I understand why so many people have given this five stars. It is incredibly well written--it's also depressing, and I didn't buy into the big plot twist at the end (it carries throughout the series, and every time it pops up I shake my head involuntarily), so it's just not my thing. I read a lot of science fiction short stories, so I'm a picky consumer of the medium. Were that not the case I imagine I'd have rated this much higher.