This is a lot of book in a hundred and sixty one page novella, by which I in no way mean that it's dense, only that it achieves an incredible economy of action and world building. In a way, I think it could have been a much larger book. I wouldn't consider the characters particularly well developed or complex yet, but I do believe I have a good, basic sense of who they are. If this book on its own were faithfully adapted as a movie, it wouldn't lose much and it could be a fantastic SF romp. And there's a sequel, Alice Payne Rides, scheduled for March, so presumably the rest of the story that might have been in this book will be unfolding in others.
Overall: B