This book takes place after The Hostile Takeover Trilogy (Profiteer, Partisan & Revolutionary) set 200 years after the fall of the Confederacy , but will stand alone and is considered book #1 of the Apotheosis Trilogy. The Author also has several other books out that might play into the story or the base of it. This book started slow and jumped into the religion side of the story and breaks down several sides / rivals of the human & Alien space. The future star-spanning human culture has three specific technological developments; AI's , genetic engineered humans and a hatred, almost to a fear of self-replicating nanomachines of which there is a complete and utter ban on. With this stand against nanotechnology, it allows the bringer of these advances to be seen as the devil. The Story finally speeds up midway through the book and is enjoyable enough to keep the reader interested. Although i didn't care for the ending of the book i'm sure it sets up the storyline for the next book of the trilogy. The story is good, but I couldn't decide between a 3 or 4 Stars so i settled on 3 1/2. I felt the author could have explained certain advancments later in the book , advancments that certainly should have happened just probably by other races in the story , and also my dislike for the ending.
