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A book about our place in the world and the eternal question of how to live well, disguised as a novel. It's a long read, best savoured slowly over a stretch of time. It's too easy to become impatient and rush through to the "good bits" of action and excitement, and miss the thought-provoking substance.

It is less a fantasy or science fiction work than a tribute to our potential as a species, seen through an Eastern lens that is not often considered in Robinson's English-speaking target audience.

A well-written story that is both fluffy and serious. Most startlingly, the protagonist's utterly devout Christianity is a major part of the story without being preachy. (Rather than being for proselytizing with plot-relevance being secondary, it is first a plot point and any evangelism is by sheer accident.)

The characters are rendered carefully and believably—they're real people, not plot puppets.

The prose and plot aren't staggering and won't be showing up on any literary-nomination lists, but it tells a compelling story and is thoroughly enjoyable.