Not fluffy

Review copy provided by the author, who is a dear friend.

Zamyatin is a Recusant world. Its people have considered the advantages of membership in humanity's great interplanetary Hegemony and decided that oh gosh, no thank you, they're washing their collective hair that day. But there are dangers in the universe that do not play by the Hegemony's rules, so sometimes careful diplomacy with the Recusing worlds is required. Enter our heroine.

Corin Oshima is still outrunning the timewave resultant from altering the timeline around the horrible events of Rossem (before this series begins), but she is also dealing with the fallout from more recent events on Eisenhower (in Both Your Houses). Gangster Charlie Salamanca has gotten away, and in a world with extensive body modifications available, he could be anywhere--or anyone. But Corin can't focus on that right now. She's busy trying to make sure that neither Zamyatin nor its already-shaky relationship with the Hegemony is destroyed.

This series continues to be really excellent at its balance of thought and action. If you want space opera that considers the nature of the universe both morally and physically--now! with cool aliens!--this is the series for you. This is volume two, and I happen to know there's more to come. Yay.