It's definitely very hard SF - which I enjoy - so I didn't find that to be a detractor. I don't even recall there being that much technical detail, it seemed like the plot was focused on the explosion and mystery on the miners' planet, and Catherine Li's growing suspicion of the government deliberately erasing her memory and her dealing with traumatic events of her past (and coming to terms with her own humanity, and that of the AI). I'd really liked this book.

I think I liked the sequel, Spin Control, even better, because it was more focused and personal. And - there is a 3rd book coming out sometime on the horizon.