I read the book in one sitting, once I started I could not put it down : I wanted to know more.

The book alternates between a few characters' points of view, and each of them has their own morals, their own troubles, their own inner lives. The writing is very good at giving us multi-layer characters and presenting them with impossibles choices. Parts of the writing reminded me a lot of my favorite video game series, Mass Effect, whose writers also have a habit of putting characters in horrible situations and making us love them despite sometimes questionable choices. I usually complain, but it is one of the main reasons why it is my favorite game.

It is also very well paced alternating between characters and their parallel timelines. The character switches are not too hard to follow, and Graeme Butler is very good at having us grasp the situation they are in with one sentence or two.

The change in ambiance and context between different settings is also well handled in my opinion, you can feel the grit of the mining complex, the mess and the despair of guerilla fights, the cold and cruel aspect of robotic bureaucracy.

It is a very well written book, I found it riveting, and I am thrilled that it is book 1 in a series as I am really curious to see where it will go next.