Aaron

This entry is a sort of suspenseful mystery. Something is amiss on another Culture world and you're hoping the characters uncover the secrets before some unknown foreboding disaster occurs. There's a climatic event every character is planning for throughout the story and it does not disappoint.

More melancholy than the average Culture book. Banks managed to capture the feeling of playing games in such a specific way. The focus, the exultation, the sadness of it ending - win or lose.

Mystery and liminal horror. I was utterly engrossed and terrified all the way through.

A swerving, often confusing, but ultimately fun and action packed sci-fi whodunnit.

I found the plot lacking as murder mystery but this was mostly made up for by the portions that are action/thriller in space. This would make a fun movie script. Thompson still kicks ass with his Afrofuturism chops.

A fun romp in the Cosmere for fans of Stormlight