The fifth instalment picks up all the storylines from the previous books, and adds more. A pair of Bobs discover the abandoned planets and space installations of an ancient and multiracial civilization. Friction continues with various human factions. A new race is found and their civilization explored. The aliens from Heaven’s River deal with digital life after death. And more.
This book is a hot mess. There are far too many storylines, and only two get the attention they need to be interesting. The dragon storyline is neat, but not necessary for the main story. In essence, only the implications of the ancient civilization that decamped is really relevant. There is a lot of time spent in various meetings where various things are discussed, and only the characters’ snarky and snappy dialogue makes it bearable. The whole thing would have been better off as a short story collection, allowing the reader to focus on one thing at the time in depth.
