The novels of Iain M. Banks have forever changed the face of modern science fiction. His Culture books combine breathtaking imagination with exceptional storytelling, and have secured his reputation as one of the most extraordinary and influential writers in the genre.Banks is a phenomenon William Gibson The man known as Zakalwe was one of Special Circumstances foremost agents, changing the destiny of planets to suit the Culture through intrigue, dirty tricks or military action.Though the woman known as Diziet Sma had plucked him from obscurity and aided his stratospheric rise, she did not know him as well as she thought.The drone SkaffenAmtiskaw thought it knew both of these people. It had once saved the womans life by massacring her attackers, and it believed the man to be a burntout wreck but not even its superlative machineintelligence could see the horrors in his past. Praise for the Culture seriesEpic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution Independent on SundayBanks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future GuardianBankss scifi, at its best, is staggeringly inventive, beautifully written, dramatic and often very funny. His stories are packed with ideas, warships with minds very much of their own, alien races, charismatic drones and intergalactic politics New ScientistJampacked with extraordinary invention ScotsmanCompulsive reading Sunday Telegraph The Culture series Consider Phlebas The Player of Games Use of...

Binding: Paperback;432 pages; Publisher: Hachette UK Distribution; Classification: FL; Weight: 414 g; Dimensions: 126 x 199 x 31

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