Man…where to start….I liked the first book, Mammon, quite a bit. It was enjoyable with it’s concept of a brilliant mind pushing the envelope of what is considered possible, as well as the subverted expectations in the twist of the betrayal toward the end! I had a lot of anticipation for this book’s release. So when I saw it available, I immediately downloaded it. Jonathan Belville is as dependable a narrator now as ever…not my favorite, but definitely above average and enjoyable, but the story….You know that thing about subverted expectations that worked so well in the first book? Very effective plot device that furthered the narrative….THIS TIME HOWEVER, it’s as if it is the only dramatic tool this author seems to have in his arsenal. Time and again he points the reader in a narrative direction only to jerk the plot out from under them. There are endless economical lectures regarding the evils of QE and hyperinflation that go way overlong in describing the dire circumstances facing the world’s economies. It just all became rather too much. It’s as if he decided that he would extend his obviously two part story into something entirely different and drag the reader along with him into some apocalypse-lite, where we were looking for some adversity ridden optimism toward the ultimate growth and success of mankind. It’s like he forgot what kind of story he was telling or worse, changed his mind along the way–either way, the tale suffers for it, and I actively despise it. If you read the first one looking for a redemption arc or even a cohesive story, give this thing a hard pass. Kroese can’t even decide who his main character is from one chapter to the next. So bad it made me angry.