A stunning way to immerse myself back into the land of science-fiction after finishing all my Asimov about 2 years ago :P So I decided to check out a little bit of different stuff, and this was the book that jumped out at me first.
Anderson does a thrilling job of weaving an extremely suspenseful plot together, with bombshells left, right, and center that are not at all far-fetched, not falling into the common trap of making stuff up as he goes along to suit the plot; this guy has his storyline waxed to the core. Deftly switching between the large cast of characters, the action is expertly woven, the reader not knowing how it will end until the final few chapters. In fact, that's what I admire most about his writing style: the intricate plot design and the stunning narrative and reveal rate.
Sans a single protagonist, it follows various stories of various characters, from the Galactic Chancellor to space gypsies to Ildiran aliens. Humanity has unleashed the Klikiss Torch, a weapon with the capability to create suns, and has used it in a trial experiment. However, all is not as it seems, and various tragedies occur around the galaxy, obvious to the reader as consequences of this experiment but the link in no way being clear. More disastrous attacks by an unknown force are instigated as key players in the game attempt to figure out what's actually going on. More discoveries about the long-lost Klikiss civilisation reveal to the reader more and more the complications humanity finds itself in.
One flaw, however, is that this is, true to its name, book 1 of 7. While absolutely splendid as an introduction, it leaves you super-hungry for more, without resolving much in terms of the big picture story. Or maybe I'm just jealous because EB at Cavendish don't have part 2 :D
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