It gets less confusing once you get used to the terminology the Tines have for talking about their subagents, and the rules for how those subagents interact. What I liked most about FUtD, and I think this is the source of its appeal, is how it fits many different scales and many different mind-types into the same universe, and explores their implications and interactions. But Vinge does tend to introduce strange types of minds without warning, and that does get confusing the first time you encounter each one.