There is a lot in here, some of which occasionally feels a bit overwhelming. But the main problem I had with The Star Fraction is that if feels a bit dated.

Written in 1995 and set in the mid-21st century I kept tripping over technology descriptions that would have sounded reasonable 20 - or even 10 - years ago but which now just fail to ring true.

That said, Ken MacLeod's view of how states rise and fall is fascinating, thoughtful and well worth exploring further.