As a first contact story, I liked the book. The Aleutians are fascinating, if kinda gross--there are a lot of references to waste management and underwear before you ever get an explanation--and by the end I really wanted to know more about them. The alien/human politics leading up to the climax were also really interesting, but god, the character development. I just didn't care about anyone. There were too many hints that weren't followed up on and characters doing out of character things that I didn't understand. I keep seeing references in reviews to the love triangle in the book. Technically sure, there is one, but god, again, I just felt nothing. So frustrating because I want to love Gwyneth Jones' fiction, because her criticism is super smart, articulate, and feminist. I found her aliens to be interesting enough to put the sequel on my to read list, so maybe my probs will be addressed there.
