The book was epic and fully self-contained and one of the "harder" space operas out there, meaning it's mostly believable. And, as the story progresses, the character's seemingly separate stories become more and more tightly wound, before ending up in a perfect storm of thread tying up that would be worthy of a Victor Hugo novel. The plot begins with the discovery of an intelligent alien species on a planet orbiting an anomalous star, dubbed OnOff because for 215 of every 250 years it is dormant, releasing almost no detectable energy. The conspirators subvert the Emergents' systems and put their plans in action, but so do a small group of Spiders who have become aware of the humans and have been working in secret for years to subvert their Focused as well. No matter how much I try, I can't quite comprehend the time scales involved or the numbers of people who will live and die between my lifetime and Pham Nuwen's.

The lightest of wear at limited points on unclipped jacket; faint crease on hardcover's spine beneath.cele din urmă, folosindu-se de virusul minții un virus mental care eliberează o neurotoxină ce permite controlul persoanei infectate, inducându-i acesteia obsesia unei singure specializări, "focalizând-o" pe o singură idee, emergenții obțin controlul flotei și hotărăsc să supravegheze evoluția tehnologică a păianjenilor până când dezvoltarea acestora va permite repararea flotei și a habitatelor distruse în conflict. The first group to get there will likely gain extreme knowledge, wealth, fame, and the chance to discover the mysteries of this never-before-seen star.

The OnOff star lights for about 50 years and during that time it is a normal G star (like Earth's), but then switches 'off' for 200 years or so like clockwork. With new knowledge of the effects and victims of Focus, Pham is forced to admit the cost is too high, and the two reach an agreement and continue their plotting. This results in a lengthy and tense conflict between the more liberal Accord kingdom and the traditionalist Kindred, and this conflict culminates with mushroom clouds.Supuși ciclicității Stelei Fluctuante, viața lor se împarte între sutele de ani de hibernare în Întuneric și cele trei decenii de lumină, departe de a suspecta intrigile ce se țes deasupra lor.

The "Focus" is one of the most chilling forms of slavery I've seen in fiction--one where with your mind enslaved, your body follows.Further out, the zone named the "Beyond" can support futuristic technologies such as AI and FTL travel. It's a testament to the book that I managed to finish it while in the midst of an extraordinarily busy semester.