Lowell does a really very good job of building up his world in this series and its sister stories. If you like thoughtful writing that introduces new facets of space exploration and life through the everyday actions and experiences of its characters, then this series is for you.
To be completely honest, however, this is definitely not an action series. There is very little fighting, and the plot revolves around simple “doing life” activities. The storytelling is masterful, the characters have life to them and remind you why you love reading/listening, and the little details of life get lots of coverage. But it’s not the fastest moving story. If you prefer rowdy shoot em up fics, then this author probably isn’t for you.
The negatives here are that, particularly because this author’s process is so lengthy/developed, he can tend towards a little repetitiveness. If you listen to the stories in podcast/episode format, then characters saying the same things to each other is a running theme that helps keep you engaged. In audiobook format, this kind of repetition can stick out and make you think the author uncreative.
Also, for better or for worse, Lowell has a very established, mature voice as a writer. His main character gets that 40-50 year old voice, in a 17 year old body, and it can be a little jarring in some spots. In the story this gets explained away as the main character’s mother having taught him advanced liberal arts at a young age. Not exactly believable, but the story is good enough to make you want to accept that fig leaf of an explanation.