Surface Detail

English language

Published Feb. 26, 2010 by Orbit.

ISBN:
978-0-316-12340-2
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
548642208

View on OpenLibrary

(2 reviews)

It begins in the realm of the Real, where matter still matters.

It begins with a murder.

And it will not end until the Culture has gone to war with death itself.

Lededje Y'breq is one of the Intagliated, her marked body bearing witness to a family shame, her life belonging to a man whose lust for power is without limit. Prepared to risk everything for her freedom, her release, when it comes, is at a price, and to put things right she will need the help of the Culture.

Benevolent, enlightened and almost infinitely resourceful though it may be, the Culture can only do so much for any individual. With the assistance of one of its most powerful - and arguably deranged - warships, Lededje finds herself heading into a combat zone not even sure which side the Culture is really on. A war - brutal, far-reaching - is …

10 editions

reviewed Surface detail by Iain M. Banks (Culture, #9)

Solid sci-fi with religion meeting AI

This is the first novel in the Culture universe that I've read. There is rich world-building, and some very good characters in here. For the most part, I was kept enthralled with the story as it unfolded, however, the thing came apart near the end for me as it just sort of ended. While the main plotline was addressed satisfactorily, I thought there were a number of other threads left unpulled a bit.