It was pretty clear pretty quickly that this Reid Malenfant was not the same as the one in Manifold:Time. It took a little while for me to realize that Baxter was fleshing out the opposite universe from Manifold:Time. In other words, this was the universe where life & mind evolved everywhere, in every nook & cranny. The worry was not running out of time, as in Manifold:Time, but running out of space. Interesting, almost like an etude, Baxter explores the different possible universes. In Manifold:Time, the interpersonal relationships were very central to the story. Here, not so much. But, I didn't really notice that much. He throws in a strange bit towards the end (or reveals it, maybe), and I am curious to see if it's a hook for Manifold:Origin, or just a wacky ending.