I'm glad you liked it - I'm very fond of the book. I found a lot of the technology and backstory sort of like the fascinating alien race. It was clear early on that strange things were going on, and quite satisfying when I finally knew enough to see how it fit together. After reading it a couple of times, I think there are some inconsistencies in the logic of the background science which might explain why you feel you didn't understand it.

- R