This was an enjoyable if not particularly satisfying read. The premise is intriguing enough - that a "pulse" from outer space knocks out most of earth's advanced technology, forcing the world to confront a major political, social and economic re-think against the backdrop of this pulse as proof of extraterrestrial intelligence. But this premise is then squandered in two-dimensional characterisation and a confused, chaotic plot. The disparate strands of the characters' experiences do not add up, but simply fragment the narrative. Its like three or four separate novellas lumped together into a novel, but without a connecting thread or explanation that makes the story more than the sum of these parts. For example, much is made of the possibility of the pulse containing a message, but in the end even this ccentral plot point is left unclear in resolution. I enjoyed reading this book, but it is not a book that I would read again, or consider bringing anything new to the genre.