I wanted to like this more than I did. And credit where it's due, there are parts of this that were excellent. The alien spider scientist, who was essentially a main character for the duration, was as interesting and likeable as the regular crew, and Duane makes an extra effort to integrate a number of alien species into the Enterprise crew. So often it appears as thoroughly human, with the occasional exception thrown in, but the constant and genuine diversity here really helped to give that sense of wonder that I think Duane was reaching for with the plot. The plot, alas, was where this book failed for me. The first half felt weighed down with endless technobabble, and the second was almost mystic fantasy. Neither of these things enthuse me - for example, the many-mind confusion during the new travel, in which memories of a number of characters were melded together, left me cold every time. I think it was meant to be exciting and meaningful, but it just felt tedious and every time it recurred I wished she'd just get on with it. I can't help but think that buried under all this excess presentation is a story worthy of the characters, but by the end I was tired of digging for it.