Lots of good ideas in here, though perhaps not all of them are as developed as they could be, and what characters can do at any one time can be frustratingly dependent on what the plot needs them to do - or not do (Ing in particular strikes me as becoming conveniently, implausibly stupid whenever Firdaus needs to appear intelligent). I do like the alien world though, and I especially like the link between knowledge and consumption, which I thought was explored really well.