The first half drags and is pointless. The second half is great (if a little convenient). I suppose the second half couldn't happen without a lot of the first, but I wish it were tightened up. In particular, I wish Weber had severely cut everything that took place on Grayson. It is of little consequence to the plot and concentrates on characters we don't care that much about. Plus, the reader already knows that it will all be reversed at some point.

All in all, one of the weaker books in the series, but still worth the read.