Surface Detail

This is the eighth "The Culture" novel from internationally best-selling British sf writer Banks (www.iainbanks.net), following Matter (2008). It features a gigantic symbiotic series of civilizations spanning the Milky Way Galaxy (at least) and melding artificial intelligence constructs, biological life forms from myriad races, and much, much more. The plot, in short: a spoiled but clever bad guy is pursued by a woman he killed as a war brews among the Heavens, a network of posthumously uploaded consciousnesses. Banks's colorful style is similar to that of "Golden Age" master (and Scientology founder) L. Ron Hubbard and is wonderfully enhanced by voice-over artist Peter Kenny's expressive, humorous, British-accented narration; characters pile into the ears with precise delineation. A phenomenal performance of a well-written and well-plotted sf book that is easily a stand-alone; highly recommended.—Don Wismer, Trustee Emeritus, Cary Memorial Lib., Wayne, ME