This was certainly a compelling read, to the extent that my partner complained of never being able to get my attention for the few days I was engrossed. Barry is a great story-teller; he has woven a vast array of ideas and themes into a coherent, credible tale. Alien invertebrate-like species, highly evolved predators, genetically modified antagonists, secret sects, planet-wide corporate domination, martial arts, rampant climate change, nanotech weaponry, virtual reality technology, faster than light-speed travel, global conspiracies engineered over centuries. It's an amazing range of elements stitched together with no apparent seams while remaining very readable and accessible.
The story has been presented through a very effective multi-threaded structure. There are three main threads or layers oriented around different sets of characters and locations with each thread's story-line progressed in parallel over contiguous chapters. The layers are very well balanced within the overall plot. I found each thread equally compelling; no mean feat as the usual outcome is for one thread to be more appealing to readers. However, the complex structure does require some careful reading as I found on a few occasions difficulty remembering what information was known or had been discovered in each thread; a mini-case of losing the plot.
I suppose for me the least convincing aspects of the novel were the human relationships and emotional content. For mainstream science fiction, where I would place this story, I believe sex is fine; it can be short and sharp, physical and functional; but love is a poor relation that looks decidedly sickly in this richly imagined dystopia. I'd say leave the 4-letter word out unless you want to write a different type of novel.
And so "The Paradox"! How much of a mystery, how much of a surprise factor did it present? It was kept well hidden from the reader until about half-way through, which was achieved with good style and tension. I felt that perhaps too much of the mystery was then explained in one go; it could have been revealed more slowly to keep the reader guessing for longer.
But the ending is strong.
It's a good novel and deserves success.
