The second book of the series, The Way of the Spider shows the results of the impact the Romanans has had on the stagnant Directorate. The Directors themselves are starting to realize they have built a house of cards, that stagnation may only be acceptable if there is nothing to compare it too. With the arrival of the vibrancy of the Romanans, stagnancy pales, and the Directorate finds itself having to deal with revolts. The most serious of the revolts forges an unlikely alliance between the Romanans and the Directorate.

Gear introduces more history of the Directorate, revealing an older high tech culture called "The Brotherhood", who removed themselves from the directorate from ages ago. However, hints of their technology are still available for those that can find them.

Gear continues on with the relationship between the Prophets and the Directorate, contrasting the logical rational mind of the directors (who has also lost contact with what it means to be human) and the mentoring mind of the Prophets.

Overall this book isn't as good as the first, and doesn't have as much to explore. However, it does a reasonable job of providing continuity from the first story.

Final Recommendation: If you've read the first book, you might as well read this one too. ( )