This book is engaging on many levels. The one I found most clever was the way the author humanized the extremely alien "spider" race, and then later completely justified doing so. Brilliant!The villian, Tomas Nau, was extremely evil - and made even more chilling by his plesant outward nature. I thought it quite a portrait of the evil lurking in the real world, fully realized and fleshed out. It kept the tension level high.The vast canvas Vinge used to paint this story was breathtaking. It reminded me of classic Asimov, but better. More engaging. Filled with wonder and depth, and lots of detail without being bogged down in it.Yes, I really enjoyed this book.