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Title: A Setup for a Sequel
Review: Nagata sets up the big questions in this book and then punts at the end. Her maturation as a writer happens right in front of our eyes but don't buy this book. The ending can only be described as 1) A cliffhanger designed to get you to buy the sequel, or 2) A failure of literary courage. In either case, this is editorial irresponsibility at its most heinous. Even the most transparent first book of a series resolves the major plot elements and answers the questions raised by the narrative. Not this time.None of this would matter if Nagata had written just another media tie-in, dumbed down and evanescent as rime. But it isn't. As Norman Spinrad noted in his review in the March 2002 Asimov's, this is a spectacularly well-written tale for literate adults, all too rare in the current market. If you must have more Nagata, enjoy the setup but don't expect a payoff. It isn't there
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