John is one of 7 selected to travel, in an experimental space-ship, into the inner system and plant probes at the poles of the Earth. It's cold enough at the poles that the Mycora can't live there. As if the mission doesn't sound stinky enough right from the get-go, things start going wrong even before launch time. Shortly into the trip, perplexing issues come up. Some really strange questions arise, and I won't give anything away by telling you about those .
Bloom is an exciting tale that seamlessly blends nanotechnology, space travel, and high adventure.
The story clips along at an impressive pace, but never includes action for its own sake. The story-telling and plot devices are tight, tight, tight. It's a very efficient story, and I regretted ever having to put the book down. I found it all believable, in technology and characters. I found it to be often insightful, in psychology, relationships, even philosophy.