Seriously, this is amazing science fiction.  The story is gripping and well-written, but it's the characters more than anything else that kept me coming back.  The author has a real gift for characters, and these characters made an already interesting story jump out even more.  I could not put this book down, because I had to know what happens next.  The 5-volume style at first was a little off-putting, but around midway through the third &#34;book&#34; I started to appreciate how the author used that serial style to his advantage, made me anticipate certain things, surprised me when he changed other things up.And the story?  Superb.  More realistic than I would expect, given the initial premise, and once you accept that premise everything else that follows feels not only natural but almost unavoidable.Seriously, get this book. 

Question: How is the quality of the plot?
Answer: The story is gripping and well