The Guardian called the book "a book of astonishments". The
Orkney News made favourable comparisons between elements of the story and life on
Orkney, such as bad internet speeds, but felt the ending was unsatisfying and the cast list excessive.
The Scotsman said the book "lacked direction" and criticised the use of Orcadian. The chair of the judges for the Arthur C. Clarke Award described the book as "the sort of book that makes you rethink what science fiction can do and makes the reading experience feel strange in a new and thrilling way. It's as if language itself becomes the book's hero and the genre is all the richer for it." ==References==