A few years ago, this book was my entry point into Bank's "Culture" series of novels. I think I read nothing else until I had consumed the entire series. Bank's descriptions of the post-scarcity "Culture" society and overarching sensibility that "..of course; any intelligent species will eventually evolve and produce something like the Culture.." resonated particularly strongly with me. But Culture society is mostly just a backdrop for Bank's hugely imaginative stories-often two or three in play in any given book. Most stories involve characters on the fringes of the Culture and/or their interactions with less evolved civilizations. These interactions often suggest commentary on our own 'civ'.
Banks' writing is hugely imaginative, fun to read, full of fanciful images, gripping action and very cool concepts.
If you need your Sci Fi to be grounded in known theory or reasonable extensions thereof, some of Bank's flights of fancy will give you cause to look askance. But he puts such craft into his imaginings it is easy to forgive.
Surface Detail did not turn out to be my favorite book of the Culture series, but it got me hooked.
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