Pushing Ice question

[Shady12]

The giant ships took all those species to the Structure. The only reason the humans ended up there is because they didn't have enough fuel to get back when they realized the speed they were traveling. But a lot of the species there, such as the Fountainheads, had frameshift drives and could engage in interstellar travel. So why did they just stay on the thing all that way only to get trapped in the structure? They could have studied their version of Janus as long as they wanted (or until they knew they had to leave in order to be able to get back home) then left, but they just stayed. Is there any explanation?

[Mark]

The general premise is that all of the captives, including the Fountain heads, are held by a superior force they can't break. The Structure is a mysterious product of an immeasurably more advanced, but unknown technological culture. The overall effect makes "Pushing Ice" resemble some aspects of a Kafka novel.

[Magdalena]

wow, i liked permafrost, but pushing ice was too longwinded for me and the few deaths reported too gruesome. can anyone recommend something else by reynolds more like permafrost and less like PTI? thanks in advance :-)