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In a world renowned within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, it
… More »In a world renowned within a galaxy full of wonders, a crime within a war. For one brother it means a desperate flight, and a search for the one - maybe two - people who could clear his name. For his brother it means a life lived under constant threat of treachery and murder. And for their sister, it means returning to a place she'd thought abandoned forever.Only the sister is not what she once was; Djan Seriy Anaplian has become an agent of the Culture's Special Circumstances section, charged with high-level interference in civilisations throughout the greater galaxy.Concealing her new identity - and her particular set of abilities - might be a dangerous strategy. In the world to which Anaplian returns, nothing is quite as it seems; and determining the appropriate level of interference in someone else's war is never a simple matter.
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Add a CommentImagine a Shakespeare play. The king is murdered by his most trusted advisor in a coup, and the eldest prince sets out on a quest for help from his long-lost sister. Except the kingdom is just one layer of a massive, multi-leveled artificial planet, the sister was sent away to become a special ops agent of a galaxy-spanning anarchist/socialist society, and the king's murder is just one tiny part of a plot that could result in the deaths of billions. There's even a character who makes Richard III-like soliloquies because he believes there are vastly powerful aliens watching everything he does and, because they don't stop him, condoning his brutal actions. In this setting, he might be right.
This was my first time with any of Banks' work. Found it a bit slow to start, I'd look at how much was left and have to prod myself to pick it back up again. It wasn't until about 1/3 of the way through that the pace picked up to the point I liked it and I started really getting into the characters and the development. Not usually fond of the style of ending he chose here but it felt right. If you like this style of SF you might want to check out Neal Asher's work as well, a little more action and pacing, similar kind of exploration of culture and idealogies, but not quite as "hefty" when you pick it up.
A very Banks book in the Culture universe but got a bit lost in just how clever he was being in his layers of technology & intrigue.
Great Book!