] ▁will ▁appeal ▁to ▁s oph istic ated ▁readers ▁who ▁prefer ▁th orn y ▁con und rum s ▁to ▁fast - p ac ed ▁action ". ▁A ▁rev iewer ▁for ▁the ▁ ▁Library ▁Journal ▁said ▁the ▁novel ▁" pl ung [ es ] ▁readers ▁into ▁a ▁vis cer al ▁experience ▁of ▁cosm ological ▁theory ▁and ▁the ▁big ▁creation ▁stories ▁of ▁myth ology ". ▁ ▁A ▁review ▁in ▁New ▁Scient ist ▁described ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁book ▁as ▁" a ▁g ri pping , ▁original ▁tale " ▁with ▁the ▁port ray al ▁of ▁the ▁fate - sh if ters ' s ▁tal ents ▁as ▁" nothing ▁short ▁of ▁brilliant ", ▁but ▁compla ined ▁that ▁in ▁the ▁second ▁half ▁Bear ▁over - comp licates ▁the ▁story ▁with ▁" to o ▁many ▁ideas , ▁images , ▁myth ologies ▁and ▁dist ra ctions ". ▁The ▁rev iewer ▁said ▁that ▁a ▁prom ising ▁story ▁" wh ips ▁itself ▁up ▁into ▁a ▁virt ually ▁in com pre hens ible ▁final ▁act ". ▁Science ▁fiction ▁critic ▁John ▁Cl ute ▁described ▁the ▁book ▁as ▁" cos m ological ▁[ s cience ▁fiction ] ▁without ▁a ▁net ", ▁and ▁compla ined ▁that ▁Bear ▁r ush es ▁through ▁the ▁story ▁too ▁quickly ▁and ▁does ▁not ▁dwell ▁long ▁enough ▁on ▁locations ▁like ▁the ▁Kal pa ▁to ▁make ▁it ▁memor able . ▁He ▁said ▁that ▁the ▁flight ▁to ▁the ▁future ▁of ▁ ▁G in ny , ▁Jack ▁and ▁Daniel ▁" gets ▁a ▁touch ▁Fro do - in - M ord or ▁at ▁places ".