I liked this book.  It was refreshing in the sense that the main character was portrayed as a real adult, someone who realizes that life can really suck and not be fair, and yet not complain about it and get right down to figuring out the best way to make the best of the situations the author throws him into.  And, there are quite a number of fun situations that were extremely creative, dramatic, and/or funny.  The sci-fi in the book was very much in the background, this is very much a character driven book with an emphasis on clashes of cultures and how governments can interact and with an implied message that one person can throw a wrench into the best laid plans. There are many things the author could have done better, of course.  The apex of the plot seemed somewhat rushed and this somewhat detracts from the last few chapters of the book.  There is a romantic plot line that seems completely unrealistic and which I found myself skipping over.  And, one gets the feeling that if the author only tried and had more reviews and time to let the novel sink in, he/she probably should have extended the novel longer and covered more areas of the universe that is created/portrayed....we're given small snippets here and there.  It would have helped add to the strength of the book to have expanded things more, especially areas the main character was not directly involved in but which later impact him.