I feel almost like I was present during an effective dream. I remember not liking this book, but I also remember liking it. I'm not sure when the change happened, but it did. It's an interesting effect considering the events of the book. I'm not sure what to really take from this, though. There's the whole 'be careful what you wish for' bit, but that really seems too obvious. I connected more with the idea of the hopelessness of humanity. No matter what, we will always find a reason to hate one another, to kill one another. Take away anything that causes conflict between us right now and something new would pop up. It doesn't matter how hard we try, it just won't change a damn thing. Humans are still animals and we'll always be animals. No matter how sophisticated and intelligent we become, we'll always be animals. That, to me, was the underlying message of the book. Not that the ends justify the means, the path to hell is paved in good intentions, be careful what you wish for, etc. Each of those is the same basic message and they're all present, but it's not what I got from this.
Despite how bleak a message it gives, I think the book deserves four stars. It does speak of human nature accurately and the effective dreams were interesting. Sometimes the changes would smack you in the face and sometimes you'd read a sentence and wonder if the details were always that way. It gave you a great connection to the main character, Orr, being able to feel this way. I'd recommend reading it, just for the feeling alone.