I started off really really enjoying this book: genius scientific experiment gone wrong. I liked the original POV switches as the storyline went on.

However, the middle-end just dragged on for too long. It veered away from the interesting parts of investigation and trying to figure out what was going on at the level of our human world and at some point devolved into somewhat repetitive ranting about how the noocytes reworked everything into abstract shapes, then destroyed it, etc. At that point, I became a bit bored and disconnected from the story.

It started very well, with a most intriguing premise. Though as soon as I made the link to a My Little Pony fanfic that I read a long time ago (shut up), it started to lose it's appeal. Then the ending was completely anticlimatic. Friendship is Optimal was so much better for me, and was, unfortunately, a constant comparison point. It was still a fun ride, barring the ending, so 4 stars.

I was fascinated by the concept -- which has been replicated many times over since Bear wrote this -- but less interested in the characters.