TCWriter

I picked up Vast after a few commentors on Charlie Stross' blog recommended Linda Nagata's work, and while epic post-humanity fiction isn't exactly my sweet spot, Nagata writes so forcefully and clearly that I finished the book right away.

Nagata's characters are lively and flawed (making them recognizable as people), and the technology at work is interesting and (at times) surprising, but not so odd that it became difficult to follow.

My only complaint is the convenience of a couple plot points; a crew member boards an alien ship and somehow picks up warp-drive nanobots by accident, and in all the vastness of a nebulae, the crew stumbles on the radio emissions of a human civilization, despite the fact they're a bazillion light years from a now-defunct earth.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed Nagata's Vast, and plan to buy a few other novels. If you're a hard sci-fi fan, Vast is well worth a look.