Without a doubt my favourite book (so far) in the Culture series, a book I can read again and again. The premise that one can rationalise oneself into evil acts is only made stronger by having it apply to Minds as well as people!

As usual Iain Banks manages to full all the characters, places and species in this book with convincing detail and lovingly-crafted back-stories. He also manages his trick of providing paragraphs-long digressions that add immensely to the texture of the writing without getting in the way of the plot.

5/5. Finished Saturday 10 November, 2012.

(Originally published on Goodreads.)