I loved this. The first book in a while that illustrates about how the Pak Protecters think. And then the new super intelligence Ol't'ro ... PLEASE write more books like this! Few authors can illustrate beyond-human mental capacity so compellingly! They usually all kill off the super intelligent character as soon as it's created, or make that character aloof from the active story line. Cop outs. They're afraid or unable to deal with describing how such a being would think and act. Only Orson Scott Card succeeded in this with Ender's Game and the later Bean saga, but your characters go beyond even that!

Book 3 of 4 Make sure you read the previous books in the series first! Do yourself a favor and read a couple of Niven's short stories before that as well (Neutron Star, At The Core, and others). Great storytelling, and absolutely amazing world-building and races. If you like Sci-Fi or technology at all, you have to read this series.