Just finished this book and while it was enjoyable enough, I wasn't eager to read the next book. I thought maybe I was just put off by the heavy-handedness of the "liberal agenda" but I think this reviewer said it best. And many of the comments add to the answers.
While I'm "conservative" I can enjoy a good sci-fi book with different values than mine as long as they are relevant to plot or character. This story didn't feel like liberal views were being forced on me, rather the author used them to show diversity and complexity in relationships. Unfortunately, they didn't feel relevant to either the characters or the plot and became random examples of diversity.
1/5: This was really, really not my cup of tea and I threw in the towel 2/3 of the way in. I was surprised at how disappointing it was given that I picked it up on the basis of the normally dependable Adam Roberts’ recommendation in his end of year 2015 round-up in the Guardian. I understand the desire to move SF from plot-driven narratives to character-driven narratives but you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater if your character-driv…