Meanwhile -- well, not really "meanwhile" -- a young woman named Eva Rye puts into action a desperate attempt at suicide. She is hoping to elude the attentions of the mid-21st Century nanny state in which she lives, and her elaborate plot really ought to work, but instead she is revived and sent to a mental institution, where she meets a few other suicidal youngsters. Eva is convinced that she (and everyone else) are constantly monitored by a spontaneously evolved AI called the Watcher. Eva also talks to her dead brother -- though his true nature doesn't become clear for some time.

Finally -- again, not really "finally" -- a man named Constantine, in the early 22nd Century, comes to the Australian arcology called Stonebreak on a mysterious mission. It seems Stonebreak is a very early VNM-based project. It soon becomes clear that Stonebreak may be in trouble. But other strange things are going on -- Constantine has several artificial personalities in his head, advising and sometimes taking control. And every so often he thinks he sees gaps in the sky. And a mysterious woman accosts him, accusing him of being a "ghost" -- a man allowed by his corporation's AIs to evade notice. And what is the secret Constantine has brought home from the VNM project on Mars?

All these threads continue fairly independently until right at the end, though certain coincidences of names tease us a bit. What's really going on is obscure for much of the novel, which is a bit of a shame as we don't really engage with the central issues as early as we might. These issues are, basically, "Should we cede decision making to super intelligent AIs?", and, if so, "How can we trust them?" Ballantyne does offer interesting discussion by the end, and some interesting and ambiguous answers. The general action of each thread holds the interest, as Herb and the EA agent battle the enemy AI, Eva and friends try to escape the Watcher, and Constantine tries to understand where and what he is and who wants the information he carries. At times I was put off a bit by the essentially magical nature of VNMs as portrayed -- mostly they are acceptable as the story's "one impossible idea" but I rather doubt that a thermodynamic analysis of the action in the Herb thread (at least) would hold up.

But other ideas are intriguing -- the couple of examples of multiple personality, the general treatment of AIs, Constantine's true nature.

Recursion may be a bit too long -- a bit stuffed with busy work that doesn't really lead to anything, but on the whole it's a promising first novel, not a complete success, but an interesting work.