Well I went into this having never read any of this series after watching the new Netflix series based on this book.
What can I say, but I loved it. I am a hard core scifi fan from way back, loving Azimov, EE Doc Smith from the golden era through to more recent works in the pulp sci fi fields.
The book has a darker feel to humanity and our endeavours to reach for the stars, but it also shows how even the most flawed of people have redeeming qualities