Inversions

The more I think about this book, the more I feel it is one of my favorite Culture books, even though some argue it isn't truly a Culture book at all. It's a... smaller story, in some ways, more personal. It's slow to get going. The ending may leave you with more questions than answers. In a way it's a long exploration of one of the central questions of the Culture – the question of whether, and how, to meddle in the affairs of other civilizations – but (perhaps the biggest inversion of all) it feels more importantly like a story of two very real people, and the small things they do that affect the people near them. Culture books have always told vast stories via human relationships, but Inversions tightens that focus even further. It has me thinking about perspective, about love and loyalty, about the stories we tell about ourselves.