Having read two of Palmer's novels, and really liking the other(Version 43), I thought this one was very disappointing. The same Over! The! Top! sf-pulp hyberbole is there, but the prose is still stiff and awkward. This poses two problems, relative to Version 43: 1)the main character is not a robot, so there's no excuse for it and 2)it suggests that Palmer is just not very good at and/or interested in putting together a good sentence. 'It's true!'

Moreover, the clever bits and structural twists he excels at are lost when placed in a far less coherent structure. The Big! Bigger! Biggest! progression of Version 43 is replaced with Stuff! That! Happens! That this is done on purpose, as a deliberately, self-consciously picaresque story, does mean that it works. Not everything has to be organized and clear-cut, but it has to serve some purpose.

I don't know if I'm explaining this well at all, but frankly it's not worth the effort. Short verion: if you are curious about Palmer, read this one first-- http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/187065170. ( )