and if his vivid characterizations of the large cast are at times somewhat broadly melodramatic, the excesses are wholly in keeping with the book's unapologetic indulgences in stock characters and stereotypes. Listen to Foster's work in any of the book's crowded scenes of action or conference table exposition, though, and it's clear that he has a firm mastery of the material he has to work with.