Sorry. Book is still a mess.
The biggest issues I have with the book is the presentation of the last Precursor and the behavior of the Forerunners. While the idea you have is interesting and all, it won't make up for a sour first impression. In the end, this story is going to be centered around a "revenge-trip" that's present in every single fucking Sci-fi out there. I don't see the problem with Greg Bear giving us the innocent concept of 2 hyper advanced civilizations who worked to created and preserve the miracle of life only to be threatened by some extra-galactic horror.
It's a choice of two predictable concepts. I prefer the naive and happy origin to the "oh look, someone got pissed and is now threatening the entire galaxy, oh joy."
This book is well written, I will give Bear that. That does not however, excuse him for everything else. Forerunner tech is all around vaguely descriped, their behavior is TOO human for my taste. Corrupt and arrogant, they don't come off as the benevolent force we've always been hinted at and even told (see Halo Encyclopedia.) Also how do the forerunners De-evolve humanity? The bestiarium stated that Tier-0 species (precursors) could control evolution, then again maybe the bestiarium isn't the best source.
None the less. The book is dry and lack luster, some of the smaller details I found interesting such as the "Domain" and the body suits they wore....oh and the battle stations, the 50km long ships I found interesting enough. One last thing though, I didn't like Mendicant Bias. Yes he was the most advanced and powerful AI at that time, but he wasn't an ethereal god. I get that he had the ability to manipulate and enter all technological terminal around him (their armor and the council planet itself), but that doesn't change the fact he didn't seem like an AI, he seemed like a god. That was probably Bears intention though, either way I don't like it.
Oh and the concept of the flood starting out as some kind of powder is just stupid through and through.
EDIT: I forgot to specify why I didn't like the precursor. Tier-0 species I would expect to be completely near godlike status, as such I never saw them as arthropod scorpion headed creatures. I more or less saw them like this:
Ethereal and all knowing would work for them. The biggest complaint I did say, the whole revenge against the forerunner for the Precursor-Forerunner war. I would expect a race of hyper-beings to be above such petty and horrible motivations as to set in motion the extinction and destruction of an entire galaxy.
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