Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: Greg Bear Flatlines in "Vitals"

"Vitals" is a disappointment. I have read and enjoyed almost everything that Greg Bear has written, and this book is way below his normally high standards. The scientific premise behind the book, that bacteria/genes can cooperate to form a super-mind, was dealt with more thoroughly in "Slant" and "Darwin's Radio." Bear wraps this premise with a story that is meant to evoke the hardboiled detective novels of yesteryear where the protagonist is surrounded by a web of deceit and nothing is what it appears to be. However, the result is dark, clammy and paranoid. More significantly, none of the characters are likable, and some are just repellent. Also, it's obvious that "Vitals" was written in haste. I found the multiple narrators confusing, and the ending was clearly tacked on at the last minute.I know from past experience that Mr. Bear is capable of great things. I would suggest that he spend more time writing and less time listening to his editors.