This is technically a (distant) prequel to the Miles Vorkosigan saga but stands on its own perfectly well. Good job really, because apparently the reading order is sufficiently contentious that the author felt the need to include a personal note on the best sequence to use.
Another interesting author's note was the acknowledgment about welding inspection. Personal interest of mine, so was pleasing to see that taken seriously and done rather well.
With regards to the actual story, it's a pretty good one. Toes a nice line between elements of hard sf and soft, and has a fairly compelling plot. The quaddies were convincing enough and Leo was a good protagonist.
Highly recommended.
Tagged: Book Science fiction Post-humans Novel Print