The story is darker and quite well written. I feel a bit disappointed compared to the first book though. Maybe it's because of the metaphysics & religious themes (I know it's a liberal approach and against theocracy and intolerance, but still a bit overdone for my liking), or maybe I just liked Deidre too much. And I'm not sure whether or not its depiction on non-Abraham religions are accurate, or if people in the future will still use DOS :)