I picked this book up at the library because I liked the cover art (I do judge books by their covers). I was expecting it to be a lightweight space opera romp, perfect for some easy holiday reading. And at first, it was. The book is about Eos University, a University (and university town) on a space ship. There are 4,500 people on the ship, including faculty, students, staff and the Enamoratti.

The Enamoratti are the only other sentient beings humans have encountered. The Enamoratti have faster than light engines that operate through trans-space, and they have taken it as their sacred duty to convey as many people through trans-space as possible. You see, they believe that god lives in trans-space and that through ftl travel, one communes with god. The Enamoratti have aligned themselves with the Aigne, a group of humans who have branched off from the Mormons and settled their own planet, who also believe that god lives in trans-space. A perfect match. The Enamoratti provide engines for the humans ftl ships, including Eos, and humans go about settling and exploring the gallaxy.

About halfway through the book, I upgraded it from space opera to decent sci-fi, as some intense political problems (between and among the Enamoratti and the humans) emerged. Then about two-thirds of the way through, I upgraded it from decent to really good sci-fi as the formidible technological and scientific problems faced by the humans increased, and as the political conflicts became still worse.

The story is tight, the pacing is excellent and the end is satisfying. There is a considerable amount of Aigne-bashing (and by implication, Mormon-bashing), which might offend some. There really isn't much more to say than that. This book is what it is, and what it is isn't very complex. But it is good reading.