Way more compelling sci-fi transhuman ideas to explore than the first, but a bit less gripping.

The first half of this one was a bit too slow and the last half way too fast, the romantic subplot resolution felt contrived, and a decent amount of character growth from the first book seems to have reverted itself by the beginning of the second, and there were several moments where I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

But the ideas brought up in this one are fascinating to think about; ideas about the nature of consciousness, the responsibility of the human race to itself, what makes us good and evil, and the dangers of hero worship, just to name a few.

Plus, the action was more deliberately cinematic in this version, with plenty of vivid word pictures and thoughtful exuberance. Victories feel earned, denouements feel narratively consistent, and characters have a really admirable amount of agency throughout.

It's all fascinating stuff, presented pretty enjoyably.