Spin is an interesting novel in that I don't think the sci-fi elements count for much aside from setting up the plot. It's very heavily focused on character relationships from beginning to end. I greatly enjoyed that. It's not action heavy and it involves a lot of talking and speculating. The consensus among those I read it with seems to be that while the characters are almost all generally unlikeable, that doesn't really detract from the story overly much. In my case I wondered if in the creation of "real people" whether it makes if it likeable or not, as I mostly saw them as just being flawed people trying to survive in their own ways, to where it was nigh irrelevant whether I liked them or not. Although there are many mentions of when events happen and other methods that provide the novel's internal chronology, I found that they were lacking internal consistency, which was unfortunate but not overly important. I personally quite enjoyed the ending and how it changed what I thought about the novel as a whole.

A problem I often have with something I really enjoy is that I often look more and more closely at it the more I enjoy it and oftentimes this leads me to seeing all the flaws with the details and brings disappointment that I wouldn't have otherwise experienced. If Spin had a few minor changes and fixed up its inconsistencies, I'd proclaim this to be one of my top novels that I've ever read without hesitation. As it though, it's merely great. I highly recommended it to anyone who is interested in a character focused near future SF.